A baby ape sent plane passengers bananas as he boarded a flight to meet his new foster mum.
Three-month-old bonobo Bili sat among bemused passengers on a flight to Frankfurt.
Wrapped in a white cotton cloth, Bili could have been mistaken for a baby as he held on to his keeper.
The tiny ape, who was rejected by his birth mother, Maringa, at Twycross Zoo, flew nearly 500 miles to meet his new foster family this week.
Bili was carried on to the plane in a soft cotton security blanket he had been nursed in since birth.
He was left to enjoy the in-flight entertainment as he snuggled into the arms of his new German keeper, who had flown to the UK a few days previously.
Kim Riley, of Twycross Zoo, said: "We were so excited when we found out Bili had a foster family to go to.
"We've never had any of our animals travel on an aircraft before – but he is just like a little baby.
"The keeper, from Frankfurt Zoo, had bonded with him over the past few days and Bili had started stretching his arms out to him for cuddles before they left."
Staff at Twycross took on the role of surrogate parents after Bili was rejected by his mum in October.
Dedicated keepers worked round the clock to keep him alive – feeding him bottles of baby milk every two hours.
Staff fell in love with the little ape – who weighed just three-and-a-half pounds at birth – but feared he would never be able to return to a bonobo group if he was hand-reared.
When Frankfurt Zoo said they had a female bonobo trained in fostering, staff at Twycross jumped at the chance to give Bili the best chance of survival.
Kim said: "When he was born, his mum just wasn't interested in him. It sometimes happens with first-time mums.
"We kept hoping that they would bond, but after two or three days Bili was cold and hungry and we had to pull him out of the enclosure.
"All the keepers love him and were sad to see him go, but we all know going to Germany will give him the best chance in life."
Bili will go into his own enclosure in Frankfurt and faces 30 days in quarantine when he arrives.
The other bonobos will be able to see and hear little Bili while he gets used to his new surroundings.
He will be cared for by a female bonobo who has been trained using a puppet.
Kim said: "His new mum at Frankfurt has already reared two other bonobo babies, so she is well experienced.
"She will carry him around, keep him warm and look after him and then bring him to the keepers when he needs feeding."
The bonobos at Twycross Zoo are the only ones in the UK and are part of an international breeding programme.
They are humankind's closest relatives, along with chimpanzees.
Bonobos are known for their loving nature, and in the wild they live in large groups.
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Three-month-old bonobo Bili sat among bemused passengers on a flight to Frankfurt.
Wrapped in a white cotton cloth, Bili could have been mistaken for a baby as he held on to his keeper.
The tiny ape, who was rejected by his birth mother, Maringa, at Twycross Zoo, flew nearly 500 miles to meet his new foster family this week.
Bili was carried on to the plane in a soft cotton security blanket he had been nursed in since birth.
He was left to enjoy the in-flight entertainment as he snuggled into the arms of his new German keeper, who had flown to the UK a few days previously.
Kim Riley, of Twycross Zoo, said: "We were so excited when we found out Bili had a foster family to go to.
"We've never had any of our animals travel on an aircraft before – but he is just like a little baby.
"The keeper, from Frankfurt Zoo, had bonded with him over the past few days and Bili had started stretching his arms out to him for cuddles before they left."
Staff at Twycross took on the role of surrogate parents after Bili was rejected by his mum in October.
Dedicated keepers worked round the clock to keep him alive – feeding him bottles of baby milk every two hours.
Staff fell in love with the little ape – who weighed just three-and-a-half pounds at birth – but feared he would never be able to return to a bonobo group if he was hand-reared.
When Frankfurt Zoo said they had a female bonobo trained in fostering, staff at Twycross jumped at the chance to give Bili the best chance of survival.
Kim said: "When he was born, his mum just wasn't interested in him. It sometimes happens with first-time mums.
"We kept hoping that they would bond, but after two or three days Bili was cold and hungry and we had to pull him out of the enclosure.
"All the keepers love him and were sad to see him go, but we all know going to Germany will give him the best chance in life."
Bili will go into his own enclosure in Frankfurt and faces 30 days in quarantine when he arrives.
The other bonobos will be able to see and hear little Bili while he gets used to his new surroundings.
He will be cared for by a female bonobo who has been trained using a puppet.
Kim said: "His new mum at Frankfurt has already reared two other bonobo babies, so she is well experienced.
"She will carry him around, keep him warm and look after him and then bring him to the keepers when he needs feeding."
The bonobos at Twycross Zoo are the only ones in the UK and are part of an international breeding programme.
They are humankind's closest relatives, along with chimpanzees.
Bonobos are known for their loving nature, and in the wild they live in large groups.
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