Imagine that you’re a pregnant mother going through a difficult birth that ends up resulting in a C-section.

What if your baby was taken from you after the birth and you didn’t know what had happened, or if they even survived?

Now imagine you were unable to communicate any of your concerns to the doctors because you’re, well, a chimpanzee.

For new mother Mahale, a resident of the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, this is exactly what happened.

When keepers noticed that the mother was struggling during labor, they made the decision to perform an emergency cesarean section.

As Mahale was kept apart from her baby so she could recover, the little one was fighting for his life.

Baby Kucheza, a name that means “Play” in Swahili, struggled to breathe right from the start and he needed 24 hour care.

He needed to be bottle fed and have his heart and breathing monitored every few hours, it was a precarious situation for the newborn.

Luckily, after 2 days, Kucheza stabilized and was able to be reunited with his mother, who had also recovered.

The reunion was filmed by the pairs emotional keepers and it shows a slightly confused looking Mahale entering a pen with a small bundle sitting in the middle of it on soft pillows.

Mahale didn’t know what to make of the bundle until a tiny arm reached out and grasped around for her.

The minute she saw his little arm, Mahale rushed over to envelop her baby in their first hug.

She could be heard making happy whimpering sounds as she cradled her baby boy; and zoo keepers could be heard gently crying at the beautiful display in the background.

Very shortly after their reunion, Kucheza was able to latch on and started breastfeeding right away.

Kucheza is the first baby chimp to be born at the county zoo in almost 4 years.

While it was touch and go for a while, everyone is pleased with the end result and the fact that the 2 get to live out a healthy life together.

With the amount of emotion that Mahale showed during their reunion, it is clear that she loves her son and will do anything to protect him.

It has now been a few weeks since the birth and both mother and son are doing great.

Zoo keepers are pleased with Kucheza’s progress and with Mahale’s performance as a mother.

The baby, who still gets regular checks from the zoo’s veterinary staff, is said to be in great shape and progressing exactly as he should be.

The pair are inseparable and the love they have for each other radiates through their enclosure.

Surely, with the continued care of both his mother and the vets, Kucheza is sure to thrive and grow into a spunky and silly boy.

His mother will certainly have her hands full when he starts to grow up; for now though, she seems content to just snuggle her baby and make sure he stays safe.

Watch the emotional family reunion in the video links below.

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Source: Facebook, Sedgwick County Zoo,