You may have heard that last week we had a very special guest at the zoo to dedicate our new chimpanzee exhibit. One of Dr. Jane Goodall’s early discoveries at Gombe was the ability of the chimps to use tools. This was shocking and revolutionary at the time, famously prompting anthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey to say, “Now we must redefine ‘tool,’ redefine ‘man’ or accept chimpanzees as humans.”

Using this information about wild chimpanzees, many zoos have created ways for zoo chimps to display behavior. Our new chimp exhibit here at the zoo has an artificial termite mound where our chimps can use bamboo sticks to fish treats out of PVC tubs inside. Instead of termites, we used some favorite treats such as ketchup, yogurt, cereal, and yes, mustard. We tried this out for the first time last week for Dr. Goodall’s visit, and I think it was a hit.

Want to be the first to see the Houston Zoo chimpanzees fish for “termites”? Members only previews start December 2! Check out the African Forest page for details.

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