"Like Planet of the Apes," Chimpanzee Throws Stone to Attack Gorilla

A Chimpanzee Throws Stones at a Gorilla in the Primate House at Seoul Grand Park
Park Authorities Say "We Will Remove Objects That Can Be Thrown to Prevent Recurrence"

A similar incident to the movie 'Planet of the Apes,' which is based on the imagination that a chimpanzee gaining knowledge becomes the top predator in nature, occurred in Korea. A chimpanzee was captured by visitors throwing stones to attack the gorilla enclosure.

A chimpanzee throwing a stone it was holding into the gorilla enclosure.
[Photo by YTN]

On the 1st, YTN's 'Good Morning YTN' reported that such an incident took place on the 31st of last month at the Primate House in Seoul Grand Park, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. In the video, a chimpanzee slowly climbs to a high place holding a stone, then swings its arm in the air as a preparation motion. Afterwards, it throws a heavy stone larger than its hand far away.

The stone thrown by the chimpanzee was aimed at the gorilla enclosure. Fortunately, it was reported that no gorillas were injured. Seoul Grand Park stated, "This is the first time the chimpanzee has shown such behavior," and they are investigating the reason. Additionally, Seoul Grand Park added, "We will organize objects that the chimpanzee can throw to prevent the recurrence of the same incident."

Meanwhile, chimpanzees are mammals of the order Primates and family Hominidae, mainly inhabiting moist forests and savannas. Compared to gorillas, which live only in humid forests, chimpanzees show high adaptability even in dry areas and have strong group cohesion. They are the most agile, active, and intelligent among primates. Male chimpanzees form attack units to assault neighboring groups, and they are considered the animals most similar to humans.