Animal Reunions

At Nairobi’s David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, caretakers sleep beside the residents to keep them company. The caretakers spend each night with a different elephant, to prevent the orphans from becoming too attached.

What happens when people are reunited with the wild animals with which they forged a deep bond years ago? Will these gorillas, elephants, cheetahs and chimpanzees still recognize their human caregivers and how will they react? That is the premise of this program which also raises the question whether wild creatures can really experience emotions like joy, devotion, and love.

Damian Aspinall, a millionaire entrepreneur and conservationist, travels to the African country of Gabon in the hope of reuniting with Kwibi, a ten year-old male gorilla. Kwibi was born in Damian’s wildlife park in rural England, but was released to the wild along with six other young gorillas.