Chimp Video: Mother and Child Reunion
If you missed National Geographic's documentary in April about the Fongoli chimpanzees in Senegal, Chimps: Next of Kin, check out this remarkable video. It shows field researchers returning a stolen baby chimp to her mother and community.
"Scientists building Green Corridor to connect fading chimps colony to nearby mountains" -- USA Today
Japanese biologists have now begun to plant a corridor of trees across a savanna to try to connect one tiny isolated group of chimpanzees to a mountain range where thousands live.
"It's a prison sentence that they don't deserve"
KING 5 News in Washington state reports on the Great Ape Protection Act and visits chimps like Jamie, who likes to wear cowboy boots, at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Check out the footage and article.
Impact of observation studied
Here's an interesting Planet Earth article about a study monitoring the impact of tourists and scientists on western lowland gorillas. Findings suggest it may be worthwile to increase the distance humans are required to keep from the gorillas, to keep the stress levels low and avoid possible aggression. The researchers note that there are other factors influencing the gorillas' behavior and that further study is needed.
A Bonobo 'No'
It's a scenario you'll recognize. A Mom's firm "no," via shade of the head, to her toddler, who is getting into something he or she shouldn't.
Scientists studying great ape infant behavior witnessed 4 bonobos shaking their heads in ways that appeared to mean "no" on 13 different occasions. The observation raises the question: Is the "no" head shake hard-coded in humans?
