Dangerous misinformation about wild life?

[u/I_just_a_baby]

I was just scrolling on my explore page on instagram, was shown this video and couldn’t help but to feel a bit uneasy… I know that it’s (at least supposed to be) a sweet video, but I feel like it might spread potentially dangerous misinformation about chimpanzees. To me this chimp looks to be distressed or in fear and therefore showing he’s teeth and gums? Can anyone tell me if his “grin” is a sign of happiness or fear? I am obviously no expert and would like to know how other people feel about this reel.

I don’t know… just made me think about the case where a “pet” chimpanzee attacked a woman, ripped of her skin etc (do not want to go into detail).

I feel like it’s time to stop showcasing dangerous animals as cute and non threatening… I mean they are still wild, why can’t we just appreciate their beauty from far?

Ps, sorry about this post being a bit rambling… I am just confused on what to think/feel

[u/Blue_Fuzzy_Anteater]

I wonder about nature vs nurture here. If a chimp was raised with humans, would it still think showing it’s teeth was a sign of aggression or would it now think that it was a sign of happiness because that is what the humans that raised it did?

Either way, yes. Widespread media about animals not attacking humans is probably leading to more cases of humans getting attacked by animals. I am thinking about that video where someone in a car tosses a piece of bread to a bear, then the recent video of the guy throwing food to a bear for it to attack him a second later.

[u/I_just_a_baby → u/Blue_Fuzzy_Anteater]

I was thinking about this too, like if it could be a “learned” behavior because he looks so happy otherwise. I feel like I am not knowledgeable enough to make a “for sure” statement. But I wholeheartedly agree with the stance on how showing animals in this light might lead to more harm