Just a Bunch of Crazy Chimpanzees and Dolls!

Well, maybe not so crazy: A recently published report reveals that wild chimpanzees have been known to actually use dolls made from sticks for play—even affectionately “embracing” their beloved dolls and “putting them to bed”! These chummy chimpanzees use their stick dolls to demonstrate their penchant for long-term relationships, not only between mothers and children but also between unrelated apes.

And while many chimpanzees don’t get a chance to play with their dolls for a bit of fun—because they are subjected to horrific abuse in laboratories or are left to languish in zoos, lonely and bored—these chimpanzees prove that studying animals in their natural habitat is the only real deal for scientific research.

Posted by Jason Baker