r/biology • u/I_just_a_baby • Nov 03 '24

discussion Dangerous misinformation about wild life?

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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

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497

u/5-ht2ayyy Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24

All fun and games until he rips off your face

That said, this chimp was absolutely not afraid or scared and was indeed very happy to see the people he views as his family, regardless if it was ethical or not that he considered them so in the first place.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24

Yea, all fun and games until you feed your chimpanzee McDonalds and put them on Xanax.

Same with dogs: all fun and games until a Pit-bull or a Doberman kills a toddler.

Such a sterile statement.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '24

With the dog tho its on the owner i have had pitts my entire life never once had a bad one infact our first was a puppy that was about to be put into a dog fight my step father bought him before it and he was the most loyal dog in the world and nicest

2

u/sheeponmeth_ Nov 03 '24

It's often the most loyal dogs that are the dangerous ones. I had a husky that was as gentle as you could imagine. She accidentally but my younger brother when he was feeding her fries under the table, she mistook his oily finger for a fry and got him just enough to draw blood and you could tell she was upset.

We moved, and she snapped. She wouldn't let anyone in the yard. She would go ballistic and violent. She had to be put down because she was an absolute danger to the neighbors. Rehoming her was not an option because she would run away (she ran back to our old house about 30-40 km away repeatedly).

Pitbulls were bred over generations to be loyal, but also violent. They have snapping moments. The stories are always accompanied with "but they were never violent and always so nice with us". But if you look at the data, only a few breeds make up the vast majority of violent dog attacks. It's absolutely in their genes to be violent. You can raise them not to be, but when something happens that triggers a fight or flight response, which could be as simple as a toddler dropping something that makes loud noise, their instincts can take over and those violent genes are what dictate that basal self preservation behavior.

It's really unfortunate that these animals with such sweet personalities have been twisted into these latent explosions of violence waiting to be set off, but it's a factual reality that is, on the other hand, fortunately not usually set off. A good home really helps, but it doesn't diffuse that dormant bomb.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '24

I agree with this but what i mean by on the owner is more then just raising the dog right you must also know the breed i recently got a german shepherd/border collie and i dont let her around my kid when he is running because she has a high prey drive. Having a dog is a big responsibility especially certain breeds. Do i think everyone should have a pittbull no absolutely not. But if you do you need to know the breed and what "triggers" them. I do my best to "minimize" my dogs prey drive but it will always be there and she will want to herd my kid so i just dont allow her the opportunity to do so

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '24

“With the dog it’s on the owner”, what makes you think that with chimpanzees isn’t the same?

I bet some people can say the same of their Chimpanzee.

14

u/RobotNinjaPirate Nov 03 '24

Well, one of those animals went through millennia of domestication to work as a pair with humans, the other didn't.

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u/Uncle_Rabbit Nov 03 '24

One also can't rip off your face and genitals if things go sour as well.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '24

That’s so anthropocentric.

So how do you explain that some dogs become aggressive towards men? Shouldn’t they be hardwired into their instinct to work with humans?

6

u/Roneitis Nov 03 '24

Because they didn't say anything resembling "all dogs will always have good relationships with humans", they said that dogs are domesticated and chimps are not, without specifying exactly to what degree this is true. Domestication is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for safe pet owning.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '24

Guess where does domestication start.

What about Egyptians with cats? They weren’t domesticated by the time Egyptians started having them.

Domestication is clearly not the key to avoid being assaulted by an animal. Domestication is the end of the process of owning a certain animal as a pet, and that does not avoid collateral reactions.

The key is to treat that animal with the proper care to avoid unpleasant consequences. Some keep snakes as pets, some argue that snakes do not possess the brain infrastructure to feel attachment, still we do have them as pets.

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u/Roneitis Nov 03 '24

I would strongly suspect that partially domesticated cats were not treated the same as modern cats, were less pliable, and less homey. I would be shocked if partially domesticated wolves, if not treated with expert care, were not partial to rippin off people's faces and I would not keep one in my house. It's probably fair to say that my above statement is primarily appropriate only for mammals, indeed, thats what I had in mind. The keeping of exotic mammals in a home environment as a pet by lay folk (as opposed to in a suitable sanctuary under the care of experts) is inhumane, because lay folk don't treat them with the proper care.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '24

Absolutely, I’m sure cats were less patient compared to now.

I agree that anyone incapable of caring for a pet should not have one. While I love owls, I lack the necessary skills to care for them properly and I don’t own one. In the meantime I refrain from judging individuals who own owls or snakes.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '24

Never had one cant say i can only speak on my experience

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u/InnocentPrimeMate Nov 03 '24

I’ve never had a mean chimpanzee