59-Year-Old Chimp Is Very Sick And Refuses Food, Then She Recognizes Her Old Friend

October 16, 2017

If anyone has any doubts as to the ability of chimps to show emotional connections, this touching moment should put any of those to rest.

A 59-year-old chimp named Mama was gravely ill and refused food. Jan van Hooff, a professor of behavioral biology at Utrecht University, has known Mama since 1972. He decided to pay her a visit the week before she died of old age in April 2016. It takes a while before Mama becomes aware of Jan's presence, but when she does, her reaction is incredibly touching.