“We Will Keep Celebrating Her Life”: Cindy the Baboon’s ‘Brother’ Continues To Mourn Her Death

“We Will Keep Celebrating Her Life”: Cindy the Baboon’s ‘Brother’ Continues To Mourn Her Death

  • Ruben Lambrechts, the 'brother' of the late Cindy the Baboon, continued to mourn the loss of the beloved rescue animal
  • Cindy the baboon lived until the age of 31 after arriving at the Lambrechts' household in November 1994
  • Ruben informed people on the internet that he and the family will continue to celebrate Cindy's life and legacy

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Cindy and her 'brother,' Ruben.
Cindy the Baboon’s ‘brother’ shared a heartwarming post in her honour. Images: Cindy the Baboon
Source: Facebook

On 28 December 2025, content creator Ruben Lambrechts announced the passing of Cindy the Baboon, the much-loved blind rescue primate that took the internet by storm. Two days after the announcement, Ruben returned to social media to mourn Cindy and thank the online crowd for their love and support.

The 31-year-old baboon died from severe heart failure, which led to repeated episodes of fluid build-up in her lungs. The family made the heartbreaking decision to spare her from further suffering.

Ruben shared a picture of Cindy, whom he called his sister, captured on 19 November 2025, after they filmed their Christmas YouTube video. In the post, Ruben expressed gratitude to fans, adding:

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"From her picking up and disciplining her babies to her love of happies, her windy ways to her lack of sharing food, I know so many of you can relate to her on so many levels."

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The young man also shared how Cindy landed in their care, stating that she arrived at his mother, Barista, and his father in November 1994 as an innocent, orphaned rescue chacma baboon.

He also informed people online:

"We will keep celebrating her life and legacy, posting photos and clips of her here and in time as we collect our thoughts, keep honouring her memory through our other farm rescue animals, my foundation supporting animal conservation, and humans in need and hopefully even more as time goes on."
Barista and Cindy the Baboon.
Cindy the Baboon and her 'mother,' Barista. Images: Cindy the Baboon
Source: Facebook

Take a look at the Facebook post on Ruben's page below:

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Authors:
Jade Rhode avatar

Jade Rhode (Human Interest Editor) Jade Rhode is a Human Interest Reporter who joined the Briefly News team in April 2024. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Rhodes University, majoring in Journalism and Media Studies (distinction) and Linguistics. Before pursuing her tertiary education, Jade worked as a freelance writer at Vannie Kaap News. After her studies, she worked as an editorial intern for BONA Magazine, contributing to both print and online. To get in touch with Jade, email jade.rhode@briefly.co.za

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