Questions About Chimpanzees
Answered by
Elizabeth Vinson Lonsdorf

Elizabeth says...

12) What is the general public's perception of chimpanzees?

What I have found when I give public talks is that people are fascinated by the similarities: mother-infant relationships, culture, hunting, etc. They usually have no idea that chimps are as smart as they are. People also tend to be fascinated by the fact that I talk about these animals as individuals and that they each have their own personality.
A major misconception that people have about chimpanzees is that they are all funny, cute and docile like the ones they've seen on TV - even though chimpanzees can be quite vicious. The reason TV and movie chimps are cute and cuddly is because they are juveniles. Full-grown chimps are too big, powerful and aggressive to make good actors and are often 'retired' into less than ideal conditions. An unfortunate side effect of chimpanzees in entertainment is that people assume they are not endangered since they see them on TV. The Chimpanzee Collaboratory provides good information about chimpanzees in entertainment.