It’s a game everyone loved playing as a child — airplane! Need a refresher? It’s when one person lays on the floor while he or she lifts the other person with their arms and legs and pretends that the person is flying. Well, it turns out humans aren’t the only ones who enjoy airplane! An adorable video recently surfaced of a mother and baby chimpanzee enjoying the classic time-wasting game.
Though their version might include a bit more “turbulence” — the baby looks quite similar to a rag doll here! — this heartwarming video goes to show that humans and chimpanzees aren’t too different from one another in terms of their DNA and the way they interact with one another.
Watch the beautiful bonding moment below:
This video was taken by the Tai Chimpanzee Project, a research group dedicated to studying the behaviors of chimpanzees in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, for over 30 years now. Their current project is “following three habituated neighboring communities totaling some 100 individuals,” according to their website. “Each group is followed by a team of several Ivorian field assistants, international research assistants, PhD students and researchers on a daily basis.”
The researchers also work closely with the Ivorian national park authorities, as well as the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, whose mission is to “enhance the survival of the remaining wild chimpanzee populations and their habitat,” to ensure the species’ future remains protected. Chimps are an endangered species with only an estimated 18,000 to 65,000 western chimpanzees left in the wild.
Hopefully, this viral video spreads far and wide to show how lovable these creatures are. If you want to help the chimps yourself, there are several ways to do so which include making donations, becoming a member of the Save The Chimps community and even symbolically “adopting” a furry chimp of your own.