Zoo chimp 'planned' rock attacks on visitors

[depakid]

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

A canny chimpanzee who calmly collected a stash of rocks and then hurled them at zoo visitors in fits of rage has confirmed that apes can plan ahead just like humans, a Swedish study says. 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.

According to a report in the journal Current Biology, the 31-year-old alpha male started building his weapons cache in the morning before the zoo opened, collecting rocks and knocking out disks from concrete boulders inside his enclosure. He waited until around midday before he unleashed a "hailstorm" of rocks against visitors, the study said.

"These observations convincingly show that our fellow apes do consider the future in a very complex way," said the author of the report, Lund University PhD student Mathias Osvath. "It implies that they have a highly developed consciousness, including lifelike mental simulations of potential events." Osvath's findings were based on his own observations of Santino and interviews with three senior caretakers who had followed the chimpanzee's behaviour for 10 years at the zoo in Furuvik, about 150km north of Stockholm.

Seemingly at ease with his position as leader of the group, Santino did not attack the other chimpanzees, Osvath told The Associated Press. The attacks were only directed at humans viewing the apes across the moat surrounding the island compound where they were held.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/zoo-chimp-planned-rock-attacks-on-visitors-20090310-8tkv.html

---

Malice aforethought.

[Gregorian]

1. I hate zoos.

Good for the chimp. I'd do the same.

[tblue]

7. When I see people mocking animals in a zoo, I want to throw rocks at them, too.

I have zero tolerance for animal abuse.

[Webster Green]

21. Tom Robbins said it really well...

This quote from one of his books begs to respond to your post...

“When a man confines an animal in a cage, he assumes ownership of that animal, but an animal is an individual; it cannot be owned. When a man tries to own an individual, whether that individual be another man, an animal, or even a tree, he suffers the consequences of an unnatural act.”

“Have you ever watched visitors at a menagerie or zoo – the fools they make of themselves, the way they leer and snigger and vex and demand entertainment and taunt? A caged beast, like an excess of alcohol, reduces man to his most banal dimensions. And he is only slightly better behaved when observing human inmates of prisons and institutions.”

A creature, human or otherwise, that has had its freedom compromised, has been degraded. In a subconscious reaction that combines guilt, fear, and contempt, the keepers of the cage – even the observers of the caged – are degraded themselves. The cage is a double degrader. Any bar, whether concrete or intangible, that stands between a living thing and its liberty is a communicable perversity, dangerous to the sanity of everyone concerned.”

-Tom Robbins
‘Another Roadside Attraction’

[maxsolomon]

37. never forget the factor of alcohol in the SF zoo tiger attack

not to mention testosterone.

[MadMaddie]

43. You forgot the main ingredient - Absolute, unconditional stupidity.

That always seems to remove humans from the gene pool...just sayin.

[caseymoz]

53. There's not too much alternative to them.

And they are becoming more important to saving animals as habitats shrink. And I hate to say they will continue to shrink.

[The2ndWheel]

67. Sure there is

We just don't want to let it happen. Plus, we're not really saving other animals by putting them in zoos. We're taking the ability upon ourselves to continue what we've been doing by building a world with no alternative. We can't allow life to live.

[zonkers]

2. Good for that chimp. Fuck humans.

[formervolunteer]

40. Yeah ! fuck humans

Yeah, let's fuckin kill 'em all.

What team are you on, monkey lover?

You're either with us or against us.


lol. Zoos.



:spray:

[tularetom]

3. Remember the good old days when all they did was fling their poo and masturbate?

They're getting pretty nasty these days. throwing rocks, tearing peoples faces off, starting wars in Iraq. What next?

[cactusfractal]

11. ROFLMAO - splutter!

Dude. Good one. I just had to comment.

[NashVegas]

27. Oh Jeebus, Stop That

:spray:

That was good tequila, damn you!

[christx30]

51. Great....

Dr. Pepper... all over my monitor. On the other hand, best laugh I've had all week.

[saigon68]

54. starting wars in Iraq. What next?

[DBoon]

4. There is a reason chimps aren't allowed to own grenade launchers

nt

[hvn_nbr_2]

19. When grenade launchers for chimps are outlawed, only outlaw chimps...

well, you know.

[corpseratemedia]

5. Message to humans:

let me out of this fucking enclosure!

[Uncle Joe]

6. One of my favorite movies was Project X

I guess if you can't escape by flying an airplane throwing rocks is the next best thing.

[ZombieHorde]

8. The Planet of the Apes has begun. nt

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. Probably pissed off at being compared to George Bush all the time!

.
.
.

[bananas]

26. I thought this was about Bush!

[Omnibus]

29. Of course it's not about Bush...

...after eight years of observation, Dubya showed NO signs of planning skills.

[ConcernedCanuk]

30. A DUer named "bananas" in a chimp thread - there's gotta be a joke there . . .

.
.
.

:silly:

[Oregone]

10. Send his ass to Chimpmo

[Politicalboi]

12. WMD's

Weapons of Monkey Destruction. They were lucky it was rocks and not shit the chimp threw.

[wtbymark]

13. I guess Austrailians never read Jane Goodall's, "In the Shadow of Man"

40 years ago she proved that chimps plan and committ murder. What?!?!? 8 years of shrub and the planet forgets about science.

[depakid]

14. This was in Sweden

Aussies just have a taste for news beyong their own shores....:-)

And you bet- a lot of people have read and admire Goodall and other who study primates.

[Eryemil]

31. "Aussies just have a taste for news beyong their own shores."

Burn.

:evilgrin:

[ixion]

15. animals don't like to be caged, just like humans... imagine that.

and, just like humans, when given ample time to think about it, they try and think of a way out, or a retaliation.

[lunatica]

16. Jane Goodall already said as much 10 or 20 years ago.

She also talked about Chimps planning and carrying out murder.

[Alamuti Lotus]

17. Humans can plan ahead?!

"has confirmed that apes can plan ahead just like humans . . . "

[Raine]

18. That's what happens when you keep animals caged

up for people's entertainment. :mad:

[pleah]

20. Revenge of the apes!

Can't say I blame him.

[Boojatta]

71. He heard about the human who threw shoes at Bush...

so he threw something at the humans.

[1monster]

22. Not surprising. Chimp clans in the wild will go to war with other chimp clans and they make weapons

from sticks, stones, and whatever is available.

That old poem that said monkeys don't make war may be true, but chimps do.

Nor are wild chimpanzees the docile, childlike creatures portrayed on TV. Highly territorial, chimpanzees will attack and kill other chimps. Though mostly vegetarian, they will also hunt and kill other animals for food; young male chimpanzees in Africa have been known to fashion crude weapons and use them to hunt bushbabies for meat.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1880229,00.html

[JayMusgrove]

23. Wel already KNEW that chimps can plan ahead.......

George W planned to bomb and invade Iraq


Proof that chimps plan ahead

[hvn_nbr_2]

24. Yep, and like his "mentor," this chimp didn't have an exit strategy. nt

[Lost in CT]

25. But the Sweedes are so peaceful???? nt

[Solly Mack]

28. Give him a computer and his own blog

He's ready

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

48. I am not sure about the provenance of this, but...

I heard Pajamas Media is in discussions with the chimp for a video blog.

Little Green Footballs wants him too. To give the place more intellectual cachet.

[XemaSab]

32. Not only does this show planning ahead

it shows that the chimp STAYS MAD well after the visitors have all gone home. :scared:

[Regret My New Name]

70. I wonder what sparked it...

If it was just the entire situation of being in captivity or if there was a specific instance that made him say 'fuck it'.

[whoneedstickets]

33. Better monitor all Flight Schools for Chimp students...

..Those bastards are probably plotting something big.

[HooptieWagon]

34. He waited until noon to attack?

I guess he was busy all morning reading "My Pet Goat"...

[HooptieWagon]

35. delete - dupe

oops

[Dorian Gray]

36. I read this story out loud to my husband

and we both found it humorous. As long as people weren't injured.

[regnaD kciN]

38. BREAKING: Simian terraist stockpiled Weapons of Mineral Destruction...

:scared:

[GinaMaria]

39. Santino and Santelli have a lot in common.

Both planned their attacks in advance. At least Santino ins't denying it though.

[dflprincess]

41. Santino was always a hothead

Though, in this case, I'm on his side.

[xchrom]

42. what is fascinating to me here -- is that he waited.

whatever 'reward' he got from this -- he denied himself to a certain time.

pretty extraordinary.

[bemildred]

44. It's almost as though they were related, similar to us, in some way.

:think:

[MadMaddie]

45. Does anyone remember the "Twilight Zone episode People Are Alike All Over" ?

<snip>

Momentarily, a wall slides upward, leading to Conrad's realization that he has become a caged exhibit in a Martian zoo - an Earth Creature in its native habitat.
<snip>

http://tzone.the-croc.com/tzeplist/alike.html

If you haven't seen it you should.

[riverdale]

49. What channel has the Twilight Zone on?

I have not seen the show in years.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

58. It's on the sci-fi channel on the weekends

I'm sure it's on others, but that's where I catch it.

[MadMaddie]

60. I found this

http://www.scifi.com/twilightzone/

Down in the bottom right corner of the page it has the different time zones and show times.

[riverdale]

65. Not on my screen it doesn't

What day and time is it on?

[msanthrope]

46. Good for Santino. n/t

[gregjames719]

47. chimp is amazing

This chimp came up with a plan and wanted to execute it. I did not know that they could form such complex thoughts. This might be an indication that humans did evolve from apes.


bad breath cures
how to stop a dog from digging

[rcrush]

50. This Chimp should have been named Ceasar.

Soon they will be burning our cities!

[caseymoz]

52. Oh, bullshit. We've known for some time that primates can think ahead.

It's apparent that highly intelligent creatures (chimps, gorillas and elephants especially) begin to resent humans. Why wouldn't they? They may be well treated, but humans have to be like alien creatures to them, our system is weird to them, and they are either confined, displayed or enslaved. The friction of their captivity is bound to get even worse.

BTW, male chimps get very surely as they age. A 31-year-old Alpha male is very ill-tempered, and probably sees human beings as it would see a rival band of chimps: loathed enemies.

[No Elephants]

55. I wonder if visitors to the zoo threw things at the chimps.

[Peace Patriot]

56. This chimp is not only a smart planner, he's figured out who the real enemy is!

"Seemingly at ease with his position as leader of the group, Santino did not attack the other chimpanzees, Osvath told The Associated Press. The attacks were only directed at humans viewing the apes across the moat surrounding the island compound where they were held."

And just wait til he gets the word to the dolphins, whales, elephants and other smart critters on the planet, with lo-o-o-ong memories, and epic songs that they sing to each other and to their young about us!

------------------

It's an interesting thought--and one that I don't think has been thunk by anybody before me--that the chimps and possibly other critters may be learning violent behavior fromus. ?? Even critters in the wild, by now, are "caged in" by human development, and most have had encounters with humans--mostly unpleasant, often genocidal--and/or they may have more sensitive psyches, as to picking up our violent ways. We are crowding them out, and certainly project an anti-Nature, aggressive and extremely destructive attitude toward "the wild." Maybe we are influencing wild critters in ways that we don't know and don't even begin to understand.

[ConcernedCanuk]

57. Interesting pondering ya got going there Peace Patriot . .

.
.
.

Imagine if the World's population of beasts, domesticated and wild

attacked humans, instead of avoiding us as they do know?

Every cow, cat, dog, horse, chickadees, chicken-hawk, etc., started attacking us humans anytime we ventured near them?

hmmm . . .

WE know this planet would be better off without us -

What if the animals figure it out?

sumthing to ponder . . .

[Octafish]

59. America's chimp planned an attack on Iraq before he ''took'' office.

The little turd from Crawford was just waiting for an excuse.

[Rider Haggard]

61. That says a lot about the intellligence of "animals" of which I am one.

I have dealt with a lot of horses that seem to have that same sort of intellect toward individuals that they like or don't like.

As a race, we have had our heads up our asses for far too long.

[bitchkitty]

62. GOOD FOR HIM!

'Scuse the shouting. That poor creature.

[struggle4progress]

63. Arsenal Confirms Chimp's Ability to Plan, Study Says

Animal at Swedish Zoo Collects Stones to Hurl at Visitors
http://media3.washingtonpost.com.nyud.net:8090/wp-dyn/content/photo/2009/03/09/PH2009030902828.jpg
Santino, a 30-year-old chimpanzee, has become something of a celebrity at the Furuvik Zoo, north of Stockholm. (Courtesy Of Furuvik Zoo)
By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 10, 2009; Page A06
... On some days, he's barraged visitors with up to 20 projectiles thrown in rapid succession, always underhand. Several times he has hit spectators standing 30 feet away across the water-filled moat ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/09/AR2009030901458.html?hpid=sec-nation


http://suomenkuvalehti.fi.nyud.net:8090/s/mediagallery/2009/3/9/126756/wq09202iw.jpg
Sweden Angry Chimp
This undated picture made available Monday, March 9, 2009, shows some of the stones which Santino the chimpanzee used to hurl at visitors at Furuvik zoo in Sweden ... http://suomenkuvalehti.fi/kuvat/2009/03/09/sweden-angry-chimp


Chimp who threw stones at zoo visitors showed human trait, says scientist
Assembling ammunition in advance reveals ape's unsuspected ability to plan for future
an Sample, science correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Monday 9 March 2009 17.33 GMT
http://static.guim.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/03/09/chimp460x276.jpg
Santino the chimp with a stone in his hand. Photograph: PA
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/mar/09/chimp-zoo-stones-science

[Nihil]

66. I should think so too ... the chimp is far smarter than most Arsenal supporters ...

... + his aim is probably better!

:hide:

[scubadude]

64. I've seen similar behavior in Gorillas at the Brookfield Zoo.

This was gorilla against gorilla though.

Picture a very tall fake rock structure like a mountain. It has a series of ledges leading up to a pinnacle in the center, with gorillas lounging around on it. The total structure was maybe 30 feet high.

There was one very large male silver back gorilla lounging on the next to the top ledge, leaning with his back against the wall leading to the summit.

A juvenile male gorilla came up to him and began harassment. The Silverback didn't like it and took a step away from the wall to shoo the adolescent off.

The adolescent kept it up, and the silver back took another step forward to shoo him off again. Slowly the adolescent lured the large male away from the wall towards the edge of the ledge. He also moved his attacks to the side, to turn the silver back around. Soon the silver back had his back to the edge of the ledge and was very close to the twelve foot drop. The little adolescent then made a sorrowful I'm sorry face to the silver back, came up and gave him a nice kiss, then shoved hard in the middle of the silver backs chest, who plunged over the ledge and landed on his head. It was hilarious and took about 5 minutes to happen. Clearly it was well planned out ahead of time.

Give these guys a better voice box, and I'm sure they'd be a lot more like us than we think possible.

Scuba

[vduhr]

68. I wonder if they put up a barrier to stop the rocks.

It is true that the chimps (and gorillas) have been doing this for a long time, they throw their feces too! I remember when I was a kid, the San Diego Zoo had their gorillas in cages before they built the enclosure with moats. They had glass barriers in front of the cages because the gorillas like to fling their feces!

My father worked there for a short while back in 1959 and one of his co-workers was killed by a panther. The panther waited until it had a chance and attacked the guy. Think it was hungry? No chance, it had just been fed and the guy was about to clean the cage. I think the panther planned it, or at least thought far enough ahead to know when to pounce.

[Regret My New Name]

69. I find this fascinating...