No monkey business and no mobile videos, please
Edited by Li Xueqing, Zu Pengpeng. Subtitles by Zu Pengpeng.
The sign reads: "Please do not play with chimpanzees with your mobile phone, it will affect their physical and mental health. Don't show me videos! And don't knock on the glass."
"Please do not play with chimpanzees with your mobile phone, it will affect their physical and mental health. Don't show me videos! And don't knock on the glass."
This warning sign reminding visitors not to make chimpanzees watch mobile phones next to a photo of the animal at Shanghai Zoo has triggered an online buzz.
Netizens noted that chimpanzees at the zoo were glued to the screens when people show them videos on their mobile phones.
"There are two chimpanzees, when you show them videos, they watch with big interest, and if they don't like the content, they even indicate by swiping away," a Netizen posted.
A chimpanzee baby at Shanghai Zoo
Many said "they were amused by this notice".
And the Shanghai Zoo residents are not alone in being affected by human behavior as a chimpanzee in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, even aped humans in smoking and was addictive.
"Some tourists are curious and show their mobile phones to chimps, which attracts their interest. However, it can harm the animal's physical and mental health, so we set up the sign as a reminder," said He Weiguang, a zoo keeper.
"In the past century, due to habitat destruction, the number of chimpanzees in the wild has been decreasing and they are in a difficult situation, facing various threats," he explained. "In recent years, our zoo has launched various campaigns to raise awareness on chimpanzee protection."
