Hand-raised gorilla Kaius moves in with Aunty G-Anne at Mogo Zoo

It’s official, Kaius - the baby hand-raised ape who captured hearts around the world - has moved in with his aunt. And relieved zoo staff believe the pair will bond for life.

It’s official, Kaius — the photogenic little hand-raised ape who captured hearts around the world — has moved in with his aunt.

And so far, all indications are that this pair will bond for life.

“For the last few months they shared bedrooms next to each other and had a lot of mesh-to-mesh contact, and the day came where we were happy with the positive back and forth that we knew it was time,” said zookeeper Chad Staples, who raised the 10-month-old from birth.

“Aunty G-Anne is sharing her food with Kaius so that’s a big deal, she doesn’t share with anyone,” he said.

“The noises between them are beautiful, they sleep right next to each other, so once we knew Kaius could come over to the mesh to get a bottle from us when needed, we knew the time had come.”

Kauis the hand-raised gorilla and his aunty G-Anne get introduced to each other at Mogo Zoo this week.

Zookeeper Chad Staples with Kaius. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Kaius has had constant contact with the other gorillas.

Kaius gets what looks like a raspberry on the tummy from Aunty G-Anne.

“It’s been a few days now and all the signs are amazing, there’s lots of beautiful interactions, a lot of talk from the gorilla family who are seeing this unfold, lots of really good stuff and their bond is being forged.”

Kaius developed sepsis pneumonia and was gravely ill when humans intervened at Mogo Wildlife Park on October 21.

His mum was suffering medical complications and unable to care for him.

Mr Staples admits he “shed a tear or two” watching the two apes together where they belong.

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]