LOOK! I’M ON CHIMPSTAGRAM
Ape searches for images on phone
MANY of us like to monkey around on the internet from time to time. Now a chimpanzee has proved that apes like to do it too-oo-oo.
A video clip shows Sugriva scrolling through a smartphone to find the Instagram app, then opening it – and looking at images of himself and other animals.
The seven-year-old male seems transfixed as he swipes the screen to select and reject videos on the social media site.
The clip of Sugriva, who lives at the Myrtle Beach Safari zoo in South Carolina, was shot by Mike Holston, who regularly posts images and videos of himself with exotic animals.
The zoo’s director, ‘Doc’ Antle, said they were spending time with the attraction’s 12 chimps when the video was made. He added: ‘Sugriva will pick up the phone – we have to unlock it – and will find the Instagram app which he touches to open.
‘Then he scrolls through the contacts and finds somebody he knows or likes and then will scroll through their images.’ In the video, which
has been viewed 1.5million times, Sugriva holds the phone in both hands as he looks at Mr Holston’s Instagram account.
He scrolls with his right thumb and begins by looking at a video of a monkey hugging Mr Holston’s head. He swipes to the right and sends the image away and scrolls down to look at other videos on Mr Holston’s profile.
He selects an image of two people standing holding sticks and stares at the photo for a few seconds.
Sugriva then swipes that away, scrolls down again and finds a video of Mr Holston touching some snakes. He then finds a video of himself meeting Mr Holston, and the clip ends with Sugriva looking for more images.
Mr Antle said: ‘Sometimes he finds things he doesn’t like and he gets shocked. He doesn’t like alligators and if he finds one he will put the phone down.’