June 2004 Archives
Monkey Mayhem
June 30, 2004 by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Monkey News
When the zoo says don't pound on the glass, they mean it. And now they're giving chimps a way to fight back. Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo opened a new habitat for apes that lets chimpanzees touch a panel and shoot harmless blasts of air at unsuspecting visitors.
The new feature should help people and primates interact in a safe way. Though Chicago's not the first place to let monkeys fight back. The Los Angeles Zoo lets apes pull on ropes to ring bells or spray water at visitors. Now who's being watched?
Gorilla in Their Midst
June 24, 2004 by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Monkey News
A 286-pound gorilla escaped from his cage in the Berlin zoo on Tuesday, causing momentary panic. The eight-year-old silverback gorilla either climbed or leaped the 15-foot plate glass walls of his enclosure and began to stroll around the zoo grounds.
"He just stood and scratched himself. He looked awesome but not fierce," Berlin zoo visitor Husam Shawabakeh said.
"Gorillas are gentle but very powerful," Zoo boss Heiner Kloes added. "He could have hurt someone badly."
Zoo keepers caught the gorilla and led him back to his cage before anyone was hurt. This is the second time in the last few months a gorilla has escaped, though the last time three people were attacked and the gorilla was shot to death by police.
Back to School
June 18, 2004 by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Monkey News
An injured monkey paid a visit to a Hong Kong high school yesterday, disrupting students and leading officials on a three-hour chase before escaping into the wild. A teacher spotted the macaque in the hallway, presumably late for class. It isn't clear how the monkey was injured or where it came from, though "Monkey Mountain" is nearby, home to Hong Kong's roughly 1,450 wild monkeys.
Man Fined for Shooting Monkey
June 4, 2004 by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Monkey News
If you're a monkey, don't play in Travis Allen Ballard's South African garden. Ballard shot a vervet monkey with a pellet gun, and according to witnesses, continued to take potshots at other monkeys who were trying to assist the injured animal. Ballard was later fined $465 and the injured monkey was euthanased. The deregulation of pellet guns has resulted in a spree of animal shootings.
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