Hove Lagoonery
Well-known member
- Dec 16, 2008
- 1,039
Yahoo have surprisingly decided that this is newsworthy - that apes can plan ahead! I could have told them that when I was 6 - If birds (nest-building) and rodents (nuts, squirrelling away of) can plan ahead, then obviously the higher species can!
Rock Chucking Chimp 'Proves Apes Plan Ahead' - Yahoo! News UK
Rock Chucking Chimp 'Proves Apes Plan Ahead'
9 hours 30 mins ago
Sky News: A chimpanzee who collected a stash of rocks and hurled them at zoo visitors in fits of rage has confirmed apes can plan ahead just like humans, experts say. The 31-year-old alpha male began building his weapons cache in the morning before the zoo opened, collecting rocks and knocking out discs from concrete boulders in his enclosure.
Then at midday he would unleash a "hailstorm" of rocks at visitors, the Swedish study found.
Seemingly at ease with his position as leader of the group, Santino did not attack the other chimpanzees.
The attacks were only directed at humans who gawped at the apes across the moat surrounding the island compound where they were held.
However, he rarely hit visitors because of his poor aim, and no one was seriously injured in the cases when he did.
Santino the chimpanzee's anti-social behaviour stunned both visitors and keepers at the Furuvik Zoo but fascinated researchers because it was so carefully prepared.
Swedish PhD student Mathias Osvath released a report on Santino's actions after studying him and interviewing zookeepers who had looked after him for 10 years.
Mr Osvath said: "These observations convincingly show that our fellow apes do consider the future in a very complex way.
"It implies that they have a highly developed consciousness, including lifelike mental simulations of potential events."
The fact that the ape stayed calm while preparing his weapons but used them when he was extremely agitated proves the planning behaviour was not based on an immediate emotional drive, Mr Osvath said.
For a while, zookeepers tried locking Santino up in the morning so he could not collect ammunition for his assaults, but he remained aggressive.
They ultimately decided to castrate him in the autumn last year, but will have to wait until the summer to see if it helps.
Rock Chucking Chimp 'Proves Apes Plan Ahead' - Yahoo! News UK
Rock Chucking Chimp 'Proves Apes Plan Ahead'
9 hours 30 mins ago
Sky News: A chimpanzee who collected a stash of rocks and hurled them at zoo visitors in fits of rage has confirmed apes can plan ahead just like humans, experts say. The 31-year-old alpha male began building his weapons cache in the morning before the zoo opened, collecting rocks and knocking out discs from concrete boulders in his enclosure.
Then at midday he would unleash a "hailstorm" of rocks at visitors, the Swedish study found.
Seemingly at ease with his position as leader of the group, Santino did not attack the other chimpanzees.
The attacks were only directed at humans who gawped at the apes across the moat surrounding the island compound where they were held.
However, he rarely hit visitors because of his poor aim, and no one was seriously injured in the cases when he did.
Santino the chimpanzee's anti-social behaviour stunned both visitors and keepers at the Furuvik Zoo but fascinated researchers because it was so carefully prepared.
Swedish PhD student Mathias Osvath released a report on Santino's actions after studying him and interviewing zookeepers who had looked after him for 10 years.
Mr Osvath said: "These observations convincingly show that our fellow apes do consider the future in a very complex way.
"It implies that they have a highly developed consciousness, including lifelike mental simulations of potential events."
The fact that the ape stayed calm while preparing his weapons but used them when he was extremely agitated proves the planning behaviour was not based on an immediate emotional drive, Mr Osvath said.
For a while, zookeepers tried locking Santino up in the morning so he could not collect ammunition for his assaults, but he remained aggressive.
They ultimately decided to castrate him in the autumn last year, but will have to wait until the summer to see if it helps.
Well played apes.
