A chimpanzee who was raised by a few caretakers after he was rejected by his mom as a baby is overcome with joy when he reunites with them. The moving moment that was captured on video shows the strong and special bond they share even after seven years.
Limbani, the chimpanzee was born with pneumonia and was rejected by his mother at a very critical stage of his life. When he was just 4 days old, Zoological Wildlife Foundation (ZWF) in Miami was alerted to his plight. He was in a bad state when he first arrived.
“Limbani was having a rough time breathing,” Maria Tabarue, president and director of the zoo told The Epoch Times, “so firstly, the vet placed him on an incubator.”
When Maria and her husband Mario took the baby chimp under their wing, he needed round-the-clock care. Limbani—which means strong in Swahili—had to be monitored constantly. He quickly became attached to Maria, even following her to the bathroom.
He would stand outside like a “baby” and scream his lungs out if he didn’t see Maria.
In those early days, Maria and Mario were in the middle of moving house, so when their friends Tania and Jorge Sanchez offered to step in and help raise Limbani, it was the perfect arrangement. Since the couples lived only a few minutes apart, the new foster parents got involved really quickly in the day-to-day care of the chimpanzee.
“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.”
For the first seven months of his life, Limbani lived at the Sanchez’s home, where he continued to receive the medicines and treatments that were essential to his survival. This environment was perfect for the then-fragile chimp who needed to live in a constant temperature since going from hot to cool environments would affect his compromised lungs.
“Jorge was a father and Tania was the mom,“ Maria said. “Limbani got especially close to Jorge because he was a strong male character. When he saw Jorge, he'd be screaming at the top of his lungs with happiness.”
Maria’s husband, Mario, ZWF Miami’s fellow president and director, also emphasized how much they valued the help their friends gave when they most needed it.
“The meticulous care and love the Sanchezs gave Limbani when we first adopted him will always be appreciated by Maria, myself, and last but most importantly, Limbani,” he said.
Over the years, Limbani’s personality has grown. Now the equivalent of a teenager, Limbani is “definitely a Curious George; there’s nothing he doesn’t do.”
He likes to play the harmonica, drums, paint, and play ball.
He certainly has a happy existence in the ZWF zoo, which he calls home. However, according to the zoo’s media representative, Matt Dillon, if Limbani had been left in the wild, he would have undoubtedly perished.
Although his first seven months were a “wild ride,” with the help of qualified veterinarians, and all the love from everybody, Limbani was able to pull through.
While the beloved chimp has the opportunity to see Maria on most days, he sees Tania and Jorge only a couple of times each month or even less if they’re traveling.
But6-year-old it doesn’t matter because Limbani shares an unbreakable bond with the four caregivers who raised him.
