This chimp on chimp violence has got to stop!

"It's a mad house! A mad house! - Taylor, Planet of the Apes (1968)

It happens among people too. And makes much less news these days.

Studies and observations in recent years have also shown that male chimpanzees often attack the infants of rival chimps

Sounds like the streets of LA. I guess humans and apes are closer than we think.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gang interventionists fanned out through a South Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday to calm community outrage after a 2-year-old boy was killed in the arms of his uncle standing on a back porch

This chimp on chimp violence has got to stop!

What can you do he is already behind bars.

To protect future young chimps, the male chimpanzee that killed the young baby chimp should be separated from the troop. For the visitors, this mauling had to have been a horrible event to see.

I don't know why the zoo official apologized to visitors for the attack. It's sad that it happened, certainly, and I'd've been a mess had I witnessed such a brutal scene, but it's just part and parcel of chimps' nature (which, incidentally, is as close to our own behavior as their DNA is to our DNA). You go to the zoo to see animals, period. You can't pick and choose which parts of their nature will be on display, nor should zoo employees apologize for anything the visitors see there.

This kind of violence wouldn't happen if we had better gun control laws.

If this had been a Texas zoo that killer chimp would be in some serious trouble.

Last week Zoo keepers allowed how many animals die in Minnesota, now they let a baby chimp get mauled by placing it with 15 adults, when will the abuse end? Heck, they could have just placed it in a ring with one adult and have the same result.

If I abused my dog that way, I be sent to jail for a very long time. How many zoo keepers will go?

Zoo officials are being disingenuous when they act shocked. Chimps are wild animals that need to roam, and so are humans. Pack a bunch of humans in a space too small (jail), and you have violent outbursts. Not only do they know this will happen, they should expect worse at some time (a chimp mass murderer?). Only desperately endangered species should be held in Zoos, for all else we can get better visuals and deeper understanding of their nature by watching HD documentaries on Cable and Internet. The Zoos relevance, and morality, are now questionable in the modern information age.

And some people still think we didn't evolve from the same primate ancestor as them....

When chimps are taken away from chimps, only the chimps will have chimps.

''Chimps, Humans 96 Percent the Same, Gene Study Finds''

We all came from same jungle and have the same killer instincts.

Hey Andrew !!!

"Zoo officials said acts of aggression among the troop of chimps were not expected."

Really?

As opposed to ?

Thanks for that important bit of information.

In other news, zoo officials in the Arachnid exhibit were
shocked to learn that their black widow spider was seen cannibalizing her mate
during sex. Zoo officials thought she was socialized enough to have conjugal
visits, but apparently the stress of being locked up caused her to resort to
her more primitive behavioral patterns.

Sentence him to life with a teacher, a priest, Sanduskie and a politician.

Since PETA thinks chimps should have the same rights as humans, then perhaps we should spend Calif. dollars on a jury trial. This is just one reason why PETA is so mis-informed.

And out come all the people who think that zoos should be banned, all the animals sent back into the wild, etc, etc, etc. I like going to the zoo. It's one of my favorite things from my childhood, seeing all the animals at the zoo. I guess that makes me a bad person that I don't really care if there are zoos or not. Get over it people. You can choose not to go to the zoo, but I bet that every single person who posts on here about the evilness of zoos has been to one, of their own free will and choice, which really nulls are their comments about how we shouldn't have them.

So sad for Gracie.

If only all the female chimps would refuse to now mate with the killer male. Not going to happen, though.

Exactly how human males and females behave.

So glad our kids hated the idea of animals trapped for human entertainment and forced to live out their days in a zoo. Same went for the circus, which they were even more horrified at.

This kind of violence wouldn't happen if we had less strict gun control laws.

/s

Two lines from the article:

"Zoo officials said acts of aggression among the troop of chimps were not expected."

"Male chimpanzees are well known for violence, including the killing of the young."

And some people still insist we did not evolve from chimps.

From what is visible the chimp population they have is too large for the enclosure. Therefor creates clashes between clans and males for food and territorial dominance. PETA should have something to say in this matter. The zoo keepers interviewed obviously don't have the experience or the resources to house so many chimps. The zoo and their supposed expert keepers are responsible for the safety of zoo patrons and their animals well-being period. They dropped the ball bad here and a revamp should be required. Plus if you treat animals, whether domesticated or wild, like prisoners what can you expect?

Chimps are not the amusing, well-trained animals portrayed in movies. Perhaps the L.A. zoo folks should have done their homework a little better. Personally, I stay away from the place.

Send em down here to TEXAS

We'll kill em all

Got lots of electricity here.

They should fire whoever thought putting a 3 month old chimp in with 15 adult Chimps. Why not put the mom and baby in a cage next to the group, so they could get used to her. They should have known the male chimp would most likely be aggressive, and protective of what he considered his territory.

Why are ppl dragging gun control issues in here??? They think chimps use guns? On second thought the NRA is filled with chimp-like Neanderthals.

Why keep animals in a zoo exhibit if aggressive behavior that results in death might be witnessed by zoo visitors? It reminds me of dog fighting. Let wild animals live in their natural habitat.

kdc43-

*sigh*

Well, let me try to explain this to you in a way you'll understand, yes?

"Oh, look, dead person"

"AAH! We need more gun control laws!"

"Guns don't kill people - people kill people!"

"No, see, dead person and gun. Therefore, guns kill people."

"Oh, look, dead baby chimp."

"MORE GUN CONTROL LAWS! ./humor"

Satire. Fun chizz.

Apparently he has been rehabilitated. He is ready to be paroled.

I think that letting all the animals free to do what ever they want to do in the wild would be fine. Let the Japanese kill and eat them, or some douche kill them just for their heart so they don't have to buy a Viagra. We as a country don't have the money to keep all these zoo's and sea world's going anyway. It is about time we start trimming the fat and making the USA a priority and fixing our roads, bridges, and highways. Enough of this naming the next set of twins born to be locked in a cage and not be free to do what mother nature intended it to be FREE. Just like all of us!!!!

wow life is so sad. this aint one of those stories to joke about. this is just depressing espcially the baby chimp was only 3 months old. this is heartbreaking.

The "Killer Chimp" will not be charged as an Adult under State Law.......

Never a disappointment here.

People added gun control, welfare, racism and several other way off topic crap to push agendas. Real classy.

For the visitors, this mauling had to have been a horrible event to see.

This is just nature being nature. Why apologise?

Ape shall not kill Ape!

The LA Zoo needs to contact Sanctuary Director Eugene Cussons of the Jane Goodall Institute's Chimp Eden Sanctuary. They never introduce a baby chimp that young to the troupe.

Wow, ineptitude at its pinnacle. Heads need to roll, stat.

inmissouri and richard, speak for yourselves .

adult chimpanzees especially males give me the willies !

From growing up on a farm, I know one NEVER puts young animals in the same barn, cage, corral, pasture, or whatever with the adult males. The mothers and babies ALWAYS are kept separate from the adult males. The only so-called "males" allowed near the mothers and babies are the steers (cattle) and geldings (horses) -- the castrated males -- because they no longer have the tendency for violence. One would think the "experts" who run a zoo would know this much about animals.

That damn dirty ape.

First of all, we need to do away with all the zoos in America. Caging any animal is just wrong especially for profit.

First of all had they ever exposed a baby of this age to this troop before ? The article said that it had been 13 years since a baby was born in the LA Zoo.

I'm not an expert, but my common sense would have told me to NOT put a 3 month old baby chimp in with a group of adult chimps, particularly a big adult male. I feel so bad for that mother chimp, she must be devastated, and now has to live with her baby's killer ? ... Very sad indeed.

"Whats that coming out of her nose"?

"They look like,.? SPACEBALLS"!

"Oh $#!% Harve, there goes the planet"...

But seriously, beyond my dis of the race of spaceballs how horrific for children to see. How horrific for the baby Chimp. So young being forced into a scary situation to be mauled in said situation. 13 years is a long time indeed. And for what? What a waste. Chimps are dangerous strong and can be proactively violent. I recall a lady with now no face. Even MJ let go of Bubbles when Bubbles came of age. They live in a structured hierarchy and a grown male was threatened by a months old child.. Reminds me of gopers these days.

Sad.

Cheers

Well, they have 13 years to think about what they will do next time.

I feel sorry for Gracie. Chimps feel loss, just as humans do.

Whaat I don't understand is why, if there was no zoo staff around, one or more of the humans watching didn't try to go find zoo staff to help - maybe it wouldn't have made a difference, maybe it would have. And then comes the question, if they were trying to introduce this baby to the troupe, and they know male chimps can be aggressive towards young, why wasn't there zoo staff on duty all of the time to watch over this transition? Humankind strikes again...

People go to the zoo to see some nature and wild animals.... Well you paid for what you wanted to see no sense in whining about it and needing some counseling. If my kid saw that and asked me why the adult chimp killed the baby one I would say "Because the baby chimp was a #@%^# so learn from his mistake and not be like him"

So, to those saying zoo's need to be removed... what do you plan to do with all the animals (especially rare animals that are at risk) that were probably both born and raised in captivity and have no survival skills? Somehow I don't imagine that just releasing them into the wild, would end well.

He just couldn't tame that monkey on his back.

You know what they call the dominant male in a Chimp Clan? The Alpha Male. You know what they call the males that run away from the Alpha Male? Chimp Pansy.

The mother is grieving. None of the other apes attacked it. Maybe their is something wrong with that particular ape?

whos to say the attacking ape isn't a psycho who when apesh*t.

What is wrong with that particular ape is that it's an ape. Probably killed it to show power, or dominance, or because he was stressed from being captivated, or was just playing way too rough. Again, it's an ape.

No, if you know anything about ape behavior in the wild, you know that in many cases a male ape will kill the children of a female that he wants to mate with if those children aren't his. If the baby he mauled to death wasn't his and he wanted to mate with the baby's mother, then this is perfectly normal behavior for an ape.

Morality as we know and understand it is an artificial psychological construct of sentient people. It is not an intrensic value of the universe. Does that negate the pain the mother feels as a result of this attack on her young? NO. But unlike us apes don't go by any moral code. All they have is instinct. They do what they feel like doing, and their reasoning hardly goes further than that.

Male chimps, Lions and other animals kill the young offspring of other males. The female is not available for breeding as long as she is nursing a baby. Sad, but true. This is nature.

So which is it? The article states that zoo officials did not expect any of this type of behavior, then later goes on to say that this is common for chimps both in wild and captivity.

Regardless, I find the whole notion of putting these animals in captivity and on display to be a bit troubling. Any time I have been to the zoo, it seems obvious that these creatures are not "happy".

I'm surprised the baby wasn't eaten they usually eat the baby not just kill it.

I know this type of behavior is "natural" among some animals. However, it is not natural for chimpanzees to be observed constantly by humans in a zoo environment. They are not in a natural environment.

Many apes are very similar to humans. Imagine you have a window on the side of your house and anyone walking by, or groups of people, can observe everything you see and do. How long would it be before you went a little psycho? Do you think this would cause some stressful situations? Everyone and everything needs privacy. I can't help thinking that the constant parade of humans, being in an unnatural environment, had something to do with this tragedy.

I definitely think that zoos all over the US need to rethink some of their policies, especially when observing and introducing animal babies and adults.

It may be nature, but I think that the zoo could've kept the mother and her baby a little safer by keeping them away from the males in the group until the baby could defend itself. If this is known to happen, they should've never put them together in the same enclosure.

Well then Kristina if it's natural I guess we all should be doing it. That is a really good analogy. "It's nature", the next time I get crazy angry at a child, I will grab a 2X4,and bludgeoned him to death for getting in my private space, since it is what, like you say, "Natural order of things. right?"

Lady these animals lost nature the day they were captured, they don't even have that anymore as it is artificially made for them now, and their food arrives in bowls and not in the tree, in which they used to climb to get at it. There births happen in a room outside of the habitat in which they live and play, so you can throw nature out the window on that, and they get veterinarian visits in the zoo facility, nothing natural there either, so throw that Bullsh*t you blurting out the window, and zip it.

This chimp was probably the alpha male, and did not like what was in his group, so he culled it out, and this was a mistake of the zoo, and the handlers for not keeping a eye on the situation until they were sure that it would be ok to enter the population.

It was a big whoops on their part.

Oh and I am sure that the children that were watching were loving that ,"It's the natural order things process." You mentioned, that had to make for a interesting conversation ride home, " Uh mommy why did that monkey hurt that baby monkey, Um oh honey it was only playing, they do that kind of stuff?" Because that is the nature of what parents have to do to shield them from that kind of crap. Why you ask, because if they didn't lie to them they would never want to see the Chimps anymore as they would associate them with violent tendencies, and why not with all the violence in the world already.

Yeah, it's the nature alright.

I think that the zoo could've kept the mother and her baby a little safer by keeping them away from the males in the group until the baby could defend itself.

You do know that would take several years, if ever, right?

@ Kenneth C; It IS nature, fool. And all our human sentiment, values, 'morals' and laws are not going to change that. Or the stupidity that you're spewing. Even the occasional pet dog, arguably the most domesticated animal we know, will sometimes turn, out of the blue without warning, and bite its master. It was a chimp that lived happily for years with a woman, like a child, who suddenly one day ripped the face off of her visiting friend. It IS nature, and try as we might, we can't simply breed it out of them. Kristina is absolutely right. And the zoo keepers should have kept mother and baby separated at least until they were through nursing. In the wild, the mother would have kept the baby away from the other males until then, but in the 'caged environment, once they were put into the general population, she had nowhere to go.

flbikershick......whatever it takes. The zoo should've kept the baby safe.

So this is bigger news than the school bus driver that died when hit by a nutjob in NYC?

you are all scary!!!!!!!!

Well, you know, damn, nature is scary.

Kids are going to have to learn to deal with stuff at some point. Go to a zoo enough times and you'll see everything. Might even teach em the birds and the bees right outside the monkey house, if it's the right time of year. The animals seriously don't give a @!$%#.

@Kenneth Chimps do this all the time in the wild, honestly this doesn't suprise me the least bit. War, murder, cannibalism and infanticide are very normal Part of chimp behavior. Right up there with dolphins that rape (both their own kind and other animals), kill other animals (such as porpoises and even younger
dolphins) for fun.

If this is known to happen, they should've never put them together in the same enclosure.

In captivity or in the wild, this will happen. Do you plan on policing them in the wild too?

So this is bigger news than the school bus driver that died when hit by a nutjob in NYC?

It was in the news when he was pulled off of life support on the 25th. Sorry they didn't wait around for you to get to reading it.

i would rather be in a zoo then be hunted and have my hands cut off to make ashtrays like they are in the wild.

i would rather be in a zoo then be hunted and have my hands cut off to make ashtrays like they are in the wild.

James - It would be nice if chimpanzees knew the risks and could make their own choices whether to be in a controlled environment or take their chances.

Unfortunately, humans cause the risks and make the choices for them.

Yeah, because in the wild, no chimps are ever hurt or killed, only when evil humans are around.

Chimps are cannibalistic. Chimp and monkey meat are high on their list of tasty foods.

Steve - I realize that violence and death is part of both the animal and human world. Territorial disputes and deaths are involved.

The example that James gave was about making ashtrays out of chimpanzee hands. Unless the chimps have become more ingenious than we thought and are evolving into wily entrepeneurs, we have to blame humans for that type of "souvenir".

Humans are to blame for a lot of atrocities occurring in the animal kingdom. Just look at the poaching of rhinos for their horns to make aphrodisiacs. The elephant slaughter that has occurred for centuries for the ivory in their tusks. The use of pangolins, becoming rare, for exotic items on a menu.

Yes, some humans are evil to commit such atrocities, they've done it to their own species for centuries.

But...they don't have to and I believe there is more good in humans than bad. At least humans have the capacity to understand why they should and shouldn't be killing each other and everything else in sight.

While sad it is also part of their natural behavior and as for the "unusualness" of it I've heard of similar things happening in other zoos while trying to integrate a new (not necessarily babies either) animals.

Chances are all of these Chimps have never lived outside of the zoo at all.

James,

Do you know where I can get one of those ashtrays?

Good one dinsmo. Give yourself a hand! Hell, it'd probably be eaisier for those chimps to swing from branches with hooks anyway.

Something tells me the same sort of attacks happen to free chimps. I love the fact that counselors were made available. Another example of the wimp Nation we've become. Regretable, yes; traumatizing, only if you let it be!!

I'm pretty sure the counselors where made available to preempt "pain and suffering" lawsuits, not provide any real service.

"So how did it make you feel when you saw the little animal crushed/beaten to death?"

can you point on the doll where that bad chimp touched you?

Set them free. Really? They no longer have the instincts to survice in the wild. They would starve to death or in the case of smaller animals not know how to protect themselves.

It likely happens more often in the wild due to pressures such as territorial disputes, competition for resources, and competition for mating. Those pressures are mostly eliminated in a zoo environment.

don't forget Human's hunting, encrocing on territory if we are not eliminating it all together. Oh and any number of other natural predetors that think Chimp is a tasty snack.

Those pressures are mostly eliminated in a zoo environment.

But other pressures are added that are not in the wild. Crowds of noisy humans staring all the time, bratty little kids and teenagers ignoring the signs and throwing things into the habitat... they are better off wild.

Perhaps he will, but it won't be about this, as it was an unrelated male chimp who killed.

Whoops: I should have read the article in its entirety before making what I now see was a moronic comment. Please accept my apologies.

This is an excellent example of the problem which occurs when people incorrectly connect dots and rely primarily on patently goofy beliefs . . .

And for reference, Jose Baez and Cheney Mason prevailed precisely because Casey Anthony was not the perpetrator, really . . .

Really! :-o

Monkey see, monkey do.

Since none of the zoo staff witnessed the attack, who exactly would be administering the shock?

The point is that even if they did, they may not have been able to stop the attack before the death of the younger chimp. If there was a remote system in place, then they would have better,safer,faster methods of stopping the attack.

I don't generally like the idea of shock collars for any animal, I would rather them be in their own environment instead of locked in a confined area that contributes to attacks. The idea of remote restraint though can also be used to delineate a safe area for at risk chimps. Collar the chimps/apes that are most likely to be violent and have the system set to shock when they enter a certain area. This would possibly let the at risk a rout of escape, and yes, chimps are smart enough to figure out that they have a safe haven and that certain males will not enter certain areas.

We could use that same system on prisoners in the general population areas! It would probably be more effective and certaintly funnier to watch. Also not having to listen to PETA complain about the cruel treatment of the animals.

Shock the monkey. Peter Gabriel.

“We’re going to have to consider, at what age maybe we introduce babies to the group,” Becker said. “I didn’t think that this was going to be a problem."

Ya think?

It is not the older ape's fault, it is the person who gave the order to introduce the chimp to the adults unsupervised who is at fault. They should be legally charged with the murder.

Yeah, charge the slug that caused the death of an animal with murder...munch....munch (as I sit here eating a salsbury steak for lunch taken from the murdered corps of a cow...)....

A chimp isn't covered under murder statutes.

Yes, TNB for sure.

Sadly, we have, as a society, become that "nannified."

that hurt my feelings!

If the Zoo offered grief counseling to the staff and the visitors, then they would be admitting guilt for this murder. Because they offer the counseling for the ape, they (the Zoo) can say that the ape was guilty because the ape did not follow the rules in place by the zoo.

Grieft counseling to the visitors is to avoid lawsuits - I'm sure. Staff members were probably attached to the little guy. Seems like they need to get over it and move on. Zoos try to provide an environment close to the natural environment. since this happens in nature - guess what? they provided that natural environment.

And yet, statistics show that infanticide is committed by the mother more often in our society. Check it out.

You mean since our culture has devolved from the last 30 or so?