A chimpanzee at Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, reunites with her baby after being separated for 2 days following complications from an emergency c-section birth. Their first encounter was captured in a video, which left people in tears.
Mahale and her newborn baby, Kucheza (meaning ‘happy’ in Swahili), had to be separated after the baby chimpanzee developed a breathing problem. He was taken away for observation by the zoo’s veterinary team. They were reunited after Kucheza was cleared to be returned to the enclosure, back to his mother.
In the video, Mahale enters the enclosure, carrying a white patterned blanket, and notices something beneath layers of blankets. She is curious about what is inside and lifts herself a little more upright to see. The hands of her baby suddenly stretch outward, as if sensing the presence of his mother.
Mahale immediately recognizes her baby and hurriedly moves towards Kucheza, lifts him up into her arms, and embraces her child, as a mother would. One of the keepers could be heard applauding Mahale for doing a great job, audibly in tears after witnessing the sweet and emotional reunion.
“It’s one of the most powerful things I’ve ever seen. She knows it’s her baby laying there. The baby is being very still, she’s looking at it like, ‘What’s going on,’ and once he moves, you see the relief and the love and just, oh my gosh, it’s just amazing. As a mom myself, it’s just, oh my gosh,” the zoo’s communications director”, Jennica King said.
As of now, the baby chimpanzee and the mother are bonding well and are doing great.
