59-Year-Old Dying Chimp Refuses Food, but Embraces Her Former Caretaker After Recognizing His Voice

Get your tissues ready, America.

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Mama, a 59-year-old chimpanzee, was dying. She was so far gone that she was even refusing to eat.

Photo Credit: YouTube

The elderly chimp was preparing to die until she got a surprise visitor who was able to snap her out of her funk – at least for a while.

Photo Credit: YouTube

When Mama’s former caretaker, Jan van Hooff, heard that she was dying, he visited the Royal Burgers Zoo in the Netherlands so he could say goodbye to her.

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The two first met all the way back in 1972, when van Hooff began to take care of her. When he started talking to Mama, she immediately recognized van Hooff’s voice and embraced the man, smiling.

Photo Credit: YouTube

Sadly, Mama died one week later.

Photo Credit: YouTube

Watch the video below for a heartbreaking display of love and compassion that proves just how valuable the relationships are between humans and animals – and how our closest relatives are not really so different from us.