Linda saved his life – 18 years later, she ignores the warnings and the unimaginable happens

When Linda Koeb returned to the animal reserve after 18 years, she wasn’t sure if her old friends, Swing and Doll, would recognize her.

She first met the chimpanzees as a 23-year-old student after they were freed from a lab where they endured years of testing. Linda spent four years rehabilitating them before releasing them into the wild.

Adjusting to life outside captivity was hard for Swing and Doll, and Linda worried they wouldn’t adapt. But with her care, they gradually settled into their new home.

Now, nearly two decades later, Linda visits them again. Though some feared the chimps might be dangerous, their emotional reunion showed the deep bond and memory these animals still held.