Everybody advised Ivanka against getting too close to the gorillas, including the safari tour guide. He had years of experience working with the beasts, so it was clear that he was not kidding around. However, Ivanka turned a deaf ear. She had a connection with these gorillas and that’s exactly what she told the worker. However, she would soon have to deal with the consequences of her actions.

She Did Not Listen

Ivanka was born into privilege. Her father amassed a lot of wealth over the years. They resided in St. Petersburg, Russia, and a significant reason why they were so wealthy was thanks to the decline of the USSR. Her father was also a charming and conniving man. Ivanka was used to the finer things in life, and she always got whatever she asked for.

Comfortable Living

Ivanka’s father was known for being a lavish man that rarely spared a penny. He frequently threw large and luxurious parties, indulged in expensive works of art, and splurged on exclusive furniture pieces. He would always buy strange gifts for his friends and family. There was one present that stood out from the rest.

A Man Of Luxury

Ivanka’s father tended to splurge on expensive and exotic animals. He bought pets such as anacondas and lemurs. However, he wanted more. For Ivanka’s birthday, he purchased a baby gorilla! Ivanka was only five-years-old at the time, and people could not help but wonder how the two would get along.

His Guilty Pleasure

Things went swimmingly for the first few years. Ivanka had a special bond with Koko, the gorilla, and spent a lot of time playing with the animal. Koko had a calm demeanor, and she was adorable. However, all good things came to an end. Things soon took a turn for the worst.

A Good Relationship

As Koko grew older she soon became more aggressive and stronger. Despite this, Ivanka’s father insisted that they could deal with it. They made Koko’s enclosure larger and made it feel more like her natural habitat. Ivanka’s father would soon regret his decision to keep Koko as things went downhill very fast.

Bigger And Stronger

On the evening of one of her father’s outlandish parties, Koko managed to escape her enclosure. It was a dangerous situation, and it was awful timing. Koko managed to get inside the living room, where all the guests drank and had a good time. She destroyed a lot of expensive furniture and was on the verge of endangering the guests.

Escape Artist

This incident opened Ivanka’s family’s eyes, and they accepted that they could no longer keep Koko. Koko belonged in the wild, and they needed to get her there fast. The family contacted a rehabilitation center so that she could be relocated to the Gabon jungle. It was a bittersweet moment for Ivanka when it was time to say goodbye to the pet who grew up with her. However, she knew it was for the best.

Bidding Farewell

At the age of 25, Koko still consumed Ivanka’s thoughts. Koko meant a lot to her, and she missed him dearly. She wanted to see how her companion was doing, so she called the primatologists that rehabilitated Koko 12 years ago and organized a trip so that she could reunite with Koko. She was bursting with excitement, but she was completely unaware that things were about to take a turn for the worst.

Missing Koko

Ivanka arranged a safari in the jungle where Koko was relocated. The guide warned her not to leave the car. Gorillas tend to exhibit aggressive behavior when they feel threatened. She hesitantly agreed. However, when she spotted her old pet, she felt overwhelmed with emotion. She was so happy she had to go to her immediately. She paid no attention to the guide’s screams and got out of the car to go to Koko.

Seeing Her Old Friend

But Koko wasn’t very welcoming towards Ivanka. Maybe it resented her after all those years of being kept in an enclosure, far away from its fellow primates and its natural habitat. Perhaps it didn’t even recognize her and reacted just how she would have reacted had any other human tried to get close to it. But her response was terribly aggressive.

Koko Wasn’t Having It

Koko tried to grab Ivanka and attack her! If the guide had not shot Koko with a tranquilizer dart, things could have gotten really dangerous. He quickly ran towards Ivanka. She was paralyzed by fear. How could her old pet not recognize her? The guide did his best to get her back to her senses, then brought her back to the car and drove out of there.

He Attacked Her!

How could that have happened? Ivanka was devastated. How could the sweet, playful animal from her childhood memories have turned into that murderous beast? Maybe this experience made her reflect on how ethical keeping a baby gorilla as a pet was. Perhaps it didn’t, and she was just left bewildered at what happened, too frightened to be capable of any deeper thought.

She Was Devastated

Ivanka spent the whole trip to the airport and back home devastated by her experience. She cried for the entire flight, grieving over her shattered childhood memories. When she arrived back home, she told her dad about what had happened. And he didn’t know what to say. He just hugged her daughter and patted her back while she cried.

Heartbroken

This story certainly brings light to the issue of animal trafficking and how ethical it is to have exotic animals as pets. But some questions still remain. Did this episode make Ivanka and her dad think about that matter? Do you think Ivanka is feeling different now about her happy childhood memories with an ape that was brought out of its natural environment?

Girl Reunites With Pet Gorilla