Baby chimp Kucheza who became an Internet sensation found dead in his mother's arms five weeks after birth
WICHITA, KANSAS: Kucheza, the five-week-old baby chimpanzee, born at the Sedgwick County Zoo, died unexpectedly on the morning of December 22. The young chimpanzee was discovered dead and cradled in his mother's arms when the animal care crew at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita arrived in the morning.
Kucheza, which is Swahili for 'play', was delivered by C-section at the zoo on November 15 at 12.48 pm. The zoo aired a heartwarming video of the newborn baby being welcomed back into his mother's loving arms after being kept under medical observation for two days. His birth announcement and the mother-child chimp reunion on social media went viral.
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Mahale, the newborn chimp's mother, is not yet prepared to separate from her son, but when she is, the zoo team wants to carry out a thorough medical examination to ascertain the reason for the infant's demise.
"Mahale’s love for Kucheza was and will continue to be felt by billions of people around the world," the zoo said in a statement to FOX Weather. "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." Kucheza was the third child born to the 28-year-old mother and was important for the species' population. Because of habitat degradation and bushmeat hunting, chimpanzees are considered to be in danger of extinction.
Mahale in the touching reunion video was seen joyfully embracing her child after nearly two days of separation due to the complicated birth. In the social media video, a zoo keeper is heard saying, "Good job, Mahale!" The animal care staff decided to conduct a C-section after noticing that Mahale was having trouble giving birth. To assist zoo veterinarians with the delivery procedure, OBGYNs doctors, Dr Whisler and Dr Chibry from College Hill Obstetrics and Gynecology, were brought in.
The Sedwick County Zoo's director of animal health, Dr Heather Arens, who was there during the labor process, noted that one challenge in giving birth when it comes to animals is that veterinarians are unable to accurately track an animal's contractions in real-time. “The teamwork and the collaboration with human medical doctors and the collaboration with the community, I think that is something that not every zoo has. So fortunate to be a part of it here in Wichita,” said Dr Arens told KWCH at that time.
The most recent successful chimpanzee birth at the Sedgwick County Zoo was in 2010 when Mom Audra gave birth to baby Mabusu. Last year, Audra passed away at the age of 51. Mabusu, her offspring, is now 12 years old and is flourishing at the zoo. In Kucheza's honor, the zoo promised to keep encouraging reverence of and protection for Kucheza's wild counterparts, as per KCTV 5.