Legendary naturalist David Attenborough has returned to the story that helped define his career, with a new Netflix documentary tracing his decades-long connection to Rwanda's mountain gorillas now available to stream globally. A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough premiered on Netflix on April 17, following the Pablo group (the largest mountain gorilla family ever recorded) in Rwanda's Virunga Mountains, according to CNN. David Attenborough and Pablo the gorilla in 1978. /Netflix The documentary revisits Attenborough's first recorded encounter with a baby gorilla named Pablo in 1978, wh

Legendary naturalist David Attenborough has returned to the story that helped define his career, with a new Netflix documentary tracing his decades-long connection to Rwanda's mountain gorillas now available to stream globally.

A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough premiered on Netflix on April 17, following the Pablo group (the largest mountain gorilla family ever recorded) in Rwanda's Virunga Mountains, according to CNN.

David Attenborough and Pablo the gorilla in 1978. /Netflix

The documentary revisits Attenborough's first recorded encounter with a baby gorilla named Pablo in 1978, while filming Life on Earth at Dian Fossey's research station in Rwanda. That iconic scene, in which the three-year-old Pablo playfully reclined on top of Attenborough, helped raise global awareness for the mountain gorilla population, which was then on the brink of extinction.

When Attenborough first visited, heavy poaching had reduced the mountain gorilla population to just 250. Today, thanks to dedicated conservation efforts and a sustainable tourism model that returns ten percent of earnings directly to local communities, more than 600 gorillas are thriving in Rwanda.

The film blends newly captured footage from the mountains of Rwanda with archival material, including journal excerpts from Attenborough's earlier work, Netflix said.

The documentary is directed by Oscar winner James Reed and co-directed by Callum Webster, with Emmy-winning producer Alastair Fothergill serving as executive producer alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson, and Phillip Watson. It is produced by Silverback Films in association with DiCaprio's Appian Way production company. The crew worked closely with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the Rwandan Development Board, Netflix said.

A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough is available on Netflix.

A Gorilla Story - Netflix

Attenborough has reflected on his most famous encounter.
/BBC

A little more informed. A little more connected.