Wild chimps caught boozing on 7% ABV 'wine'

A community of chimps in West Africa is partial to the occasional alcoholic beverage. There are "behavioural signs of inebriation," note researchers

Last week, we learned that chimps like to "cook". This week, we discover that a community of wild chimpanzees in West Africa is partial to the occasional alcoholic beverage.

In Bossou in southeast Guinea, villagers tap into the trunks of raffia palms to drain off the sap into plastic containers fitted to the trees. This sugary fluid ferments, resulting in a lightly alcoholic "palm wine" that is collected and consumed. But when the humans are away, the local chimps will occasionally come in for a tipple, using leaves to scoop up tasters of the beverage.