Chimpanzee holds tight to new friend after 18 years of solitude

FORT PIERCE, Fla., March 14 (UPI) -- A Florida sanctuary shared video of a chimpanzee refusing to let go of his new friend's hand after spending 18 years in solitude.

The Save the Chimps sanctuary said Terry the chimpanzee spent 18 years as the sole resident of his enclosure at the Las Vegas Zoo before he was brought to the sanctuary in September 2013.

The sanctuary said Terry was introduced to Jeannie, a chimp that spent 40 years undergoing medical testing in a laboratory, a couple of weeks ago and that the two primates formed an instant bond.

Molly Polidoroff, executive director of Save the Chimps, told ABC News Terry and Jeannie "went to each other and hugged" when they were introduced.

"It was an immediate affection," she said.

The sanctuary posted a video on Facebook showing Terry and Jeannie holding hands at the sanctuary. The video shows Terry breaking contact for only a few short seconds while changing the position of his body.

"They didn't want to let go of each other's hand," the Facebook post said.

Jeannie, who was born in the wild before being captured and sold for medical testing, was rescued in 2002 and dubbed "Jeannie Momma" after sanctuary workers noticed her displaying maternal behavior toward the other chimps.