Thank you for covering this lovely, uplifting and memorable story. How encouraging to hear from a man who "gets it". Our world including the US treats animals with incredible barbarism, as though animals are here simply to serve our needs of convenience. (-Just bracing for the onslaught of comments like, "Why aren't you concerned about human cruelty?" - as though we're in competition.) Thank you for this inspiring saga.

Another great story about a hero in my eyes! There's no greater thing a human can do than to care for the animals of this world with such passion and devotion! This video was great! Loved the story

This is just awesome and so was the story about the lion Christian.

People who don't think that animals besides humans (yes we are an animal) can't think, don't have emotions such as love, saddness and a memory......don't get and never ever will.

I know that my pets love me, and have memorys!!!

I think animals are better than most humans I know (my friends being the exception).

Awww that's cute. I love reading stories like this after seeing so much sad news.

this is a truly amazing heart touching soul souring story. i cried. and then theres matt lauer with his idiotic, shallow, superficial, questions and comments. matt has no soul, no heart. if he didnt have lack of character, he'd have no character at all.

This is rad, but Matt Lauer: you're such a cheese ball. "after 5 years in the wild whats the smell of that gorilla"... ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is exactly why cultured, educated, well traveled people think Americans are morons. Thanks Matt. Keep up the good work

Mr. Aspinwall is a hero. Matt Lauer got up this morning, was handed a list of the morning stories and immediately thought..."Hmm, wonder how stinky the gorilla was?" Juvenile question at it's finest.

This is rediculous propaganda by the liberal media establishment. This is clearly a human not a man-gorilla. I don't know if this is some kind of publicity stunt or if he's a victim of the socialist media elites and their pro-evolution agenda.

correstion: soul soaring. not souring.

correction: correction. : )

Why run this story.I guess the liberal media won"t talk about the Bank of america executive who was confronted by a bunch of seiu goons protesting on his front lawn and terrorizing his 14 year old child who was inside his own home. Did you know this BOA exec. used to be a clinton staffer when billy was prez? My oh my how dare anybody make a profit welcome the the USSA (United Socialist States Of Amerika).Wait till the Government runs out of other peoples money!

What a beautiful story. Seems animals are smarter and have better memories than we give them credit for. As to some of these posts, I still don't see the correlation between politics and the story of a man reuniting with a gorilla....

John, if you expect hard reporting from msnbc, you better find another news organization. Try BBC news, or Fox news, because they love all this touch feely sh-t here. Better than giving the cold hard facts of life. Must people don't want to here.

Kbrocx, John & kflann: If you guys don't enjoy reading these stories, then try BBC or Fox and stay away from here and quit your griping as the majority of us do like to read them. Personally I love animals of all kinds. My ultimate dream would be to be able to interact with a gorilla or a polar bear, my two favorites and two of the most endangered species. I am jealous and delighted that this man was able to do something I never will - have a relationship and be a true friend to a great ape. Man, can you imagine the love there that after five years the two of them reunited and the friendship rekindled? That was Eden before the apple. I wish them both the best and pray they have many more happy reunions. God bless them both.