WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- The Sedgwick County Zoo welcomed a new baby chimpanzee via scheduled caesarian section on Monday. Zoo officials say this type of procedure for chimps is rare, and they opted for it over a natural birth due to the mother ape, Mahale, having had a previous emergency c-section. Her new baby, Kyansa means much more for the zoo than a new attraction. "Mahale capturing the hearts of millions around the world, it caused people to pay attention to chimps and to see them as the caring and intelligent beings that they are," Devin Turner, zookeeper specializing in chimps and orangutans, said about Mahale's first baby Kucheza. It was a viral phenomenon in 2022. A video of Mahale cradling her newborn baby Kucheza was seen across the nation. "I can't speak for her, but just watching and observing her it's obvious she was meant to be a mother," Dr. Heather Arens, director of animal health for the Sedgwick County Zoo said. The mother-son relationship was suddenly cut short, when they discovered Kucheza dead in his mother's arms. "I know, we keep talking about Kucheza but I think the entire nation mourned, the staff and Mahale as well," Dr. Arens said. They say the relationship is much like a human mother and son, with Mahale taking time to grieve in her own way. But Monday, Mahale the chimpanzee was given another chance at motherhood via a very human procedure. "I think that's why they asked for our help, is because we do C-sections all the time and the anatomy is very familiar. It's amazing how many similarities there are from one surgery to another," Dr. Janna Chibry, College Hill OB-GYN said. Kyansa joined the nearly one-third of babies born via caesarian section in the United States. Dr. Chibry and Dr. Laura Whisler are the two College Hill OB-GYNs who helped deliver baby Kyansa. They have a history of venturing outside the realm of human medicine, helping deliver an orangutan baby in the past. "[It is like] bringing together multi-specialties, even though obviously our patients are very different, we care deeply about them, and it works out that we can use our services to help the chimpanzees here," Dr. Chibry said. They say because of the biological similarities between apes and people, their procedure was largely planned as if it were on a human. In the few days since the surgery, Kyansa has started interacting with the world and her family. Zookeeper Devin Turner says her personality is already on full display. "It's great for our group, it's great for their social dynamics when you have babies. It illicits a lot of play, a lot of great social behaviors and it's what they would have in the wild," Turner said. Turner clarified that despite having genetics ideal for reproducing, Mahale was not bred. All zoo staff did was take her off of birth control. Kyansa is a hopeful symbol for wildlife conservation, and for Mahale. Zoo officials say it will be a while before visitors can see Kyansa. Caretakers are giving her time to adjust to her home while letting Mahale recover from her surgery. ...read more read less