A video of a chimpanzee mother’s reunion with her newborn two days after a cesarean section in a US zoo is winning hearts on the internet. The Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, the largest city in the US state of Kansas, announced on Tuesday that chimpanzee Mahale gave birth to a male baby on November 15 via C-section, but the newborn had to be kept away from the mother after birth due to some health complications. 


According to local media reports, Mahale was water labouring all Tuesday morning, and the animal care team at the zoo decided to intervene surgically after noticing changes in her progress. Dr Laura Whisler and Dr Janna Chibry of College Hill OB-GYN, along with the zoo’s veterinary team, performed the C-section, the zoo said in a post on Facebook and Instagram after the surgery. 


The post said the baby had troubled breathing at birth and was being treated at the zoo hospital.   


“Baby had a bit of trouble getting enough oxygen at birth, so he is being treated in the Zoo’s Vet hospital by animal care staff. Today he is doing extremely well and should be able to be reunited with mom very soon!” the zoo said in the post shared with a video showing the doctors on the job.  


A Fox Weather report said the doctors consulted with the zoo veterinarians on ape pregnancies for the past decade. It said the baby was bottle-fed overnight due to low oxygen levels.


Baby Chimp Given A Swahili Name


On Thursday, the zoo shared another video showing the reunion of the mother and child. The video has since been shared more than 9,000 times. The heartwarming video showing the baby in his mother’s arma has people pouring out their heart in the comments section.


“If your not crying watching this something is wrong with U”, said one user, while another one said: “That is the sweetest thing ever!!!!”


See the heartwarming video here: 



Later on Thursday, the zoo announced the newborn’s name. The baby will be called Kucheza (koo-CHAY-zuh), which the post said means “play” in Swahili.  


The post was accompanied with another video showing “a sweet moment between mom and son while he nurses”.



Kucheza is the third offspring born to the 28-year-old chimpanzee, according to the Fox Weather report.