Many people have experienced seeing chimpanzees at a zoo or some other animal sanctuary, but they weren’t all born into captivity. Some are rescued from the wild and others are raised by humans because their mothers rejected them for one reason or another.
Limbani was one of those chimps rejected by his mother when he was born. He was born with pneumonia, and his mother rejected him early on, likely because he would’ve died or slowed her down. The laws of nature can be cruel, but when you live in the wild, it’s survival of the fittest, and having to look out for a new baby is probably already a vulnerable position for an animal to be in. Adding in a baby that is sickly is probably too much to risk.
Luckily for Limbani, he was rescued by a zoo, but it quickly became clear that the baby chimp needed care around the clock in order to survive.
That’s when Limbani was placed with Tania and Jorge Sanchez, who had volunteered to foster the baby while he continued to receive care. The Sanchezes were part of the crew that looked after Limbani when he was receiving intense treatment while at the zoo. But it’s been years since Limbani was a sickly baby chimpanzee. After his successful recovery while living with Tania and Jorge, he was moved to the Zoological Wildlife Foundation, where he has remained for nearly seven years.
But recently, the once-abandoned chimp was reunited again with his foster family. His reaction is always as if he hasn’t seen them in years, though they have visited him on more than one occasion. Limbani ran excitedly towards the two before springing into Jorge’s arms, with lots of hugs and kisses coming from both the humans and the chimp. They even went out for a treat together.
Seems that it’s always a party when they get together. Their reunions have been caught on video previously, proving that while he likely misses them, the couple remains in contact with their furry baby. That doesn’t stop their reunions from being the cutest events ever. Watch one of the first times they reunited below, complete with Limbani in a baby onesie.