Chimps are cute. They're funny. And viral videos can harm them

Entertaining videos of chimpanzees and other primates raise questions about welfare, may drive a cruel pet-trade and can endanger conservation efforts

Last week, a video featuring chimpanzees watching iPad magic tricks was shared across the internet, including by this newspaper - perhaps you've seen it. Maybe it made you laugh? Maybe you thought the chimpanzees appearing in it were cute? For primatologists, however, it probably brought to mind issues of welfare in captive apes, particularly those used in entertainment, the difficulty of funding conservation projects in the wild, and the unfortunate growth of a cruel primate pet-trade which undermines conservation efforts. Unfortunately, many people who view viral videos featuring primates are simply not aware of these issues.

As a comparative psychologist (a psychologist who studies the behaviour and cognition of non-human animals), I frequently work with chimpanzees in zoos and sanctuaries. Research has shown that communities of wild chimpanzees have their own unique sets of commonly used behaviours (like nut-cracking or termite-fishing) that we call chimpanzee culture. By studying captive chimpanzees, I hope to find out more about how these traditions emerge and spread through groups of chimpanzees - simply put, how and why do chimpanzees learn from other chimpanzees?