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News & ArtsMonday, March 9, 2009
Science / Mailbag Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 1:34 PM
A chimp in a Swedish jail zoo has been throwing rocks at people. ON PURPOSE. (Is that really, actually surprising?)
Zoo Chimp Plots Stone Throwing Attacks
New study found his cleverly orchestrated attacks were premeditated
Anger-chimp was stockpiling rocks to throw across a moat at zoo visitors; he would break off and store piece of concrete to hurl as well. "The discovery...provides evidence that chimpanzees can plan for a future, rather than a current, mental state." The researchers also concluded that the chimp's behavior "appears to somewhat mirror primate dominance displays in the wild." Perhaps it also somewhat indicates that living on Chimpanzee Island is infuriating?
Thank you, Slog tipper Reggie. Photo by celerrimus from flickr. UPDATE! There's the photo.
1
I love when people who own pets rail against zoos for keeping animals captive... hmmm, hypocritical? So it's not ok for animals to be kept captive for the enjoyment of everyone, but it IS ok for animals to be kept captive for your own, personal pleasure?
This isn't directed at BJC, since I have no idea if she has pets... just at pro-pet/anti-zoo people in general.
This isn't directed at BJC, since I have no idea if she has pets... just at pro-pet/anti-zoo people in general.
3
@1,
Most pets have been domesticated and are relatively fine with being held "captive." Wild animals, however, have not been domesticated over a period of thousands of years.
Most pets have been domesticated and are relatively fine with being held "captive." Wild animals, however, have not been domesticated over a period of thousands of years.
4
I am not really anti-zoo, per se, but I think there's a difference between keeping a primate captive and keeping a cat or a dog in your house. Animals have different levels of intelligence and social needs, and so I think it's totally reasonable for someone to think, my dog can have its physical, mental, and social needs met in my home with my family whereas a chimp may not be able to have their physical, mental, and social needs met in a zoo.
Mind you, I think it's immoral to breed dogs (or cats) for pets, or to take a wild animal and capture it for display purposes (i.e., to create captivity when it is unnecessary), so I might not be the best person to comment on your thought, @1.
Mind you, I think it's immoral to breed dogs (or cats) for pets, or to take a wild animal and capture it for display purposes (i.e., to create captivity when it is unnecessary), so I might not be the best person to comment on your thought, @1.
5
It would be good as a general rule to assume that many higher animal species are capable of any mode of behavior that humans demonstrate, and vice-versa.
9
agreed, rob. why are people ever surprised by this stuff? if you accept the premise that we evolved from creatures like this, then why would you think that animals, especially primates, are all that different from us, really?
11
@5, @7 -- so do birds. Plan ahead, that is. Lots of 'em do; look at bower birds, frinstance. Are they almost human?
12
The thing about chimpanzees particularly is that they're pretty much just another species of human ( http://www.amazon.com/Third-Chimpanzee-E… ) and therefore whenever we treat them like animals and not like retarded four year olds in twice-adult-strength bodies we end up being nastily surprised.
13
@11: I consider birds to be amazing, delightful, marvelous creatures. Modern-day dinosaurs, they have been called, with excellent DNA-sequence and morphological evidence in support. An astonishingly efficient continuous, unidirectional flow of air through their lungs (with the help of air sacs distributed around the body), and evidence of near-primate-equivalent intellect in some species (crows and their cousins, parrots like Alex the African grey).
14
So if chimpanzees plan for the future, just where are they putting their investments?
Anything's gotta be better that my current investment advisor.
Anything's gotta be better that my current investment advisor.
16
@13 I'm with you. I have had parrots all my life and when you take the time to know them they are stunning in their capacity to communicate and understand. And a more loving pet you would be hard pressed to find.
17
@ 10 - Plus, monkeys often engage in homosexual behavior. You're a monkey, Vince, you're a monkey!!!
But I do hope that you don't look like a momkey. I'd feel bad for you if you did.
But I do hope that you don't look like a momkey. I'd feel bad for you if you did.
18
Obviously Anger-Chimp has taken a page from the Dan Savage guide to making friends and influencing people
19
I have a hazy early childhood memory of the elephants at Woodland Park Zoo throwing rocks at buses. I think I remember that they even broke some windows. This would have been in the early 1980s, I think. (This was when they were in their older smaller enclosure (which was closer to the street and on a bus line). Anyone else remember this?
20
What if this Chimpanzee is always in a pissed off mental state? Today, rocks. Tomorrow, shit. Next week, bow and arrow made of sticks. Anger is a driver of evolution and the zoo is the lab.
23
A lot of animals plan for the future. Almost all rodents do by stockpiling food. Ever want to get a squirrel pissed off? Dig up a couple of its walnuts and see how fast they start pelting you with stuff. You are destroying their future food.
When we had pet rats, they'd regularly hide food for the future. Same thing with mice, hamsters, and other rodents.
It figures our closest relative would hide weapons, though doesn't it....
When we had pet rats, they'd regularly hide food for the future. Same thing with mice, hamsters, and other rodents.
It figures our closest relative would hide weapons, though doesn't it....
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