Video: Chimp Intentionally Attacks Drone With Twig, Say Researchers

By R. Siva Kumar - 05 Sep '15 12:24PM

An interesting behaviour was exhibited by one female chimp at the Royal Burgers Zoo in Amhem, The Netherlands.

Just one long stick made her down a drone last April. Scientists closely examined her action, and found that it was not arbitrary but an intentional plan, according to The Washington Post.

A Dutch TV crew had brought the drone. They wanted to film the animals in the zoo and go close to the chimps. But interestingly, the chimps seemed to have cultivated a special dislike of the drone.

While the drone flew by "for a practice run", the group of chimps just kept picking up willow twigs, and climbed the scaffolding near the drone. This is not a behavior that is usually seen among them, according to a press release.

During the actual filming, the drone flew near them and one of the female chimps suddenly picked up a 6-foot-long twig and whacked it. She missed it the first time, so she did it the second time, and brought it down.

The female chimp grimaced and tried to whack it quickly. However, it was clear that the act was deliberate, not out of fear.

"The use of the stick as a weapon in this context was a unique action," Jan van Hooff said in the press release. "It seemed deliberate, given the decision to collect it and carry it to a place where the drone might be attacked."

Interestingly, the chimpanzees are not trained twig-wielders, but have picked up the trick just by watching humans, according to hngn.

"This episode adds to the indications that chimpanzees engage in forward planning of tool-use acts," Bas Lukkenaar said.

The study was published in the Sept. 3 issue of the journal Primates.