Touching moment injured chimp is reunited with his mum after he spent the night at the vet
Moving moment when the injured chimpanzee is reunited with his mother after spending the night at the vet
- The young chimpanzee Gandali was attacked by a brown snake
- The next day he was reunited with his adopted mother
- READ MORE: Taronga Zoo underpaid staff
The moment a young chimpanzee walked into the arms of its adopted mother after recovering from a fatal snakebite has warmed the hearts of thousands of Australians.
Three-year-old chimpanzee Gandali was reunited with his surrogate mother Samantha at Rockhampton Zoo in Central Queensland last Wednesday.
Gandali was attacked by an eastern brown snake the day before. Handlers believe he mistook the poisonous snake for a toy.
Zookeepers immediately rushed to save Gandali, but protective mother Samantha fought to stay by his side.
After the pair were separated, Gandali was taken to the veterinary team for anti-venom treatment and observed overnight.
Three-year-old chimpanzee Gandali (above) was reunited with his adopted mother, Samantha, after being bitten by an eastern brown snake last week
Miraculously, the little chimpanzee made a full recovery from the dangerous bite and returned to its mother the next morning.
Footage of the couple embracing after Gandali’s treatment was shared online, with viewers commenting: ‘they definitely missed each other’.
βThat was beautiful to see,β one person wrote.
‘So grateful that the vet team saved this little one. Mommy looks so happy,β said another.
Cr. Rutherford said Gandali was reintroduced to each chimpanzee in a separate ‘den’ before being released into the outdoor enclosure.
‘Gandali returned to Rockhampton Zoo where he is slowly being reintroduced to the troop. He has already been reunited with his surrogate mother, Samantha, and they both ran into each other’s arms, which was beautiful,β said Cr. Rutherford.
“This reintegration process will allow troop dynamics to adapt, which is an important process when a chimpanzee has left the troop and returned, even for a short period of time.”
Samantha took on the role of Gandali’s adopted mother after his birth mother, Holly, died in December 2022.
The chimpanzee spent 11 years at Rockhampton Zoo before suddenly falling ill and dying overnight.
Little Gandali ran into Samatha’s arms and the couple hugged (above) after Gandali was taken overnight for anti-poison treatment
Samantha took on the role of Gandali’s mother after his biological mother, Holly (pictured with Gandali), died in late 2022
Samantha and Gandali already had a special relationship with Samantha taking care of him after her own twin chimpanzees were stillborn in 2021.
Cr Rutherford thanked the team who helped Gandali’s quick recovery.
βI would like to express my sincere thanks to our Rockhampton Zoo team and our local veterinary team for their quick response and expert care, and also for the overwhelming support from our community that Gandali had in mind,β she said.