Grief is a psychological process that living beings face when faced with loss, and it is not exclusive to human beings. This has been demonstrated by Natalia, a chimpanzee from the Valencia Bioparc who is in mourning after losing her baby a couple of months ago.
The baby died two weeks after being born, but its mother has continued to carry its body in her arms ever since. Given that his death took place in February, the body is in an advanced state of decomposition, which gives rise to a most desolate and unusual scene for visitors to the animal park. Even so, the center’s technical team advocates maintaining the activity of the group of animals and respecting the grief of her mother.
“This is a species where social ties and group cohesion are fundamental, so all members are affected by these sad events. They need a period of “grieving” and little by little they come to terms with reality and the loss, although the mother may still need time to even get rid of the inert body,” the center’s management said in a statement.
The chimpanzee continues to accept the loss of her baby, which is why she does not part with her body almost three months after her death. In the videos circulating on social networks, you can see the primate hugging the body while carrying out other tasks with its companions.
“Mortality in this species is very high. In fact, Natalia lost another calf in 2018,” said Loles Carbonell, the technical director of animals at Bioparc Valencia. Mortality increases in young offspring, as is this case. Although the team carried out “very intensive monitoring of the calf’s breastfeeding,” its health status faltered the day before her death.
