Chimpanzee.
As sad as it is that 10-month-old chimpanzee Kartik was abandoned, there is a happy ending. Zookeeper Srihari Charan at the Nandankanan Zoological Park in India has "adopted" Kartik, treating him as if he were his own child -- including putting him in a hot pink baby walker. Watch the video and tell us what you think of this relationship in the comments below. ...
A group of chimpanzees at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland have been handed special cameras in order to capture footage for a BBC2 nature documentary called "The Chimpcam Project," playing across the pond. After Primatologist Betsy Herrelko came up with the idea, each of the eleven furry primates was handed -- wait for it -- a Chimpcam (housed inside a box for protection) in order to record as much of a first-hand portrayal as humanly possible, documenting their lifestyle in an eighteen-month-long study for the two-part series. Stars of the doc include Cindy, Ricky, Emma, David, Kilimi, Kindia, Liberius, Lucy, Lyndsey, and Qafzeh, all of whom we like to think are famous enough to not need last ...
© Monica Szczupider / National Geographic When a loved one dies, it's not only humans who grieve. This was proven when more than a dozen chimpanzees gathered to witness the burial of a member of their ape family, reports the New York Post. Dorothy, a chimpanzee in her late 40s, died of heart failure at the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center in West Africa, and according to the New York Post, was a respected member of the chimpanzee community there. When her caregiver brought Dorothy's body to her final resting place, the group of apes came to the edge of their enclosure to watch. National Geographic The chimpanzees quieted their usual chatter and simply stood, holding ...
Photo: ianduffy/Flickr Talk about a fun job: Primatologist and psychologist Marina Davila Ross led a team that tickled infant and juvenile apes as well as human babies, recording more than 800 laughs. (Can't you just hear it now? "Sorry honey, I just had a long day tickling baby chimps.") This certifiably adorable study found that all great apes – gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans – laugh. It was previously thought that chimps' chuckles were too different from humans' (exhaling and inhaling vs. humans' exhale-only laugh) to count as true laughter. The tickle study, however, found evidence that gorilla giggles share key traits with human laughter – their ...
According to a census conducted by the Primate Rescue Center, it's estimated that there are 235 privately owned chimpanzees in the U.S. The same study, compiled by April Truitt, who runs the Kentucky-based center, found that the owners of about 70 chimps said they would give them up to a good home if they could. The only option for these animals -- too wild to remain in a home and too domesticated to reside in the wild or even a zoo -- is a chimp sanctuary, also known as a chimp retirement home. Finding a home for a chimp isn't easy (the nation's sanctuaries are nearly full with more than 600 chimpanzees, Truitt recently told the Associated Press). Many sanctuaries have reported an influx ...
Despite the sad tale of Travis and other news about the dangers of living with a primate – let's be honest: what animal lover hasn't always wanted to own a chimp? Besides being adorable, what other pet is going to laugh at your jokes?The Great Ape Project estimates that more than 500 chimps are owned by private individuals in the U.S. The numbers got us wondering – what are the pros and cons of inviting a monkey into your life?Pros - They're great company! Chimpanzee lovers find they can share activities, such as dining at the table, recreation, and even basic crafts like painting, that are not possible with non-primate animals. Their superior intelligence makes chimps feel more ...