This is the tender moment a mother chimpanzee rushes to embrace her baby after being separated from it for two days because of complications during birth.
The footage shows the mother chimp, Mahale, immediately pick up and embrace her male baby, Kucheza, after he raises his arm for attention when she enters an enclosure where he was resting at a Kansas zoo.
Sedgwick County Zoo posted the footage online after it welcomed the birth of Kucheza on Tuesday.
After Mahale experienced difficulties during labor, the zoo staff decided to perform a C-section. The pair were separated for two days while baby Kucheza was monitored.
The zoo said: ‘After almost two full days, Mahale and baby were reunited this morning!’
Mahale immediately rushes toward her baby and scoops him into her arms, after noticing his presence
‘Mahale gave birth via emergency C-section after natural labor stopped progressing.
‘Baby wasn’t breathing well on his own, so he stayed in the hospital with the medical team until he could be reunited with mom.’
In the heartwarming video posted online on November 17, Mahale enters the enclosure where her new baby rests in a blanket.
She sits still for a moment, not realizing her newborn is just inches away.
Seconds later, baby Kucheza raises his arm, grabbing the attention of his mom, who rushes over and scoops him into her arms.
The mother then tightly hugs her new son, with her love evident as she embraces him.
The zoo’s Facebook post has drawn the attention of thousands of users.
According to its website, Sedgwick County Zoo is a non-profit located in Wichita, and is home to 3,000 individual animals of nearly 400 species.