WATCH THIS CHIMPANZEE AS HE REUNITES WITH HIS RESCUER AND IMMEDIATELY EMBRACES HIM
The more we learn about chimpanzees, the more we realise how alike they are to humans. This widely shared video may persuade you that chimps and humans share 98% of our DNA. It shows Citron, a chimp, getting back again with Fabrice "Fiston" Moudoungue, his saviour, an old friend.
Citron was taken to be sold in the illicit wildlife trade after his parents were tragically killed by poachers when he was still a baby. Thankfully, Papaye International, a Cameroonian group dedicated to chimpanzee rehabilitation, came to his aid. The animals reside in safety on island sanctuaries in Douala Edéa Natural Park after being rescued.
Fiston brought Citron back to full health when he came to the refuge in fear and with injuries. The now-adult chimpanzee currently resides on the protected island refuge alongside other chimps, where they are free to move about and establish their own families.
Fiston is the oldest caregiver and is familiar with every chimpanzee under the care of Papaye International, according to Marylin Pons Riffet, head of the organisation. She declared, "Citron loves him." "His friend who has taken care of him, loved him, respected him, and helped him find a peaceful future and a decent life."
The video of Citron and Fiston's touching reunion shows how much they both love and respect one another. Fiston, who sometimes comes to deliver food to the chimps' habitat, crossed the river to visit Citron. Citron first seemed more interested in gaining an embrace than in the bananas Fiston had brought. A familiar embrace between the two told it all. Citron finally accepted the food, even shaking hands with Fiston briefly before heading back to his troop.
“Every day, we work to offer them a dignified, free, and respectful future,” Papaye International wrote in the caption of the video. “A future where baby chimpanzees will no longer be robbed of their childhood. A future where we will never forget that recognising the humanity in others is also the beginning of our own humanity.”