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http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/04/chimpsloitation-has-got-to-sto.html

'Chimpsploitation' has got to stop 

Rowan Hooper, online news editor

We often run stories celebrating our similarities to chimps, from their 
amazing cognitive skills to their use of weapons. 

But as fascinating as those stories are, this photo brings home our closeness 
to chimps like nothing else I've seen. It's also highly disturbing to see an 
ape in this state. 

Taken by RedEyedRex and posted it on Flickr, the chimp is apparently resident 
at Mysore zoo in India. It brings a new meaning to the phrase "naked ape". 

There are several hypotheses explaining why we don't have body hair and our 
ape relatives do, from the idea that nakedness was an anti-parasite 
adaptation to the idea that humans went through an aquatic phase in our 
evolution.

But unless the poor animal is naturally bald, it seems that he is suffering 
from stress-related hair loss. From the expression on his face (and it is 
obviously a male) he doesn't looks like he's the most well-adjusted of 
animals. It's sure to spark more arguments about the welfare of animals in 
captivity.

And in other chimp news today, I came across this YouTube clip of a juvenile 
chimp riding a segway. Although it's interesting to see how the chimp learns 
to ride the segway, it disturbs me to see it dressed in dungarees (though at 
least it's wearing a helmet). 

Chimpsploitation - not to mention the bushmeat trade - has got to stop.

Posted on April 17, 2009 4:22 PM