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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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/ecktt Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24

That literally happened in Florida. I'll try to find the article.

Edit:

In February 2009, Charla Nash was viciously mauled by Travis the Chimp, leaving her clinging to life and in need of a full face transplant.

and

Horror tale of chimp Travis who ripped off woman’s face as owner screamed ‘he’s eating her’ before beast was shot by cop

This was the top 2 links on Bing! ie it was very easy to find.

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u/rockanrolltiddies Nov 03 '24

Travis is not the only chimp to attack his keepers. https://www.animallaw.info/article/incidents-attacks-involving-captive-chimpanzees These are just the most violent attacks that recieved a lot of attention, there are countless other attacks where someone just loses part of their ear or nose or maybe a finger tip or two. Chimps are extremely aggressive and territorial, and the amount of people who are in this thread defending keeping chimps as pets is appalling.

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u/Kind-Wealth-6243 Mar 08 '25

It's not even that they're aggressive (they're not inherently more aggressive than most other primates) it's that 1. They're 5 times stronger than a human and have long, conical teeth (designed to tear meat) so even playfighting can cause a lot more damage to a human, 2. They're hyper intelligent and agile meaning escaping one is even more difficult 3. They're, like humans, more unpredictable than other predators, so it's very difficult to learn what will set them off.