A gorilla shared a sweet moment with a man she's known her whole life - stealing his hat and giving him tender hug. <br /><br />Video shows Damian Aspinall, an animal conservationist, crouched in front of Tambabi, 37.<br /><br />The sweet encounter happened at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Canterbury, Kent, which is owned by The Aspinall Foundation, whose Damian is the chairman.<br /><br />The pair shared this moment on November 11 when Damian visited Howletts, which was started by his father. <br /><br />Tambabi was born in the park and Damian, 63, has known her since birth. <br /><br />The gorilla and her family are very close to him.<br /><br />In the video, Tambabi can be heard grunting and gurgling, which is how the animals communicate. <br /><br />According to a Howletts spokesperson, by making those sounds Tambabi is "intimating very loving sounds."<br /><br />The Aspinall Foundation works with wild animals and specifically gorillas. <br /><br />They protect a gorilla habitat the size of Kent on the Batéké Plateau in central Africa and have saved more than 1,000 animal lives. <br /><br />According to the Howletts spokesperson, the trust Tambabi shows in the footage is very rare. <br /><br />They said: "Tambabi and this family of gorillas only interact in this way with Damian and his conservationist daughter Freya Aspinall. <br /><br />"Tambabi has known both Damian and Freya since her birth."<br /><br />The park hasn't attempted such close contact between Tambabi and anyone else. <br /><br />They added: "It has not been attempted with anyone else other than Damian and Freya.<br /><br />"It’s not something Damian would encourage other people to do as they are wild animals and not pets. <br /><br />"This relationship is only possible through a lifetime of mutual trust, no training or taming.<br /><br />"[It can only be achieved through] A lifetime of mutual trust and respect. No shortcuts. No tricks."
