Critically Endangered Baby Chimp Abandoned By Mother Gets Adopted By Another

Chimpanzees, like humans, have families. Baby chimps need affection and care much like human babies. However, a baby chimp was sadly abandoned by its mother in 2019 and until recently it found comfort in a cuddly plush monkey. Then things changed.?

Djibril at a zoo in Malaga, Spain, was abandoned by his mother and he had to learn to survive on his own. His mother, Kika, was reportedly rescued from abusive owners at a circus, and never learnt any maternal skills; she left her offspring at birth.

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Keepers looked for another chimp that would raise him as her own but until then they had to act as his stand-in parents. While they searched for a new mother for Dijbril, he found a cuddly plush monkey to comfort him.?

The animal park BIOPARC Valencia, which ensures animal well-being and comfort by providing them environments close to their natural habitat, finally found the 16-month-old an adoptive mother. Her name was Eva.

Djibril was introduced to the new environment of BIOPARC Valencia in July of 2019 but had to undergo an uneasy adaptation process. Initially his adoptive mother was supposed to be Malin but she did not show an interest in him.?

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However, according to Bored Panda Eva, took Djibril under her wing by showing protection and care despite never having had the experience of motherhood. Djibril’s survival instinct and Eva’s maternal instinct worked well with each other and finally, a year after his arrival at the park, Djibril enjoys a new family.

Little Djibril is important as he is a part of a critically endangered and the only subspecies among chimpanzees, the western chimpanzee. According to WWF, ‘the species is threatened with extinction in its natural environment—chimps have already disappeared completely from four countries and are under tremendous pressure everywhere else they live’.?

Also Read:?Orangutan Adopts Three Tiger Babies And Showers Them With Love!

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The collaboration between BIOPARC Fuengirola and Valencia in finding Djibril an adoptive family will contribute in preserving this subspecies.

Many animals show motherly instincts towards animals who are not their own.?The case of a dolphin adopting a whale, the first of its kind case known to humans, is a very famous example of it.??

We are glad that Djibril found a loving mom and family, after all.