YOU can’t help but go ape over this shot of best buddies Emily Bland and Rishi the orangutan who have been monkeying around together ever since their first chance meeting.

The St Albans schoolgirl came into contact with Rishi when she accompanied her dad Barry, who is a professional photographer, to a job at an animal sanctuary in Miami at just one year old.

The pair immediately hit it off and were snapped together playing happily and enjoying a pretend cup of tea.

Mum Sophy said: “We had some toys out for her and they started playing together and having a tea party. It was like two children playing on a play date.”

She added: “She would always talk about Rishi and people thought she was talking about another human.

“It seems really odd but when you are there it seems normal.”

But with Rishi getting bigger Emily, now six years old and living in Radlett, knew her recent reunion with the lovable primate could be the last.

Luckily dad Barry captured more priceless photos of his daughter playing with the orangutan in the pool, feeding him a banana and having a cuddle.