By LOUISE ECCLES

Careful now: Komale the gorilla cuddles a duckling that wandered into her enclosure


After wandering into a gorilla enclosure, this feathered guest probably hoped to duck out without being seen.

But one friendly ape seemed determined to persuade it to stay a little longer – scooping the duckling into his arms for a hug.

Four-year-old Komale held the tiny creature up to his face and nuzzled it before cuddling it against his body.

But his very warm welcome failed to win over the terrified duckling, which tried several times to wrestle free before finally making its escape and rejoining its family.

A spokesman for Bristol Zoo said: 'The baby gorillas are always fascinated by the ducklings which arrive every spring.'


Onlookers watched in amazement as the gorilla held the duckling gently


‘They often try to catch them but this is the first time we have seen them actually pick one up - it was very sweet. Komale lives with his two sisters Kera and Namoki and they are very playful together.’

Komale was born at the zoo after its mother Salome was treated with the fertility drug Clomifene in an attempt to boost the endangered species of Western lowland gorillas.

The number of Western lowland gorillas in the wild has fallen by 90 per cent in the past 60 years as animals have been shot for bushmeat while deforestation has damaged their environment.


source: dailymail