his is the magical moment a dying chimpanzee recognises her old friend and gives him an emotional farewell.
Mama, the 59-year-old former matriarch at Royal Burgers Zoo in the Netherlands, was curled up in a ball and refusing food until the arrival of Professor Jan van Hooff, who she had known since 1972.
The terminally ill chimp, who was fast approaching the end of her life, can be seen reacting with pure joy when she realises who has come to see her.