Chimps are dangerous … and cunning
STOCKHOLM - A 30-year-old chimpanzee currently serving time at Furivik Zoo is being presented as proof that apes have the ability to plan for future events.
Chimps may have the ability to plan for the future.
The chimp, named Santino, is in the habit of fashioning discs of concrete that he stockpiles to later hurl at zoo visitors.
Animal behavior experts note that, unlike previously documented examples of pre-planning in apes, Santino doesn’t seem to be driven by a current need or emotion, but seems to be anticipating events that will occur at some later time.
Mathias Osvath of Sweden’s the University of Lund, told the Associated Press, “It [Santino's behavior] implies they have a highly developed consciousness, including life-like mental simulations of days to come. I would guess that they plan much of their everyday behavior.”
Maybe Pierre Boulle’s Planet of the Apes wasn’t so far-fetched after all.
For more, visit New Scientist.