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 names. (Also, they're chimps).
Posts tagged "chimpanzee"
© Monica Szczupider / National Geographic
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
All the chimpanzees are orphans whose mothers were killed by hunters for illegal bushmeat, reports the Post. According to the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, "the practice of commercial, illegal and unsustainable hunting is causing widespread local extinctions in Asia and West Africa." Hard to believe hunters can be so cruel and irresponsible, especially after seeing just how "human" these chimpanzees can be.
The photo can be seen in the November issue of National Geographic magazine, on sale now.
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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 exhaling breaths during laughter lasted three to four times longer than during normal breathing. And primatologist Frans de Waal pointed out that primate laugh occurs in playful contexts, further underlining its similarity to the human laugh.
While Aristotle theorized that laughter is what separates humans from animals, it seems that our laughter has simply evolved along with us. Evolution explains the differences between human and ape laughter. Now the only question left is: do apes fake-laugh at their in-laws' lame jokes?
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 of calls following extensive media coverage of Travis, a pet chimp that suddenly attacked Stamford, Conn., resident Charla Nash in mid-February.
But despite the struggles such centers face (most sanctuaries offer opportunities to donate or volunteer -- click here to make a donation to the Primate Rescue Center), chimp retirement homes continue to be safe spaces where domesticated chimps can live out safe and happy existences. We decided to peek inside a few.
Chimp Retirement Homes
Center for Great Apes
The Florida non-profit Center for Great Apes opened in 1990 when founder Patti Ragan learned that there was no place in the U.S. for a baby orangutan she'd been caring for -- who because of his background could not be cared for at a zoo or returned to the wild -- to live. The park's tropical forest setting resembles apes' natural habitats (with the addition of a super-fun-looking elevated tunnel and chute system for climbing and playing -- very Ewok village) and there's even a special needs area for handicapped and elderly residents.
Center for Great Apes
Chimp Haven
Located about 20 miles outside of Shreveport, Louisiana, the federally-funded Chimp Haven provides care for hundreds of chimpanzees who have retired from medical research, the entertainment industry or are no longer wanted as pets. This amazing facility is a product of the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection (or Chimp) Act, passed in the final days of the Clinton administration. Its residents have it pretty good -- indoor bedrooms, expansive play yards, forested habitats, TVs and DVD players, banana smoothies...hey, can we retire here, too?
Chimp Haven
Save the Chimps
Save the Chimps was founded as a safe haven for 21 chimps, survivors and descendants of those captured in Africa in the 1950's and used by the Air Force in the original NASA "chimpanaut" program. (They were originally going to be sent to a biomedical laboratory in New Mexico.) In addition to rescuing these chimpanauts, Save the Chimps soon afterwards was able to take over the New Mexico laboratory and rescue the primates housed there as well. Now the chimps luxuriate in a natural environment in Florida, without threat of ever being sent to a lab (or outer space, for that matter).
Save the Chimps
Beekse Bergen
Funded in part by the Dutch government, Beekse Bergen, a safari park that houses over 1500 animals of different species, has in the last few years welcomed chimps rescued from research labs as well. Most of these chimps were captured as babies and confined to small concrete pens while they underwent medical testing. Their new keepers report that it takes them some time to feel comfortable exploring and playing like normal primates.
--Amy Shearn
Maartje Blijdenstein, AFP / Getty Images
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 like friends than the traditional pet-owner relationship.
- Nothing's cooler than a chimp Whether you're out for a walk with your new best buddy, or throwing a party at home, pimpin' your chimp will be just golden for your social life; especially if your chimp is a chimp-lebrity!
- They're family! Chimps are estimated to share as much as 98% of our DNA. And their communications skills are so advanced that a few individuals (like the famous Washoe) have even been able to learn elements of American Sign Language.
From Bubbles to B.J. and the Bear, chimps might as well have their own Hollywood Walk of Fame. Chimpanzee actors have a long history, from Johnny Weissmuller's classic "Tarzan" films to such quirky gems as "Bedtime for Bonzo," starring former President Ronald Reagan.Surely the most famous simian star is Cheeta, allegedly now 76, who was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest living chimp. Famous, but also controversial -- in 2008 author R.D. Rosen disputed his owner Dan Westfall's claim that Cheeta was the same animal who co-starred not only with Weismuller and Reagan, but also Rex Harrison in the 1967 classic "Dr. Doolittle." Rosen was researching an authorized biography of Cheeta, but concluded that each film probably used a different animal (Cheeta's official web site, cheetathechimp.org, reflects the new doubts about his history).
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When it comes to chimp-human relations, 2009 isn't proving to be what you'd call a banner year.Just weeks after Travis the chimp attacked his owner's friend in Connecticut, there's another angry chimp on the news circuit. Santino, a chimpanzee residing at the Furuvik Zoo in Sweden, has taken to hurling rocks at visitors (good news tourists - he usually misses!). The clever alpha male spends his morning stockpiling the rocks by knocking bits off concrete from his enclosure. The behavior has scientists in a tizzy because the ability to plan has been hard to prove in animals until now.
Interestingly enough, Santino never aims at his fellow chimps, he only goes after people. Fascinating stuff, but the news also makes us a little sad. Would Santino be so upset if he wasn't stuck in the zoo? Tell us how you feel about Santino and Travis.
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