People may be tired of video calls, Zoom birthdays and streamed performances, but the chimpanzees at two Czech zoos are just starting to enjoy their new live online link.
To compensate for the lack of interaction with visitors since the attractions closed in December under Covid-19 restrictions, the chimpanzees in Safari Park Dvur Kralove and the troop in a zoo 150 km further in Brno can watch each other’s daily lives on giants . screens.
There are no disasters with a mute button because the sound is off, but there is already a lot of interest in what the distant cousins have been up to since the project was underway last week.
“In the beginning, they approached the screen with defensive or threatening gestures, there was interaction,” said Gabriela Linhartova, monkey keeper at Dvur Kralove, 135 km east of Prague.
“In the meantime, it has been switched to ‘I’m in the movies’ or ‘I’m watching TV’. When they see some tense situations, it comes from the bench, like we do when we watch a live sporting event. ‘
The chimpanzees also adopted other human behaviors, such as grabbing snacks such as nuts to chew on while watching the action.
The video conferences, which are also broadcast on the Safari Park website, will be hosted daily from 08:00 to 16:00 until the end of March, when the guards will evaluate whether they should continue.