How old was Kucheza? Sedgwick County Zoo baby chimpanzee found dead in mother's arms

Sedgwick County Zoo officials found a five-week-old baby chimpanzee named Kucheza dead on Thursday morning, while the mother chimpanzee was holding him in her arms. The baby chimpanzee had a complicated birth, after which he was reunited with his mother, Mahale.

Their emotional reunion took over social media, and the baby chimp quickly went viral, earning prayers, wishes, and love from everyone. However, his sudden and unexpected death has left everyone’s heart heavy.

The director of strategic communications for the zoo, Jennica King, said that Mahale was cradling Kucheza when zookeepers went to see them in the morning. Although the mother chimpanzee laid Kucheza down in his nest, she refused to leave his side.

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The mother chimpanzee underwent a C-section to give birth to Kucheza

On November 15, two Wichita obstetrician-gynecologists had to perform a cesarean section on Mahale for Kucheza’s delivery because the mother fell into distress and couldn’t give birth the natural way. The baby chimpanzee was kept in observation for two days after his birth.

The tearful reunion of the mother-son duo was an open album of what a mother’s love and affection look like. Now, social media has joined Kucheza’s mother in mourning the baby chimp’s untimely death. Zookeepers were also left heartbroken.

A spokesperson from Sedgwick County Zoo shared with KWCH:

“Mahale [Kucheza’s mother] is not quite ready to part with him. But when our team is able, a full medical assessment will be done to determine the cause of death.”

(Image via Facebook/Sedgwick County Zoo)

Kucheza's legend, however brief, will be remembered by zoo officials. The spokesperson continued:

“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.”

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Chris Evans shared the video where Mahale was holding Kucheza for the first time

When Mahale could finally hold her baby in her arms for the first time, zookeepers captured the moment in a video and shared their happiness with everyone on the internet.

The heartwarming video was shared by many. Even actor Chris Evans shared Mahale and Kucheza’s moving reunion video.

As per zoo officials, Kucheza was 28-year-old Mahale’s third offspring. The name Kucheza means “play” in the Swahili language.

In a Facebook post dedicated to Kucheza, the zoo wrote that the baby chimp brought great joy and delight to so many people within the few weeks he was alive. It has given the zoo an opportunity to lend the world more information about chimpanzees, their life risks in the wild, and why we, as humans, should care about them too.

Kucheza’s mother is not quite ready to give her son away to the zookeepers. When she does, the team plans to perform a thorough and full medical assessment on Kucheza to determine the cause of his death.

In a statement given to FOX Weather, the Sedgwick County Zoo mentioned that Mahale’s love for her son was felt by people across the world when she first held him, and her love will continue to be felt by people even after Kucheza’s death.