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Rescued Baby Chimp Runs to Hug Rescuer in Viral Video

A sweet video of a rescued baby chimpanzee giving his rescuers a hug went viral on Facebook recently as rescuers call for an end to the wild pet trade.

Kailo, a rescued baby chimpanzee, arrived at the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center in the Democratic Republic of Congo in March, and footage was shared on the Lwiro Primates’s Facebook page of the chimp running out of his transport box and into the arms of his rescuer.

Newsweek reported that Kailo is a year and a half to two years old and was rescued from traffickers after poachers killed his mother.

“He really needed to feel the safety and protection,” Itsaso Vélez del Burgo Guinea, technical director at the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center and the woman in the video, told Newsweek. “Without knowing me, he just jumped on my arm hoping I will take care of him.”

When poachers want to steal a baby primate, they kill the mother because the mothers will protect their babies until death.

“Baby chimps are like humans, they need their mum’s protection,” del Burgo explained. “Babies are not weaned until they are about five years old and remain close to their mothers for [at least] the first decade of their lives.”

Baby chimpanzees are trafficked primarily for the illegal pet trade and for use in entertainment, such as circuses and zoos. They are often captured from their natural habitats in the wild and sold on the black market.

Trafficking of baby chimpanzees is a cruel and inhumane practice that harms both the animals and the ecosystems they come from. It disrupts chimpanzee social structures, leads to the deaths of adult chimpanzees who try to protect their young, and can have significant impacts on the genetic diversity of wild populations. It is important to Support efforts to stop the trafficking of baby chimpanzees and protect these intelligent and social animals.

These animals need us to speak for them, so if you see an exotic animal living in terrible conditions as a pet (or one that is illegally owned) say something! You can report suspected abuse to local police who can take necessary action. This small action might not make a difference for every animal suffering in the exotic pet trade, but it will make all the difference for that one creature! You can also share this post to spread the word about exotic pets and show the world why this “fad” has got to go.

We love cute animals as much as the next person, but it’s important to remember wild animals belong in the wild, not in our backyards, houses, or in cages. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is working to combat the illegal trafficking of wild animals and animal parts across the globe, but there are a few simple things we can do here at home to help the cause.

Animal shelters are filled with cats and dogs who need loving families and homes. You can also Support the legislation to ban the ownership of exotic animals. With over 200 million live animal trades having taken place since 1975, it is vital that governments crack down on this cruel trade to protect individual animals and threatened species.

If the demand for exotic pets did not exist, the exotic pet trade would not exist. So, if you agree that keeping exotic animals as pets is cruel, don’t Support it either. Do not buy from pet shops or dealers. Leave the wild in the wild.