Chimpanzee 'asks' people to free him at Wales zoo - video
Published Aug 2 2012, 21:01 BST | By Tom Eames
A chimpanzee has been filmed appearing to ask to be freed from a zoo enclosure.The chimp is seen pointing at a window bolt and making an 'open' gesture to the people looking on.
The ape also connects its fingers together in a way that is similar to the American Sign Language meaning of the word 'gate', reports The Telegraph.
The visitor to the Welsh Mountain Zoo who filmed the video is heard saying: "He wants us to lift the window up."
Peter Dickinson of the zoo has previously written about the use of sign language with animals as part of their enrichment scheme.
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@Red I get what you're saying but surely you have to take into consideration that it's not in these animal nature to be penned in.
August 14th 2012 at 11:30am
In fact, I'd say that chimpanzees, by nature, "pen themselves in" more than most animals. They create miniature states with strictly enforced borders and live within a social hierarchy that is second only to humans in it's rigidity and brutality. In the wild, a chimpanzee is very unlikely to ever leave the same 10 to 15 mile territory it was born in. By comparison, many species of bats regularly migrate 300 miles or more for food and seasonal hibernation. Yet I've never seen any complaint that "bats in zoo are deprived their freedom." I'm sure that one might make an argument that bats lack sentience and self-awareness, which is, frankly, disgustingly anthropocentric. Domesticated animals are the only creatures who's "nature" dictates they be physically confined by humans, but that doesn't mean every animal in a zoo wallows in misery, existentially hungering for "freedom." Chimpanzees are highly social creatures, which have been demonstrated to interact more directly with humans in captivity, especially after being taught basic language skills. It's just as likely (if not MORE likely) that this animal wanted to interact with someone or something directly opposite the glass. But that isn't a satisfactory narrative for people who ignorantly wish to vilify zoos, most of which (in this day and age) are run by conservation groups that, on top of raising awareness of endangered and threatened species (chimpanzees, for example,) invest in global conservation efforts that help protect the wild counterparts of captive animals. Zoos have a cruel and deplorable history, but the enormous sea change toward more responsible stewardship of their collections is has been massive and ongoing for decades. That people look at this animal and see an abused creature begging for its "freedom" is incredibly frustrating because it's rooted in ignorance, both of the "nature" of these creatures and of zoos in general.
August 14th 2012 at 4:22pm(+1 like)
OMG, "I would like to be on the other side of this glass" and "I want to return to my jungle home, where I roamed free and wasn't subject to the whims of cruel humans that see me as a lesser being created and enslaved for their amusement" are NOT the same sentiments! You have NO idea why that chimp wants to get to the other side of the glass. You don't even know if it's ever been outside a zoo in its entire life. It's incredible to watch an animal communicate, directly and in human language, a desire, but it's not a license to ignorantly create a fantasy devoid of context or familiarity. Sure, maybe it's bored and maybe it wants to check out what's going on somewhere else. That doesn't mean it's in anguish or "asking to be freed." Stop projecting your own expectations onto this animal.
And, for the record, dog intelligence varies dramatically depending on breed. Some breeds are very, very intelligent, self-aware creatures.
August 14th 2012 at 5:38am
Chimps are self aware ,sentient creatures. Dogs, as much as I love mine, are not. Being self aware means knowing you are not in your natural habitat- and that they have needs much more complex then that of say a Labrador. If those needs are not being met then the animal is acutely aware of it. So while food and shelter may be enough for some species, it will never be enough for any self aware animal such as chimps, elephants, whales and some birds. Captivity will never meet the needs that nature can.
Mabye just being given fruit isn't hat the chimp needs- mabye foraging for food and using intelligent problem solving skills is just as important to the chimp as the actual food they are eating.
August 13th 2012 at 12:47am
Why are they taunting him?
August 4th 2012 at 5:09pm
its a zoo
August 6th 2012 at 12:09am
My 2 labs want nothing more than to be able to run out of the front door when they want, eat whatever they can when they want to. The fact that I don't allow them to does not mean that I am cruel. Same principle applies here. Obviously the animals here are well looked after so there is no need to worry for those that witness situations occur like this.
August 3rd 2012 at 9:46pm
You can't equivocate interests in food/shelter with interests in being able to move about freely. And you can't equivocate the chimps interests in wanting to roam freely with your dogs, because the nature of the interests could be not sufficiently similar e.g. your interest in roaming freely in comparison to your dogs.
By not being cruel you seem to mean that taking care of a Chimp's basic welfare interests while in captivity is enough, but what if being held captive is not in the Chimp's best interests? Ever thought about that?
August 10th 2012 at 8:52pm