Watch: Adorable baby gorilla raised by humans gets a loving hug from her new mum

This is the heartwarming moment a baby gorilla who has been hand-reared by humans got a loving hug from her new foster mum.

Afia, a Western lowland gorilla, was left fighting for her life after being born by emergency caesarean 10 months ago.

Her real mum, Kera, was too sick to raise Afia and is still battling illness after being treated for severe anaemia following the C-section.

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So it was left to keepers at Bristol Zoo to raise Afia until she was well enough to be adopted by a gorilla family of her own.

Now, after more than 1,570 bottle feeds, nearly 1,400 nappies and 112 piggy back rides, Afia is no longer being cared for by keepers but is spending 24 hours a day with her new gorilla family.

And she has literally been welcomed with open arms by her new mum, who placed a reassuring and comforting hug around her adopted daughter as the pair roamed their home at the Gorilla Island enclosure.

The process of introducing Afia to her primate family has been a long and delicate one for the keepers, with initial introductions beginning in October when Afia spent time in direct contact with surrogate mother, Romina, for the first time.

Lynsey Bugg, curator of mammals, said: “Since her birth in February, our team has worked tirelessly to hand-rear Afia 24/7 while being mindful to ensure human imprinting was kept to a minimum.

“Our ultimate goal has always been to reunite Afia with her gorilla family, so we all feel immensely proud and relieved to now see her where she belongs.

“After such an eventful year, it’s wonderful to watch Afia with her new family. We know each of the gorillas so well and are really proud of them all.

“This has not only been a huge career highlight for me, but also for my whole team.

“We have all learnt a lot and celebrated together. 2016 will be a year we will never forget.”

Afia will still require milk feeds from her keepers until she is around four years old but she is now fully a part of her new family – just in time for Christmas.