A 5-week-old chimp went viral on social media because of a reunion video with his mother. Sadly, the Internet’s sweetheart was found dead by the caretakers of the zoo he was at. Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, found the 5-week-old primate Kucheza dead in his mother Mahale’s arm. He will remain in his mother’s arms until she is ready to party with him.
Sedgwick County Zoo announced the heartbreaking news saying, “Friends, our hearts are broken today. It is with the greatest sadness that we have to announce the sudden and unexpected passing of Kucheza, 5-week-old Chimpanzee. Keepers found Kucheza deceased, and cradled in his mother Mahale’s arms, when they arrived at the Zoo this morning. Mahale is not quite ready to part with him, but when our team is able, a full medical assessment will be done to determine the cause of death.”
5 week old chimp found dead in mother’s arms
The zoo continued, “Mahale’s love for Kucheza was and will continue to be felt by billions of people around the world.
In his few short weeks of life, Kucheza brought joy and light to so many, and sparked an opportunity to educate the world about chimpanzees, the dangers they face in the wild, and most importantly – why we should care. We’ll continue to share these messages and inspire respect and conservation for Kucheza’s wild counterparts in his honor.”
Mahela conceived Kucheza after a long cesarean surgery in November. However, the little one required medical observation. The emotional moment came alive when Mahela saw her son for the first time. As soon as she came within reach of her son, she snugged into a little ball to be as close as possible with his son. The reunion video has more than 17 million views. Once Kucheza’s body will is available, the vets will conduct an autopsy to understand the cause of death better. World Wildlife Fund explains that the chimpanzees are endangered as their population ranges between 172,700 and 299,700.
