Watch this chimp’s reaction to seeing the sky for the first time in 28 years

Vanilla the chimpanzee saw the sky for the first time after 28 years of being locked up. She was originally living in a suspended 5′x5′x7′ lab cage in New York before moving to a facility in California “inside a chain-link fence cage with no grass and very little enrichment”, according to rescue organization Save the Chimps.

She was recently transferred to a sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida and was able to taste freedom for the first time in her life. The heartwarming (but at the same time, heartbreaking) video shows her reaction to seeing the sky for the first time, as she looks up in amazement after hugging another chimp.

Here is what Vanilla’s biography says on the Save the Chimps website:

“I am now fully integrated into the group and we have a 3-acre island to explore and the freedom to choose where and how to spend our days. My first time outside, I was in awe of the open sky, a sight I had never seen in my life as my former homes had cage tops. I enjoy exploring the island and relaxing and grooming with my family on the island.”