Mountain gorilla who gained fame posing for selfie with ranger dies aged 14

Mathieu Shamavu, a ranger and caretaker at the Senkwekwe Centre for Orphaned Mountain Gorillas, poses for a photo with female orphaned gorillas Ndakasi, left, and Ndeze, centre, at the Senkwekwe Centre for Orphaned Mountain Gorillas in Virunga National Park (Mathieu Shamavu/Virunga National Park via AP)

Ndakasi, a mountain gorilla who famously posed for a selfie with a ranger at Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has died aged 14 after a long illness, the park said.

“It is with heartfelt sadness that Virunga announces the death of beloved orphaned mountain gorilla, Ndakasi, who had been under the care of the park’s Senkwekwe Centre for more than a decade,” a statement from the park said this week.