Chimps on Zoom

Silly+Ape+Watches+Zoom

Photo Courtesy of CNN

Silly Ape Watches Zoom

Matthew Boughter, Journalist

Even Chimps are finding new ways to keep busy and entertained during quarantine. A few groups of chimps have been using Zoom to communicate and have fun all thanks to the staff members at the zoo.

A lot of the animals in Dvur Kralove Safari Park in the Czech Republic have suffered from a lack of stimulus because of of the country’s lockdowns and less frequent visitors. The staff at the zoo say that highly intelligent animals like chimps require constant stimulation and interaction to keep happy and healthy.

As the Coronavirus worsened, the staff was tasked with finding new and safe ways for the animals to find entertainment, without having visitors walk by the enclosures because of the order to close them back in December.

Apes Being Live Streamed on Zoom (Photo Courtesy of CNN)

At first the chimps were a little weirded out and frightened by the Zoom setup. A zookeeper told CNN, “At the beginning they approached the screen with defensive or threatening gestures, there was interaction.”

“It has since moved into the mode of ‘I am in the movies’ or ‘I am watching TV.’ When they see some tense situations, it gets them up off the couch, like us when we watch a live sport event.”

— Gabriela Linhartova

The chimps seemed to warm up to it quickly because Linhartova later says, “It has since moved into the mode of ‘I am in the movies’ or ‘I am watching TV.’ When they see some tense situations, it gets them up off the couch, like us when we watch a live sport event.”

What’s even cuter is that the apes have been seen eating nuts while on Zoom like humans eat popcorn when they watch movies.

The Zoom calls are aired on the safari park’s website and run daily from 8 am- 4 pm until the end of March, and at that time the zookeepers will decide if it should continue or not.

“I think it’s fascinating that chimps react to technology like we react to watching movies. I’m glad the zoos are finding creative ways to keep them happy,” says Eduardo Nuno, a senior at Shadow Ridge