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WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) – This is the viral video you’ve probably seen on your social media feed at some point in the last 24 hours.
The moving reunion of a chimpanzee mother and her newborn.
Mothers, in particular, are tied to the power of maternal instinct that watches that mother love her baby.
The end that all the Sedgwick County Zoo staff wanted was reached, but the path to get there was a little different.
“You never see animals behave like that and have that intuition take hold. Once I saw that, we all thought it was a gem that we filmed,” says Dr Heather Arens, veterinarian at Sedgwick County Zoo.
It’s a reunion that has gone viral, viewed over 10 million times on social media platforms.
“It couldn’t have been more emotional and that motherly intuition, you don’t see that every day, or even with humans every day,” says Dr. Arens.
Proof that a mother’s instinct goes beyond a species.
This emotional ending had a stressful start.
Knowing that mum Mahale was in labor, keepers at the Sedgwick County Zoo noticed that her labor had stopped progressing.
“Most of the time it’s natural, they have natural births and that’s what we hope. This is our goal. But sometimes, like in humans, surgery is needed.
The waiting OB-GYN was called in to perform an emergency C-section to save baby Kucheza.
“It allows us to focus on mom and anesthesia for mom and baby without worrying about surgery,” says Dr. Arens.
After the birth – Kucheza had difficulty breathing and needed oxygen for about 48 hours.
Zoo medical staff normally say recovery would take days, but Kucheza responded immediately.
Throwback to this video and the reunion of mom and baby.
“It’s a huge feeling of well-being, it’s a victory. teamwork, it all comes together.
Zoo staff tell us that since the video you just saw of Mahale picking up baby Kucheza, she hasn’t dropped him off yet.
Mahale and Kucheza will have a few weeks to fully recover from surgery before being reintroduced to their family.
After this introduction, the audience will get a first glimpse.
Cnn
