Keepers at Furuvik Zoo found that the chimp collected and stored stones that he would later use as missiles.
Further, the chimp learned to recognise how and when parts of his concrete enclosure could be pulled apart to fashion further projectiles.
The findings are reported in the journal Current Biology.
There has been scant evidence in previous research that animals can plan for future events.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Zoo Chimp Shows Ability to Plan Ahead
He was storing hundreds of stones to throw at visitors at the Furuvik Zoo.
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3 comments:
Ladykat,
It sounds as though people are not the only species who believe in planning for the future.
Based on the description provided in the article, it sounds as though his level of intelligence is somewhat more advanced compared to what many people would have thought.
I am curious about why he choose only visitors as his targets, and has not appeared to harm zoological staff. Perhaps he operates on the basis of some form of circle of trust.
Ladykat,
On second thought, I suppose that I should have read the article a little more carefully prior to posting my comment.
It sounds as though the main reason why he would cast stones at visitors in particular is that they, rather than so much zoological staff, would be the main people that would be within range whilst he is in an agitated state during the performance described in the article.
Also, I know that gorillas regard staring as threatening/aggressive behavior. Maybe chimps are the same. At any rate, I'd get pissed off too if I had loads of people staring and pointing at me everyday.
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