Guest guest Posted February 6, 2001 Report Share Posted February 6, 2001 Chimp buys drink from machine February 07, 2001 Yomiuri Shimbun A 6-year-old female chimpanzee at Tama Zoological Park in Hino, Tokyo, bought a soft drink from a vending machine last Friday, according to zoo officials. The chimpanzee, Chiko, picked up a 10 yen coin between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand and inserted it into a slot in the vending machine, before pressing one of the buttons, the officials said. The machine is located inside the enclosure set aside for chimpanzees at the zoo. Despite her achievement, however, Chiko was unable to enjoy her canned drink because it was grabbed by another chimpanzee, the officials said. The park started an experiment on July 30 to determine whether chimpanzees could learn how to buy a canned drink by letting them watch visitors buying and drinking soft drinks from a nearby vending machine. The zoo officials said this was the first experiment of its type to see whether chimpanzees could learn from the behavior of visitors. Since the thumb and forefinger of a chimpanzee are spaced further apart than in humans, it is more difficult for a chimpanzee to pick up and insert a coin into a slot. Therefore, the park attached a specially designed tray, measuring two centimeters by four centimeters, in front of the coin slot to make it easier for a chimpanzee to insert a coin. The 17 chimpanzees in the enclosure have learned how to put a tree branch into the holes of an artificial anthill to reach honey. " It is only a matter of time before the other chimpanzees in the enclosure start buying drinks from the vending machine, " an official said. Copyright 2001 The Yomiuri Shimbun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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