Member-only story
The Heartbreaking Saga of Riù the Gorilla:
A True Tragic Tale.
The story that shook me to the core!
I came across a heartbreaking story about Riù, a gorilla stolen from his homeland and forced into a lonely existence behind cold glass, never knowing the freedom he once had.
Born free in the African forests, he was cruelly snatched from his mother as a cub in 1975, thrust into a life of entertainment.
From the Medrano Circus to the Fasano Zoosafari in 1994, his story serves as a stark reminder of captivity and the loss of freedom!
For a time, he shared an enclosure with Pedro, another gentle gorilla, but after Pedro's passing in 2008, Riù was left alone.
From that moment, his sad, vacant stare and stillness became a quiet, ominous presence to those who watched him — it was painfully evident that a part of him had been lost.
Animal rights groups tirelessly fought to change his fate, offering solutions, companionship, and alternatives. Yet Riù remained there, resilient and enduring, a silent witness in a world that wasn't his own.
