Chimpanzee 'asks' zoo visitors to free him from enclosure in heartbreaking film that shows him pointing at a window bolt and making a sign language 'o

By Anna Edwards


The YouTube user who uploaded the video claims that the monkey wanted to escape and was telling him to twist open the bolts

Intelligent and inquisitive, chimpanzees have always been able to communicate with man.

But this heartbreaking video shows just how desperate this chimp is to be understood and to be let out of his cage.

The chimp is seen in the video motioning to a watching visitor to unlock the bolt on what appears to be a glass door and lift the window, so he can be free.

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Helping hand: The chimpanzee desperately tries to communicate with the human visitor

Tapping on the window the chimp repeatedly urges people standing on the other side of the glass to let them outside.

It links its fingers together, a signal similar to the American Sign Language representation of the word 'gate'.

Alex Bailey from Manchester, who recorded the interaction at the Welsh Mountain Zoo, interprets the signs as a direction to free the chimp, The Telegraph reported.

One chuckling man taps on the window and copies the chimp's actions, mimicking the animal's mimes of opening the window.

A bystander can be heard giggling and saying: 'He wants us to open it'.

But the chimpanzee is more focused on trying to make itself understood, as it longingly looks at the people in front of him.


Let me out! The chimp seems to make a sign that is similar to ASL's gate gesture


Communicating: The video shows the visitor mimicking the chimp's hand motions

Understand me! The chimp points to its hands as it attempts to make itself understood

The video, which lasts around 48 seconds, was filmed at the Welsh Mountain Zoo, according to The Telegraph.

If it is communicating with sign language, it is not the first chimpanzee to do so.
Washoe was a female chimpanzee who was the first non-human to learn to communicate using American Sign Language.

The animal, who died in 2007, learnt 350 words, and taught her adopted son Loulis.
Other chimpanzees were later taught 150 or more signs, which they were able to combine to form messages.

Chimpanzees and humans share many similarities and they are believed to be our closest relative in the animal kingdom.

Chimpanzees communicate using a variety of grunts, screams and other sounds.
Most of their communication, however, is done through gestures and facial expressions.

Many of their facial expressions – surprise, grinning, pleading, comforting – are very similar to humans.

Humans have one fewer pair of chromosomes than other apes, since the ape chromosomes 2 and 4 have fused into a large chromosome (which contains remnants of the centromere and telomeres of the ancestral 2 and 4) in humans.

Chimpanzees are often incorrectly called monkeys, but are in the great ape family just like us. The other great apes are orangutans and gorillas.

Human brains have a high surface area because they are much more wrinkled than chimpanzee brains, with greater numbers of connections.

These and a larger frontal lobe, allow us a greater capacity for abstract and logical thought.




source:dailymail

'Ouch, mum!' Cheeky chimp is brought back into line with a sharp slap from his mother after being caught throwing stones

By Daily Mail Reporter


Take that: With an expression of grim determination, six-year-old Joya hurls a rock toward photographer Shah Rogers. The chimp was apparently frustrated at having to wait for a meal


Like countless human children before her, this naughtly chimpanzee learned the hard lesson that there's no benefit in monkeying around in front of a disapproving mother.

Six-year-old Joya decided that waiting her turn for something to eat was boring... and an infinitely more diverting way of killing time would be to throw rocks at her friends and family.

After a couple of throws to get her arm in, Joya was winding up for well-aimed shot when 49-year-old mother Yo brought her swiftly back into line with a stinging slap across the face.


Kapow! In what can only be described as 'natural justice', Joya feels the hot shame of a slap in the face fromher mother Yo - while her older brother Jeie moves in to take any more potential projectiles away from her

You can see their point: Before the grown-ups intervened, Joya was making some pretty threatening moves with the stones - which are usually used as tools to crack nuts (not heads)

This rough bit of 'schooling' undoubtedly got across the message 'It's all fun until someone loses an eye' - the cliched response of frustrated parents the world over.

But, just to make absolutely sure, Joya's 13-year-old brother Jeje moved in and confiscated her stones - which are actually used as tools to crack open nuts - and made the naughty little girl sit still.

The hilarious episode was captured by photographer Anup Shah and his wife Fiona, who were visiting the Bossou Forrest in the Republic of Guinea.


I rock! Joya looks pleased with herself as she hoists another stone above her head. At this point her actions had only aroused mild irritation from the nearby adults


Locked on: Using a nearby tree for balance - and with the unblinking concentration of an assassin - Joya lines up her next target. Clearly something had to be done before she got her aim right


Heavy artillery: As the stone throwing became more bold, younger chimps are seen scurrying to hide behind their parents


Mr Shah said: 'Joya got bored waiting for her turn and decided to make mischief. She picked up some rocks and twigs and started throwing them at other chimpanzees.

'Thankfully, she had a terrible aim and didn't hit anybody, so there were no injuries. Joya is going through a phase where she is very naughty and disruptive and needs to be disciplined by her seniors.'

Chimpanzees are highly intelligent and can use and make tools to acquire foods and for social displays.

They have sophisticated hunting and social strategies - requiring co-operation, influence and rank.

Researchers say they are manipulative and capable of deception, and captive chimps have learned human sign language.

It seem now Joya has learned not to be stupid around the grown-ups.


source:dailymail

Putting the PAN in chimpanzee: Kanzi loves nothing more than a good fry-up, skipping a few million years of evolution in the process

By David Derbyshire


Eagerly he collects wood from the ground, snaps the branches into small pieces and carefully balances them in a pile. Then, taking care not to burn himself, he gently strikes a match and gets ready for a fry-up.

Like all red-blooded males, Kanzi loves messing around with a barbecue. But then, as these extraordinary pictures show, Kanzi is no man. He is a bonobo - pygmy chimpanzee - and his love of fire is challenging the way that we think about our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

For although bonobo apes and larger chimpanzees use twigs and leaves as tools, none has ever shown such skill for cooking food.

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Skill with a skillet: After slaving over a hot stove, Kanzi tucks in to his creation


Kanzi is one of eight bonobos in the care of Dr Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, one of the world’s leading experts in ape behaviour and language. She believes 31-year-old Kanzi’s fascination with fire reveals a deep intelligence.

Dr Savage-Rumbaugh, of the Great Ape Trust, in Des Moines, Illinois, adds: ‘Kanzi makes fire because he wants to. He used to watch the film Quest For Fire when he was very young which was about early man struggling to control fire. He watched it spellbound over and over hundreds of times.’

He was also fascinated by the camp fires his keepers made to cook food. And he was encouraged to interact with humans and copy them. At the age of five, he was making small piles of bone dry sticks.


Kanzi carries his barbie in a backpack (left) before finding some dry wood and breaking it down to size

The chimp searches for the perfect site for a camp fire then carefully piles sticks onto a bed of dry leaves


He was taught to use matches, a skill he picked up quickly. There’s something eerie about watching Kanzi strike a match. The way he then holds the flame - taking care not to burn himself - is remarkably human.

‘Fire is one of the most important factors in our evolution,’ says Dr Savage-Rumbaugh. ‘When humans learned to control fire and to domesticate dogs we began to feel a new level of safety which freed us to become creative and to create more sophisticated cultures.’

‘Fire enabled us to cook meat, which helped break it down and meant we could eat more of it. Plants we cooked on fires were made more digestible. In short, cooking led us to eating better, which meant we developed large brains.

‘We sat around in communal groups cooking, stoking and simply watching the fire - a situation in which language and conversation started to develop.’

His hands look almost human as he strikes a match and, with a look of satisfaction, watches the smoke start to rise


Kanzi - the name means Treasure in Swahili - does not stay close to make sure his fire stays lit. But he does throw on more wood from a distance. And he has learned how to cook. He will take a marshmallow, stick it on the end of a twig and hold it carefully over the flames, ensuring it doesn’t burn.

He can place a grill pan on the fire and cook hamburgers. When he has finished with the fire, Dr Savage-Rumbaugh asks him to put it out using a bottle of water. He will carefully pour the liquid over the flames until it has been extinguished.

Kanzi is now incredibly passing on his skills to other apes. His son Teco, who lives in the same research centre, watches Kanzi as he solves problems. The researchers believe he may learn to make fires, too.

Healthy flames, it's time to set up the barbecue and then get the pan on


Kanzi, who weighs 12st, is the brightest of the apes at the Great Ape Trust. With two other apes at the centre, he uses paper keyboards to communicate with Dr Savage-Rumbaugh and fellow primatologist Liz Pugh.

In conversation with the researchers he points to symbols, known as lexigrams, on the keyboards representing different words.

A few treats go in and Kanzi stirs them expertly
He has learnt to ‘say’ around 500 words through the keyboard, and understands 3,000 spoken words.


Bonobos are one of the most endangered species and there are around 10,000 to 50,000 left in the wild, all in Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo. They share 98 to 99 per cent of their DNA with us.

For Kanzi’s own safety, he is only allowed to make fires under close supervision. But his behaviour raises fascinating questions.

And for dessert... he pops a marshmallow on a stick and toasts it with care


What would happen if he was released into the wild where other bonobos could copy his behaviour? And could wild bonobos learn how to master fire independently just like our own ancestors?

You don’t have to be a fan of the Planet Of The Apes movies - in which intelligent apes threaten mankind’s supremacy on the Earth - to find those questions disturbing.


Just right: The barbie ape enjoys his pud... whose turn to do the washing up?





source:dailymail

A child watches chimpanzees sharing a coconut in their newly renovated habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney

A child watches chimpanzees sharing a coconut in their newly renovated habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 30, 2011. The state-of-the-art exhibit features giant towers, networks of climbing ropes, a giant hammock, as well as an expansive glassed area and tunnel systems for viewing the primates.



A chimpanzee eats watermelon in his newly renovated habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 30, 2011. The state-of-the-art exhibit features giant towers, networks of climbing ropes, a giant hammock, as well as an expansive glassed area and tunnel systems for viewing the primates.



Chimpanzees share a coconut in their newly renovated habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 30, 2011. The state-of-the-art exhibit features giant towers, networks of climbing ropes, a giant hammock, as well as an expansive glassed area and tunnel systems for viewing the primates.



A chimpanzee and her infant eats watermelon and a coconut in their newly renovated habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 30, 2011. The state-of-the-art exhibit features giant towers, networks of climbing ropes, a giant hammock, as well as an expansive glassed area and tunnel systems for viewing the primates.



A chimpanzee enjoys a mouthful of watermelon in his newly renovated habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 30, 2011. The state-of-the-art exhibit features giant towers, networks of climbing ropes, a giant hammock, as well as an expansive glassed area and tunnel systems for viewing the primates.



A chimpanzee cuddles her infant in their newly renovated habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 30, 2011. The state-of-the-art exhibit features giant towers, networks of climbing ropes, a giant hammock, as well as an expansive glassed area and tunnel systems for viewing the primates.



Chimpanzees at Taronga Zoo have a morning meal of fruit as they explore their newly renovated enclosure in Sydney, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. The zoo's 17 chimps have a network of climbing ropes and towers that support giant hammocks for them to enjoy.


source: daylife
photo: Getty images, AP photo

Free at last! Lab chimps hug and laugh as they see daylight for first time in 30 years

By Daily Mail Reporter


Surreal: Three chimpanzees step out into the daylight for the first time in 30 years


This is the heartwarmingly human moment a troop of chimpanzees see daylight for the first time in 30 years.

Some of the 38 primates, who had been locked in cages for medical testing, injected with HIV and hepatitis, embrace and appear to smile before taking their first steps outside.

Their new-found freedom came after a 14-year battle to set the apes free from captivity after being taken from their mothers shortly after their births and brought to a research facility in Austria.


Testing ended on the apes in 1997, when the pharmaceutical company behind the research was sold and the chimpanzees were moved to a farm.

But the feat of introducing the chimps to the outside world was no easy task after their traumatising ordeal.

The readjustment period took keepers more than a decade - implementing careful techniques that slowly made them comfortable venturing beyond their four walls.

The footage, first broadcast by German television station RTL on September 4, shows two adult chimps staring in wonder at the grassy land that lies before them after the door to their facility opens.

Overjoyed: The apes embrace in a hug and smile before venturing out onto the grass together

Free at last! A chimp grins widely as he explores grassy terrain after decades in captivity

Is it safe? A chimpanzee tentatively waits inside after a door is opened to his freedom


The first chimp takes only a few steps outside before turning around and hugging an ape behind him. Overjoyed, they even appear to laugh.

Other apes behind them appear hesitant to follow in their footsteps but make their way out steadily, stepping into the grass and exploring their new-found freedom together.

Keeper Renate Foidl said: 'The chimps are incredibly happy. This is amazing, I have been waiting for this moment for so long.'

The lab chimps are now at the Gut Aiderbichl Animal Sanctuary, near Salzburg, Austria.




source:dailymail

Going ape! Crazed chimp runs amok and throws food at staff after escaping

By Daily Mail Reporter


On the rampage: Josie in a calmer moment. The 23-year-old chimpanzee looted the zoo kitchen, where staff prepare the animals' food


A chimpanzee who escaped her enclosure went on the rampage stealing food from the zoo's kitchen, stunning staff and visitors.

In a scene which could have come straight from the new film Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, female chimp Josie barricaded herself in the kitchen, hurled food at staff and smashed pots at Twycross Zoo in Atherstone, Warwickshire.

It took staff 40 minutes to calm down the 23-year-old chimpanzee before they were able to coax her back into her enclosure.


Despite the beast going on the rampage, staff have insisted the public were never at risk after Josie escaped.

A zoo spokeswoman said: 'Josie decided she wanted an extra snack and managed to get into the back kitchen area within the chimpanzee building, where her food is usually prepared.

'We are not entirely sure how she managed it but a full investigation is under way.

'The team at Twycross Zoo does regular drills so we are well equipped to cope with any emergency that arises.

'We followed our emergency protocols and everything went according to plan.

Escape: The chimp enclosure at Twycross Zoo. Staff have insisted that the animal did not pose any threat to the public or zoo workers


'Twycross Zoo prides itself on taking great care of both our visitors and animals and therefore handled the situation with the utmost diligence.

'At no time were either Josie or the public in any danger.'

Josie, who was born at the zoo in 1988, was described as 'normally very mild-mannered' by a worker, who added: 'She obviously had trouble on her mind last Wednesday.

'Her keepers were joking that she heard about the riots in the rest of the country and fancied looting a bit of grub for herself.

Just like the movies: A scene from the new film Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes


'Sadly, she didn't find any bananas but she caused a few problems for staff.'

Just last week it emerged that Charla Nash, the woman who had her face ripped off by a chimpanzee in 2009, had successfully been given a face transplant following the horrific attack.

The movie The Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, which was released last week, is a prequel to the original Planet Of The Apes film which shows how the animals take over the human race.


source:dailymail

Mankind isn't the only altruistic species... chimps have a heart too

-New research strongly indicates that our closest animal relatives are capable of spontaneous unselfish acts

By Daily Mail Reporter


Chimpanzees can be as selfless and charitable as kinder examples of their human cousins, a study has found.

The findings appear to overturn previous assumptions that true altruism is a uniquely human trait.

Previous research had suggested that chimps are inherently selfish, and only display acts of generosity when pressured or tricked into doing so.

Caring and sharing: Chimpanzees can be as selfless and charitable as kinder examples of their human cousins, a study has found


Scientists now say those studies were flawed. The new research strongly indicates that our closest animal relatives are capable of spontaneous unselfish acts.

Chimps also appear sensitive to whether or not an individual deserves a handout. Among chimps, as with humans, those who ask too persistently do not get.

The results published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences are supported by observations of wild chimpanzees.

In their natural habitat, chimps are known to help each other and show evidence of empathy, such as reassuring distressed members of their group.

However such traits have not been verified under experimental conditions, until now.

A U.S. team at the world famous Yerkes National Primate Research Centre at Emory University, Atlanta, set about designing a simple and straightforward test of chimp charity.

It was suspected that previous studies had been too complex and not taken sufficient account of psychological factors.

Rules: Chimps also appear sensitive to whether or not an individual deserves a handout - as with humans, those who ask too persistently do not get


In the new experiment, seven adult female chimps were offered a choice between two similar actions. One action rewarded both the lead participant, or 'actor', and a partner. The other rewarded only the actor.

A series of trials were conducted in which 'actors' chose between different coloured tokens from a bin.

One coloured token could be exchanged with an experimenter for edible treats, pieces of banana, for both members of a pair. The other, selfish, option was to choose a colour that only yielded a personal reward.

All seven chimps showed an overwhelming preference for 'prosocial', or generous, choice.

It made no significant difference whether or not 'actors' and 'partners' were related. But partners hoping for a share-out were less likely to get anything if they made a fuss, begged or spat water at those exchanging the tokens.

We were excited to find female after female chose the option that gave both her and her partner food,' said study leader Dr Victoria Horner.

'It was also interesting that being overly persistent did not go down well with the choosers. It was far more productive for partners to be calm and remind the choosers they were there from time to time.'

During the experiment, 'actors' were presented with a bucket containing 30 tokens randomly jumbled together.

Tokens were split into two colours, one of which could be exchanged for a shared reward, and the other for a 'selfish' reward. Purple/green, red/blue and yellow/black pairs of tokens were used in the tests.

Rewards were wrapped in paper to reduce the probability of actors being distracted by visible food. Unwrapping the treats also produced a loud noise, so that actors could both see and hear when a partner received a reward.

The findings suggest that genuine altruism is not confined to humans, say the researchers.

Next, the scientists plan to investigate whether the apparent unselfish behaviour of chimps is related to social interactions, such as swapping food for social support.


source:dailymail

The chimp they tried to turn into a human: An extraordinary experiment in which scientists raised a chimpanzee as their child... with chilling results

By TOM LEONARD

Monkey business: Nim is taught sign language by volunteer Joyce Butler

The woman volunteer thought Nim was coming to hug her, but instead the young chimp lunged, biting so deep into her cheek that his fangs pierced her mouth.

As she clutched her bleeding face, the little ape was beside himself, using the same piece of sign language again and again to attract her attention. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ he repeated.

This haunting recollection is one of many contained in a riveting new film, Project Nim, by the director of the Oscar-winning Man On Wire, about one of the most bizarre scientific experiments of recent times.


'A heartless Doctor Doolittle': Professor Herb Terrace takes Nim for a ride


British film-maker James Marsh’s latest subject undertakes a journey every bit as astonishing as tightrope artist Philippe Petit’s walk on a wire strung between the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Centre.

Nim was a chimp that was raised as a human child in order to test out the radical theory that man and his closest relative could learn to talk to each other.

Tragically, as Marsh’s film relates through a mixture of archive footage, re-enactments and interviews with those who took part in the early-Seventies experiment, this is a tale that ultimately says more about human arrogance than simian intelligence.


Meal time: The animal eating with one of the volunteers. The chimp was given the name Nim Chimpsky - a pun on Noam Chomsky, the famous thinker who insisted that only humans have the capacity for language

source: dailymail

Chimpanzees have 'at least 66 distinct gestures' they use to talk to each other

By Daily Mail Reporter


Communicative: Chimpanzees have at least 66 different mannerisms that they use to talk to each other, according to researchers


Wild chimpanzees use more than twice the number of gestures to communicate than previously thought, scientists have said.

The animals have at least 66 different mannerisms that they use to talk to each other, according to researchers from the University Of St Andrews in Scotland.

It was previously thought that chimpanzees had just 30 distinct gestures, although this figure was arrived at following observations of animals in captivity.


Lead researcher Dr Catherine Hobaiter and her team spent two years analysing 120 hours of footage of chimpanzees interacting in Budongo Conservation Field Station, Uganda.

They closely studied the animals' mannerisms for repeat gestures and concluded that they have a 'large repertoire'.

'We think people previously were only seeing fractions of this,' Dr Hobaiter told the BBC. 'Because when you study the animals in captivity you don't see all their behaviour.

'You wouldn't see them hunting for monkeys, taking females away on "courtships", or encountering neighbouring groups of chimpanzees.'

The team spent so long in the chimps' company that they got to know each other and the animals 'got on with their daily lives'.

They found that the chimpanzees clearly beckoned to each other.


At play: The scientists found that the chimpanzees clearly beckoned to each other and behaved remarkably like humans at times


In one piece of footage, a mother gestures for her daughter to climb on her back; in another, a child holds another young chimp's hand to encourage it to play.

The study suggests that there is a common system of communication across the species, as opposed to there being individual gestures for each group.

Not only that, but there is a significant overlap in signals used by gorillas and orangutans.

The research is published in the journal Animal Cognition.

Scientists have previously shown that chimpanzees comfort the victims of bullies with a consoling hug and a reassuring peck on the cheek to help lower stress levels.

It was found that chimps comfort each other after fighting and are less stressed after a cuddle.



source:dailymail

Six-day-old newborn Common Chimpanzee

Six-day-old newborn Common Chimpanzee female (Pan troglodytes) clings to her mother Uschi as photographers take pictures at Bratislava Zoo on March 16, 2011. The young chimpanzee is the first to be born in the ape house which was opened on April 23, 2010 and is also the first chimpanzee born in Bratislava Zoo since 1990 when her mother Uschi delivered her first offspring, male Samko.



Six-day-old newborn Common Chimpanzee female (Pan troglodytes) clings to her mother Uschi at Bratislava Zoo on March 16, 2011. The young chimpanzee is the first to be born in the ape house which was opened on April 23, 2010 and is also the first chimpanzee born in Bratislava Zoo since 1990 when her mother Uschi delivered her first offspring, male Samko.



A six-day-old female baby chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) clings to her mother Uschi at the Bratislava Zoo March 16, 2011. The young chimpanzee is the first chimpanzee born in Bratislava Zoo since 1990.



A six-day-old female baby chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) clings to her mother Uschi at the Bratislava Zoo March 16, 2011. The young chimpanzee is the first chimpanzee born in Bratislava Zoo since 1990.


A six-day-old female baby chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) clings to her mother Uschi at the Bratislava Zoo March 16, 2011. The young chimpanzee is the first chimpanzee born in Bratislava Zoo since 1990.


A six-day-old female baby chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) clings to her mother Uschi at the Bratislava Zoo March 16, 2011. The young chimpanzee is the first chimpanzee born in Bratislava Zoo since 1990.

source: daylife
photo: Gettyimages

How chimpanzees are just like humans: They laugh at jokes to bond even if they are not funny

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Having a giggle: Chimpanzees appeared to use laughter to strengthen social bonds, just like humans


Chimpanzees mimic the laughter of their playmates even if they do not find the situation as funny, scientists said today.

Research by Dr Marina Davila-Ross, of the University of Portsmouth, has shown that the apes do not just ape the expressions of their social partners.

The psychologist said the chimpanzees appeared to use laughter to strengthen social bonds, just like humans.

She said this showed that great apes had a more complex social use of expressions than previously thought.

Dr Davila-Ross said: 'Humans clearly use laughter as an important response in a wide range of social situations, but it is particularly interesting that chimpanzees seem to also use laughter to respond in such distinct ways.


Research: Dr Marina Davila-Ross's (right) study examined laughter in 59 chimpanzees living in four groups in the chimpanzee sanctuary Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia


'Great apes' ability to manage the sounds they make seems to be much more limited than humans and other animals, and even parrots.

'Nonetheless, their laughter might be partly managed and partly automatic.

'They do not just mimic the expressions of their playmates; they respond with their expressions in more complex ways than we were aware of before.


Play time: Dr Davila-Ross added that the apes had to be part of the fun to start laughing and would not just laugh by hearing other apes laughing nearby


'We found their responsive laughter shows a similarity to the conversational laughter of humans.

'Both are shorter than spontaneous laughter and both seem designed to promote social interaction.

'These sorts of responses may lead to important advantages in co-operation and social communication - qualities that help explain why laughter and smiles have become integral tools of emotional intelligence in humans.'

'Since then, the ability to control laughter must have drastically increased, along with its adaptive advantages, which explains why laughter has become a highly sophisticated, ubiquitous tool of co-operation and social communication in humans.'


source: dailymail