WICHITA, KansasΒ βΒ Five week-old chimpanzee Kucheza, who with his mother drew fans on social media, died at the Sedgwick County Zoo on Thursday morning.
Zoo keepers found Kucheza cradled in his mother Mahale's arms.
"She was still holding him when keepers came in this morning. She has since laid him down in the nest, but refuses to leave him," said Jennica King, the zoo's director of strategic communications, in an email.
The zoo said in a Facebook post that a full medical assessment will be done to determine the cause of death.
The Sedgwick County Zoo had posted videos of Kucheza along with several members of his chimp family. The videos captured the attention of people around the world.
"In his few short weeks of life, Kucheza brought joy and light to so many, and sparked an opportunity to educate the world about chimpanzees, the dangers they face in the wild, and most importantly β why we should care," the zoo said in on Facebook.
A video of Mahale seeing Kucheza for the first time after an emergency C-section tugged at the hearts of many. Kucheza had trouble breathing and wasn't reunited with his mother until two days after his birth. She didn't notice him wrapped up in a blanket until he reached out his hand. She grabbed him, held him close and wept.
The video has 17 million views.
Actor Chris Evans, who's known for the role of Captain American in the Marvel film series, retweeted a video of the interaction.
"I've watched this 100 times," Evans said in a tweet.
The zoo also posted a video of the mother kissing and grooming her baby. A video from Wednesday showed the "bright-eyed bobble-head" Kucheza in his mother's arms.
Many people reached out to the zoo Thursday after hearing the news. In return, the zoo suggested those touched by Mahale and Kucheza donate to chimpanzee conservation in Kucheza's honor.
