Is this what the open sky is like? Recently, a heartbreaking video captured the moment a chimpanzee named Vanilla saw the sky for the first time after a lifetime in a cage.

Vanilla is a female chimpanzee from the laboratory who is 29 years old this year.

Vanillas are kept in cages of about 2.32 square meters from birth, sometimes in garage-sized enclosures.

Vanilla comes from New York's notorious Laboratory of Experimental Primate Medicine and Surgery, where she and other animals are kept year-round.

Wikipedia information shows that the Laboratory of Primate Experimental Medicine and Surgery is a research institution of New York University, founded in 1965. The laboratory, headquartered in New York, is a well-known local supplier of primates and primate parts. In 1997, the laboratory closed.

After the laboratory was closed, 2-year-old Vanilla was rescued. He and his friends were later moved to a sanctuary in California, where he was kept in a larger enclosure.

In 2019, the California Conservation District ceased operations. In 2022, the Chimpanzee Sanctuary flew the group of chimpanzees to another sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Florida has always been known as the Sunshine State. The chimpanzee sanctuary here covers an area of ​​150 acres (about 60 hectares) and has acres of open grassland.

On Friday, at an American Society of Primatologists symposium, primatologist Dr. Andrew Halloran of Save the Chimps shared a video about vanilla.

When Vanilla leaves the enclosure and explores new territory, Dwight, the sanctuary’s alpha male chimpanzee, gives her a huge hug.

This was the first time Vanilla saw the open sky. Its eyes were widened and its mouth was slightly opened. This scene was recorded by the camera. Then it stared at the sky several times, as if saying: "So the sky and sunshine are like this!"

Everyone present was deeply touched by this scene.

Haloran said: "Previously, Vanilla lived with a few chimpanzees in a cage in a wire fence. There was no grass and nothing rich."

These chimpanzees were experimented on Abandoned from chambers, the animal trade, or zoos, many chimpanzees have previously been subjected to solitary confinement and have never interacted with other chimpanzees.

Cao Xiang’s new home is a sanctuary where 226 chimpanzees live. Staff will evaluate the personality of each new chimpanzee to determine which area it is suitable to live in.

Vanilla has clearly found its niche. "It gets along very well with other chimpanzees." Halloran said, "The leader Dwight takes good care of it. It can even steal Dwight's food."

Vanilla's video also touched many netizens They all reposted it on Twitter. Some people said: "My heart melts." Others angrily said: "Whoever puts it in a cage should go to jail!"