Holding a Dead Infant for Three Months in Shock... Spanish Chimpanzee's Deep Maternal Love

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"Sadness Is Not Limited to Humans"

A story of a mother chimpanzee in a Spanish zoo who has been holding her dead baby for three months has added to the sadness.

A chimpanzee named Natalia living in a Spanish zoo holding the body of her dead infant in her arms. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 21st (local time), US CBS News and others reported on Natalia, a female chimpanzee living at the Bioparc Zoo in Valencia, Spain. Natalia gave birth three months ago, but shortly after, she had to part with her baby. However, Natalia did not let go of the baby's body. She acted as if she had no intention of letting go yet. It was reported that Natalia still carries or holds the baby's body on her back every day.

Natalia was seen holding the dead baby in her arms, staring blankly into space, or covering her face. Natalia had lost a baby once before in 2018, so the zoo staff are reportedly monitoring Natalia's emotions without forcibly taking the baby's body away.

Miguel Casares, director of Bioparc, said, "At first, visitors who were shocked to see the dead baby understood the situation once we explained why we continued to leave the baby's body and observe it." He added, "This behavior has been observed not only in zoos but also in wild chimpanzees." He continued, "Chimpanzees also show signs of mourning the death of a close one. Grief is not limited to humans." He emphasized, "While cases where the process is this intense or prolonged are rare, chimpanzees, like humans, deserve respect in this situation."

In fact, chimpanzees share about 98% of their genes with humans and are said to grieve in ways similar to humans. One study observed a mother chimpanzee caring for her dead baby for about 70 days, including grooming its fur and continuing caregiving behaviors.