Monkey Revolution
November 10, 2008
September 24, 2008
September 19, 2008
Jack - The Baboon Who Worked for the Railroad and was Paid in Rum
Here's a great story about a baboon named Jack who not only worked for a railroad company, but also assisted some guy who thought he could jump between train cars and ended up legless.
Read the whole article at yesbutnobutyes!
After some time, and I swear I am not making this up, it is said that Jack learned to change the signals at the train yard. He responded to the horn blasts from the engineers and changed the signals accordingly. Locals swear that Jack never made an error. In fact, Cape Town train officials, after hearing of the monkey bidness up the road, came to investigate. Skeptical, they agreed to test Jack's competence and the little guy passed with flying colors. After he aced the signal exam, Jack was officially given a government salary (bananas?) and was issued an employee number. Really.
There are tributes to Jack the Signalman, as he was known, at the Albany Museum in Grahamstown (they have Jack's skull) and the Uitenhage Railway Station.
God bless that hard working monkey.
September 14, 2008
September 08, 2008
Chimp Loves Dog, Rege and Nzee
A cute picture of a chimpanzee carrying his pet dog is a far cry from the disturbing images animal rights activist Karl Amman usually captures on film.
The ape called Nzee, meaning old man, was rescued by Mr Amman after the animal lover was shot at by illegal chimp traders in Africa.
Nzee is one of two 'bush meat orphans' that have been offered sanctuary at Mr Amman's home in Nanyuki, Kenya.
The chimp has even 'adopted' pet dog Rege – taking him for walks tucked under his arm which allowed Mr Amman to take the quirky picture.
'Nzee picked him out of the litter and carried him around for some time. Whenever a new puppy comes along, there's a genuine interest,' the 59-year-old said.
He admitted some people may accuse him of hypocrisy by taking the pair out of their natural habitat but he insists they are happy and safer.
August 26, 2008
Soviet Women Volunteer to Carry Half Ape Baby
New Scientist has an article on a forgotten Russian experiment to produce an ape/man mix.
In November, Ivanov returned to Guinea, captured his chimps and with considerable difficulty eventually inseminated three of them. By now, he had a second experiment in mind: to inseminate women with chimp sperm. Knowing that no local woman would agree, he planned to do this under the pretext of a medical examination, but the French governor forbade it.
None of the three chimps conceived. Disappointed, Ivanov headed home with 20 chimps to stock a new ape nursery in the subtropical Soviet republic of Abkhazia. He knew now that his best chance of creating his hybrid was to find Soviet women willing to carry half-ape babies in the interests of science. In the event, only four chimps made it to Abkhazia and so while the nursery set about acquiring more apes, Ivanov looked for volunteers.
At least five women volunteered. But although the nursery did get hold of an assortment of apes, they never flourished, and by the time Ivanov was ready to proceed the only adult male left was Tarzan, a 26-year-old orang-utan. Ivanov pressed on until fate dealt his project a fatal blow. Tarzan had a brain haemorrhage. "The orang has died, we are looking for a replacement," Ivanov cabled the woman he had lined up to receive Tarzan's sperm. More chimps arrived in 1930 - but Ivanov fell victim to the widespread purge of scientists and was exiled to Kazakhstan. He was released the next year but died soon after.
August 23, 2008
Man Confronted By Ape In Zoo Parking Lot
Man gets free one day pass for zoo after he's bitten by a Gibbon in the parking lot. You would think a bite like that would be worth at least a t-shirt and a free drink.
A first-time trip to the Cincinnati Zoo ended up being one to remember for a Louisville, Ky., visitor before he even made it to the entrance.
In the parking lot, Noel Green came face to face with a white-handed gibbon named Euell.
Zoo spokesman Chad Yelton says that the 37-year-old member of the ape family got out of the Jungle Trails exhibit by swinging from branch to branch from tree to tree, and eventually made it several hundred feet from the exhibit and into the parking lot.
That's where Green and Euell came across each other.
Yelton says Euell bit Green on the leg while the man was trying to keep the animal from getting hurt.
Something some visitors say they would never attempt.
"I would not try to stop a gibbon it would just be too crazy. That's nuts why would someone stop a monkey?" said Tony Bermea of Maineville.
Euell's bite wasn't severe enough to break skin and Green continued on with his visit.
Some zoo visitors made it a point to keep their distance at the Jungle Trails exhibit."They just seemed to be looking at us like staring at the people a little more. I noticed a few times they were looking like 'what are you doing here?' (chuckle) So we kept our distance and kept walking," said Jennifer Hart of Loveland.
The zoo spokesman says they gave Green a free pass for another visit.
August 20, 2008
Monkey loose in Tokyo train station!
A rogue monkey holed up at a Tokyo train station for more than two hours on Wednesday before giving dozens of net-wielding police officers the slip among crowds of excited children and passersby.
"It's a monkey - it's not like it did anything bad," a police spokesman said, adding that the animal was still on the loose.
