The embrace mentioned in the title of this superb book was between two primates in old age. One of them was an 80-year-old Dutch biologist, Jan van Hooff, and the other Mama, a 59-year-old chimp, one of the oldest ever in captivity and, for much of her life, a famous matriarch among the chimpanzees in Burgers’ Zoo, Arnhem.
The YouTube footage of the moment is worth seeking out. It depicts an emaciated ape, close to death. Lying comatose in a foetal posture, she then recognises her long-absent human friend and instantly her arms open and an enormous grin blossoms on her weary face. She proceeds to stroke the cheeks and hair of her companion, finally drawing him closer, left hand wrapped about him as she drums her fingers gently on his crown. Many people who watch it admit to being moved to tears by the tenderness of the scene.
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