The tear-jerking moment a rescue chimp reunites with the couple who helped raise him is one you won't want to miss.
You’ve heard it said, it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to raise a chimpanzee. Lambani's mother abandoned him when he was four days old because of pneumonia. It was a critical time in his life when he needed round-the-clock care and lots of love.
Maria Tabarue, president and director of the zoo, said, “Limbani was having a rough time breathing firstly, the vet placed him on an incubator.” Maria and her husband took this precious chimp home and named him Lambini, which means strong in Swahili.
Eventually, the little guy pulled through and got healthier. Lambani came to see Maria and Mario as his parents. He would do what most toddlers do when Maria would go to the bathroom. He would stand outside the door and scream for his mama.
Because he needed constant love and supervision, Maria and Mario enlisted a few friends to help them with Lambani. Tania and Jorge Sanchez offered to help with his care while Maria and Mario were in the middle of moving.
“Limbani was a lot of work back then because he was so little, and he was very sensitive,” Maria said. “Jorge and Tania were in a place where they could be consistently hands-on with him, and they cared for him meticulously; he was like their baby, and since we were just five minutes away, Mario and I could go back and forth to see him.”
Now seven years later, Jorge and Tania returned for a special visit with rescue chimp Lambani. They even brought Chimp-approved treats. Lambani didn’t care about the treats at first. He was overjoyed to see his extra set of parents.
Lambani was emotionally over the moon. He jumped, screamed, smiled, and even did a cartwheel or two. Lambani seems to know that he wouldn’t have survived without the village of humans who raised him. Even though he’s in his teen years for a chimpanzee, he doesn’t mind telling his parents how cool they are.
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Caring for God’s creation is an honor. We witness just what an honor it is when Lambani reunites with his caregivers. Even though he can’t use words, his actions reveal just how happy he is.
“Then God said, “‘And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small,’” Genesis 1:26.
h/t: The Epoch Times
image credit: YouTube