Natural World (1983) s29e11 Episode Script

What goes on in the mind of a chimp? How can we know what a chimp is thinking? We can't just ask them.
Chimps and humans may share 98% of their genes, but 2% makes all the difference.
To find out how our closest relatives see their world, we need to give them a way to tell us.
This film follows a project that aims to do just that.
In groundbreaking research, a group of chimps is being introduced to video and camera technology.
Can a group of old zoo chimps learn new tricks? If they do, what will that reveal about how they see the world? And what will happen when we give them the world's first Chimpcam? CHIMPS BARK My name's Betsy Herrelko and I study animal behaviour.
I've worked with apes in America but I've come here to Edinburgh Zoo to set up a more ambitious project with this group of chimps.
I'm going to study their reaction when I introduce them to video technology.
I don't know what they'll do, but whatever happens, I hope it'll tell me something about how they think.
Chimpanzees are complex beings, and we're about to embark on a project that will explore the chimp mind from their point of view.
In the last few decades, the way we look at chimps has changed completely.
Even as recently as the 1970s, zoos held tea parties just for entertainment.
We laughed at the young chimps' attempts to copy us.
Today, we understand so much more about chimps that tea parties now seem in very bad taste.
This is mainly because we know how sophisticated their minds are.
Over the past few decades, researchers around the world have been working closely with chimps.
They've designed tests to explore just how intelligent the chimps really are.
How many is that? Chimps have shown us they can count.
Go ahead.
Right! Two things, right.
You ready? OK.
How many do you see here? Go ahead and tell me.
Chimp short-term memory isn't just good.
It's better than humans.
And they might be able to communicate with symbolic language.
Can you find, "Egg"? Oh good, very nice.
"TV"? But for this kind of research to work, the chimps have to start very young.
They work closely with the researchers for many years.
This intense research has produced results that show the potential of the chimp mind.
But most chimps don't live like this.
It's like comparing the average human to a chess master or Olympic athlete.
The chimps in Edinburgh Zoo have no experience of this sort of research.
They live by their own rules, so if Betsy can get them to use video, she might learn something of how the typical chimp sees the world.
Betsy came here to study for a PhD with the University of Stirling, who work closely with Edinburgh Zoo.
The zoo has just opened Budongo Trail, the largest chimpanzee enclosure in the world.
I love the way the whole facility is designed to stimulate the chimps.
It has lots of big climbing frames and ropes to mimic the 3D structure of a rainforest.
Three huge interior spaces are linked by tunnels, so the chimps can go wherever they want.
I'll be working with all 11 chimps, who range from ten years old to 48, older than most chimps introduced to this sort of research.
They live together like a wild group, with similar relationships and structure.
They have an alpha male.
A popular granny.
A troublesome teenager.
And a bossy matriarch.
Because they're busy living their own lives, getting these chimps interested in research isn't going to be easy.
Betsy has to give them something they really want to do, and will give her a glimpse of what they might be thinking.
As chimps and humans are so closely related, she hopes that they'll respond to video, something that's second nature to us It's thought that our brains are built in a way that understands video images.
Our dominant sense is vision.
And our gaze is automatically drawn to new or rapidly changing images.
Like us, chimps are very visual animals.
So video images might well capture the zoo chimps' attention.
But will they understand what they're looking at? Would they care what was on the screen? And how would this help Betsy in understanding what they think? I'm planning to use two different techniques.
I'm going to show them a touch-screen showing four different video images.
When they choose one by touching it, the image will enlarge to full screen.
What they choose to watch will tell us what they find interesting.
I'm also going to give them the Chimpcam.
A sturdy box with a camera inside and a screen on top, which they can carry wherever they want.
I really hope what they do with it will tell me more about how they see the world.
This will all be completely new to the chimps.
They might not want to take part at all.
And Betsy only has two years to complete the research for her PhD, so time is crucial.
The first thing she must do is get to know all the chimps, since each one will react differently to the research.
Each of these chimps is an individual with his or her own personality.
I'm learning to recognise the different characters by spending time with the keepers while they work out ways to make the chimps' lives exciting.
By offering a scatter-feed to the chimps, we're able to simulate how they would have to behave in the wild.
They would have to look for their food, pick through the grass, find it in the trees, and just really be active in their pursuit to eat something yummy.
Searching for food, as they would in the wild, encourages them to behave like a wild group, with a clear structure and hierarchy.
At the top of the group is Qafzeh.
Qafzeh, the alpha male in the group, is usually the first one to feed.
He's got top billing, he's the dominant male.
A benefit of his rank is that he gets to eat as much as he wants.
And this is Qafzeh's mother, Emma.
She's the dominant female.
I knew from the start that Qafzeh and Emma will be important to the project because of their rank.
The keepers try to make the chimps' lives interesting, by giving them different food in different ways.
This time we're hiding food inside hessian balls.
It's another way to challenge the chimps, keeping them inquisitive and busy.
Sometimes their food is frozen into a huge iced lolly and they have to work out how to get it out.
I really love hanging out with the chimps and watching what they do, but I also want to give them something back.
Animals like these need a voice so people understand that they're amazing.
And that's why I turned to research, to show scientifically how intelligent they are.
We used to think that humans were the only animals to use tools, until researchers began spending time with wild chimps.
Some groups use wooden hammers to break up nuts.
Others prefer to use rocks.
Lots of chimps use sticks to fish for termites, but their techniques vary, even between neighbouring groups.
Different behaviours in different regions gave scientists a real insight.
It's possible that young chimps learn how to make and use tools by imitating the actions of experienced adults.
If that's true, they learn in the same way human children do.
And, just as in humans, this creates local customs which are passed down through the generations.
Now that we know this, we're seeing it in other areas of chimp lives.
From courtship to grooming, behaviour can vary from one community to another.
A chimp from west Africa would find the ways of east African chimps quite foreign.
So what about captive chimps? The keepers are giving the chimps another challenge by smearing honey or peanut butter into cracks and crevices.
The only way the chimps can reach inside is to use tools.
It's interesting that he takes the branches off so far down, even though he's not going to stick it in that far.
This is Louis.
He used to be an alpha male and is still one of the best at making tools.
If you see the difference between Cleemy and Louis They've got the same technique.
Yeah, yeah.
Like, they both will cut down the stick, as opposed to Liberius hasn't quite learned that yet.
No.
He'll just stick the longest stick in, and hope for the best.
Many of the other Edinburgh chimps use tools, and they weren't trained to do this.
No-one showed them what to do.
But they don't stop at just using the sticks, they alter the sticks to fit the holes.
Several of them have learned how to make tools.
This is really encouraging for Betsy.
The Edinburgh chimps have developed their own technology, so maybe her video technology isn't beyond them, especially since observations on other zoo chimps show that they can handle complex ideas.
This is Burger Zoo, in the Netherlands.
A few years ago they re-ran a famous chimp study.
A banana is hung out of reach.
And this female chimp called Marka wants that banana.
Her enclosure contains everything she needs to reach it, but only if used in the correct order.
She soon starts collecting boxes together to stack up.
She seems to have imagined the solution in her mind before she started.
The plan isn't working.
But here's a stick.
The final piece of the puzzle.
This is insight - understanding a problem and finding solutions that aren't obvious.
Another feature shared by human and chimp minds.
Research in a zoo not only tells us more about the chimps and how they might be thinking, it gives the chimps new challenges.
I hope our work in Edinburgh will do the same.
Betsy has been getting to know the Edinburgh chimps for a few months now.
Some of them seem really bright, so she's really hopeful.
But her research won't work unless they want to co-operate.
Working with Betsy will be entirely voluntary for these chimps.
They've never done anything like this before and they've got other things to do.
It's possible that none of them will join in.
But there is one chimp Betsy thinks might be interested.
This is Cindy.
She's 45, which is fairly old for a chimp.
She has a low rank within the group but loves spending time with the keepers, so I think she'll be the most curious about new games.
Budongo Trail has special rooms - research pods - where Betsy will carry out her research.
But no-one knows if the chimps will even come in to these new rooms Especially when they're so comfortable in the rest of their home.
The first time they open the doors to the research rooms is a tense moment.
It's a huge relief when the chimps do come in to explore.
Now the keepers have to keep their interest.
So they start with a game.
If the chimps gently touch the ball, they immediately hear a click, and then get their reward.
By encouraging gentle, accurate touching, this game is getting them used to a touch screen but just as important, it helps them to see the research pod as a fun place to be.
Gaining the trust of these chimps so they come into the research pods is a huge part of this project.
If we don't gain their trust, it's not going to happen.
We designed this game so the chimps have to choose between red and green, and are only rewarded for touching the right colour.
Qafzeh finds this quite difficult.
Good boy.
Good girl.
But our first hunch was right.
Cindy is learning really quickly.
Good girl.
Cindy.
While the chimps get used to the research sessions, Betsy starts work on the Chimpcam itself beginning with a sturdy box.
Is this what the cameras going in? That's the plan.
So it's a really hard They'll have it like loose.
Yep.
Just like this.
Mm-hm.
So they can take it about the enclosure.
We've bolted this together so they can't open it.
So as long as we don't give them a screwdriver? Yes.
Of all the chimps, Cindy is most interested in the games, so we're giving her the box first.
We want to see whether the box will stand up to a chimp's curiosity and strength.
She's interested in it, which is huge for us.
She's just testing it out, seeing if she can open it up, find out what's inside.
We don't really want her to because we're going to put a camera in there.
But it's good we're giving her a test so we can save any equipment if she does get inside.
Cindy playing with the box is great.
It gives me hope for the project.
But the real test is to give it to the whole group.
Liberius gets there first.
He's the youngest of the group.
He's only 10 years old.
He's playing a dangerous game keeping it from the higher ranking chimps.
It's great that young Liberius is hanging on to the box even when the senior chimps want it for themselves.
He's still got his mouth on it.
Do you remember when Qafzeh was swinging back and forth? I love his balancing technique! THEY GASP Looks like he's just biting it, whereas Cindy used her fingers and her feet.
But when Emma, the dominant female wants the box, Liberius doesn't dare complain.
Group politics will play a huge role in the project.
So we just finished letting the chimps have a look at the box.
We just got it back.
There wasn't too much damage to it but they did have quite a bit of fun playing with it.
We got some teeth marks which tell us a bit about the durability of the box and if it's going to last, so we might want to get another one to have on hand, but overall, I'd say it was a huge success.
Giving the box to the chimps already shows how their position in the group decides who gets to play with it.
And to make things more complicated, the hierarchy can change.
Kindia is a young male with a lot of ambition.
Just as the research project gets going, he disrupts everything by challenging the current leader, Qafzeh.
Kindia does this by displaying - making as much noise as he can to intimidate his rivals.
KINDIA SCREECHES Chimps swagger and strut, but it's mostly bluff.
The louder and more dramatic the display, the more effective it is.
Chimp politics are extremely complicated and unfortunately it doesn't stop on the playground, it always finds its way into the research pod.
The chimps are more interested in each other than in the research but this tension between Qafzeh and Kindia also gives Betsy another way to glimpse the chimp's mind.
Chimp politics relies on making friends and allies.
Qafzeh, on the left, isn't very smart, but his mother, Emma, on the right, is clever.
She used her political skills to become the matriarch and her son Qafzeh is the top male because of her influence.
Although Kindia is trying to become top male, he doesn't have family in high places.
But he's young and strong and he keeps testing Qafzeh by displaying, making as much commotion as he can.
Qafzeh ought to put Kindia in his place but he doesn't seem very interested.
Kindia's display is much more impressive and he's being noticed by the other chimps.
He can't take over the leadership on his ownhe needs powerful friends.
THEY SCREECH Some of the higher ranking chimps are taking his side, including David and Louis, two previous alpha males who still command a lot of respect.
Emma and Qafzeh seem to be backing off.
This is a serious challenge from Kindia.
But Qafzeh isn't defeated yet, not while he still has Emma's support.
Kindia will have to bide his time.
Changes in rank don't happen immediately.
All this disruption is a huge problem for Betsy It's distracting them from her research.
Conflict like this is often followed by lots of grooming.
Chimps groom each other to ease tension and reinforce the bonds between allies.
In the wild, group cohesion is vital and everyone needs to know who's in charge.
They must co-operate to deter predators, and defend their territory.
And working together also makes them formidable hunters.
THEY SCREECH As the frenzy of the hunt dies down, the chimps reinforce their positions in the group.
This time by sharing out the meat.
Every chimp understands their status and the status of the chimps around them.
Watching these political negotiations tells us a lot about the chimp mind.
The Edinburgh chimps sort out their group dynamics in the same way.
Making an alliance with another chimp is a sophisticated process.
A chimp has to try to understand what the other chimp is thinking.
So it must know that the other chimp has different thoughts and so must have a sense of other and self.
It is very easy to show that chimps have a sense of self, using a simple experiment.
With nothing more than a mirror, researchers have blurred the distinction between chimp minds and human minds.
Something that Betsy uses in her talks to Budongo's visitors.
Can you imagine what it would be like if you'd never seen a mirror before? What would it be like to see your reflection for the very first time? In some chimp colonies, researchers are able to provide mirrors to allow chimps this opportunity to get up close and personal with themselves.
First reactions are often social in nature.
We might see a bit of aggression as they get used to this new chimp.
Sometimes even a little bit of play.
But eventually, chimps start to test the relationship between what they're doing and what they're seeing.
They might move their hand to find out that the other chimp is doing the exact same thing.
These are the first signs where we're realising that they're understanding that it's their movements that are making these reflections happen.
They might even explore parts of their bodies they've never seen before.
What does the inside of your eye look like? What about your mouth, your teeth? These are things you've never seen before.
And the reason these chimps are able to do this is because they have a sense of self.
For the Chimpcam project, appreciating the difference between self and other chimps is crucial for understanding what's on the screen.
So Betsy wanted to try a version of the mirror test with the Edinburgh chimps.
But instead of a mirror, she'll use video.
The next time Cindy comes into the research room, there's something new to investigate.
We've installed a TV monitor in the research pod, connected to two cameras .
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one giving a wide angle view from the side .
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and the other mounted on the monitor, giving a close view of the face, like a mirror.
But Cindy seems more interested in how the monitor is mounted.
Betsy didn't expect this.
I really thought it would be something she was captivated by and just engrossed in and wanting to watch it more and more, but she didn't.
She just would occasionally glance and kind of walk around the rest of the room, but she just didn't really find it as fascinating as I had imagined her to.
None of the other chimps show much interest in the images, either.
Betsy is curious about their indifference.
One of the reasons the chimps might not be interested in the monitor is because they have a chance to see their reflection any time they want.
There are a lot of windows throughout their entire house, so if the light's just right, they can get a pretty nice image of themselves.
And the chimps have other distractions in their lives from ambitious young Kindia.
These rooms amplify the sound, making Kindia's displays even more dramatic.
But Qafzeh still seems reluctant to get involved and his mother Emma is left trying to keep control.
Friction like this at the top involves everyone.
THEY SCREECH Qafzeh leaps to Emma for reassurance while he lashes out at other chimps.
With Emma's help, Qafzeh is still leader and there's an uneasy truce.
Now that the leadership battle is distracting the chimps, they're just not interested in research.
So with the project over halfway through, Betsy presses on with the design of the Chimpcam.
I'm taking the box to an engineer to get the camera fitted.
The box isn't just protecting the equipment.
If a chimp rips apart a camera, any sharp metal or plastic edges could really hurt them.
Right, that seems ideal because we'll have to protection of this a little bit.
I think in terms of that as well, I was thinking initially of putting foam around this to enclose it Right, and if anything jiggles in here, they're going to jiggle it more.
Oh, they can hear it.
Oh, absolutely.
They'll feel it and hear it and know something's in there and they'll want to get it out.
So tomorrow is the big day, and I want you to take another look at this.
OK.
We want to see if the camera will survive.
So we just have to let the chimps do their worst.
We don't want the chimps to shake it around.
Just hold it tight.
Shake it as hard as you can.
However you might think a chimp might shake it.
They could possibly bang it down on surfaces.
That's fine, too.
They're going to test it to its brim.
I switched off the monitor so the images won't distract the chimps, but I'm leaving the camera running inside the box to make sure it works, whatever the chimps do.
Oh, he's taking it It isn't long before the camera is given a thorough testing.
That's not good.
It's not, but it will test it, I guess.
But the camera still seems to be working.
The chimps are really excited with their new toy, which is great to watch.
Without realising it, they've become a camera crew.
It's amazing to see the enclosure from their point of view.
And it's encouraging to see the chimps playing with the box for so long.
I think they're ready for more games in the research rooms.
The chimps are quick to come back and play, so they must be enjoying themselves.
I feel it's time to try the touch screen.
If they can learn to use this, they'll have a way to make a choice when we show them video images.
So instead of a ball we have this red circle that she can touch.
It makes a click noise just like the clicker that the keepers use, and she knows she's doing the right thing.
This is the toughest screen around.
But chimps are five times stronger than humans, so even that's not tough enough.
So Betsy is using a sheet of strong Perspex with holes big enough for the chimps to reach their fingers through but not to punch the screen.
So we've got the computer game and a protected screen.
All we need are the chimps.
But it's now high summer, and however interesting the games, they can't compete with sunbathing.
The chimps build their nests on the outdoor platforms and soak up the sun.
So Betsy joins them outside.
This is one of my favourite times working with the chimps, just watching them when they're quietly hanging out.
Looking into those eyes I can't help wondering, what are they thinking about? When they look at me, are they thinking about what I might be thinking? As I spent more time with them, I'm more inclined to believe that they do have an idea about what we think and what we know.
In the evening, I go back inside with them.
Scientists researching sleeping chimps have found that they experience rapid eye movement - REM sleep - just like us.
I wonder if they also dream just like us.
The next day the sun is out again.
But the mood is very different.
The chimps are on edge.
Kindia won't let anyone relax.
THEY SCREECH They're not interested in going down to the research pod, and the tension's getting worse.
Even a lower-rank chimp like Cindy is being drawn in to the dispute.
Kindia is taunting them, reminding them how confident he is.
Once Kindia leaves, Cindy decides to go back to the research room.
I'm finally going to see if the chimps can understand the touch screen.
In my dream, Cindy will show them all how to do it.
All Cindy has to do is touch the red dot, just as she'd done so well with the coloured balls.
But she seems to be struggling.
There's far too much variability there.
Maybe she's not seeing the red as the big difference.
So it looks like she's just kind of guessing where that red spot is.
She's doing it, but there's a lot of guessing involved.
We're seeing her touch a lot of different places before she'll hit the red target.
I don't understand this.
Cindy was always so quick to figure out the games.
It's like she can't equate the red dots on the screen with the hand-held balls in previous games.
But I've got an idea.
Maybe if I put the red dot in a photo of a hand, she'll see the connection.
Will Cindy understand that the image on screen represents a hand? She gets it almost right away.
She does seem to realise she's seeing a hand, and this game is the same as the old ones, so she understands what the video images mean.
Finally! Look at that.
So she knows exactly where to touch.
And it doesn't take long for the other chimps to understand this game.
They're now ready to see live images from around Budongo and to choose what they want to watch.
But Betsy has a very human problem computers.
The cameras are connected to the laptop, and the laptop is connected to the touch screen.
So, simple enough.
All I want to do is put video on these now.
But the computer thinks otherwise.
The chimps can make choices, they can go back and forth.
Simple as that.
And we just can't seem to do it.
The chimps are so relaxed in the research pods, they're playing.
They're in the mood for a new game.
And for Betsy, research time is running out.
I've been spending way too much time doing it.
It's really, really, really frustrating.
I just am kind of at my wits' end with it.
It's software, it's computer programs, it should be fine.
It's the chimps that were the big question mark, butnot any more.
I have more faith in the chimps than I do in this.
It's now autumn and the weather has turned, which is good.
The rain keeps the chimps inside and ready to play.
Betsy needs to keep their interest while she sorts out the computer.
She decides to show them images of other chimps from a different setting - in the wild.
As usual, Cindy is first in, eager to try out today's game.
At first she tries to work out just what this new game is, but there doesn't seem to be one.
And then she starts watching.
Not looking for a game - just watching.
She's definitely looking at the screen.
And touching it.
But she's not looking for a reward.
No, because she was sitting right in front of me and her eye line was directly down onto the screen.
Is she actually watching it? She's looking like to the left, so I don't know if she's just checking stuff out, and one touch So when Cindy approaches the monitor, it shows me that she's interested.
And while they've been touching different objects to get rewards, get them used to being in the research pods, we'll see Cindy touch the monitor here.
But because she's not looking to the food shoot for a reward afterwards, it kind of lets me know that's not what she's doing.
She's just touching for the sake of touching, or looking a little bit closer.
This is a really important result.
Cindy is watching the screen without looking for a reward.
What is she seeing? Are they just moving shapes, or does she recognise other chimps? And what is she feeling, seeing her cousins in the wild? Research has shown that chimps feel complex emotions.
So can they imagine what another chimp feels? This is a young bonobo, a close relative of chimpanzees.
He's hurt his hand.
The rest of his group quickly crowd round.
They're fascinated by the injury, but also seem really concerned about the youngster.
Consoling another to make them feel better is another sign that we're dealing with really sophisticated minds.
At the moment, only Cindy knows what she's thinking and feeling.
But what will the other chimps do? None of them are as motivated by games as Cindy.
Maybe they'll be patient when it comes to watching TV.
Some of the chimps do seem drawn to these images.
It's hard to know why they're so interested.
But for a while the research pod becomes a TV room, and a favourite place to hang out.
If they're recognising other chimps in these images, what are they thinking as they watch the screen? Are they wondering who these new chimps are? Is Emma remembering Qafzeh as a baby? Liberius has never seen a chimp younger than him.
But just as Betsy is getting her hopes up, Emma changes the mood.
SHE SCREECHES The battle for leadership is getting really serious.
And Emma is right at the centre of it.
And on one day, the balance seems to change.
Kindia's displays are bolder and more frequent.
Qafzeh is still supposed to be the dominant male but he's keeping out of it .
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leaving his mother Emma to fight for their rights.
THEY SCREECH Kindia seems to know this.
Emma had political guile but can't stand up to Kindia's intimidation.
Qafzeh retreats to the top of the climbing frame, while Kindia and his allies shout out their defiance from below.
Today the displays and noise are going on for longer than usual.
No one wants to back down.
While Emma holds her ground, Qafzeh runs away.
Sometimes the display and bluff spills over into real fights.
When the conflict dies down, Emma's been hurt.
For a while, even the keepers are worried.
So is Qafzeh.
It seems that the Edinburgh chimps can show as much empathy as their wild cousins.
Emma soon recovers.
This is all part of chimp life.
But the battle has left the troupe confused and uncertain.
This whole dominance thing is really taking a toll on the project.
Basically, Qafzeh is going down.
Kindia's starting to take over, and the key player in that, Emma, is really showing where she's falling right now.
She's not backing her son any more, and that is a huge statement.
This, of course, affects everything that has to do with Chimpcam.
Whoever's leading this group will pretty much decide what happens with the project.
We will see what happens.
At this point I don't even think they know what's going on.
Things are calming down but Betsy's time is running out, so she has to keep going.
Cindy is low in the hierarchy and isn't really involved in the politics.
So Betsy decides to offer her the fully working Chimpcam.
So this is it, the monitor's live.
I'm ready to give it to Cindy for a test, so I hope it holds up.
Come on, girl.
Good girl.
Cindy, station.
At first Cindy seems quite taken with this new style box.
And is she looking at the screen? The texture and feel are different.
For Cindy, this isn't as much fun as the games with the keepers.
She's lost patience.
Oh, no.
She's off.
The box is just too boring.
Cindy? Cind? Cindy? But just in time for Betsy, the rest of the troupe seem to have worked out their differences.
Emma is shifting her allegiance away from her own son, and a truce is forming.
Kindia and Qafzeh now seem to have equal rank.
Emma hasn't lost her authority, but now she shares it with Qafzeh and Kindia, which makes the politics even more complicated.
But the chimps still understand it.
The new relationships are reinforced by grooming.
Kindia feels so confident he asks Emma to groom him, which she does.
The relaxed moods spread, and the chimps start to play with each other.
Even Kindia and Qafzeh seem to be getting along.
The group is more stable than it's been for months.
This is good for Betsy as she needs to start the next stage.
The cameras around Budongo now feed into the touch screen.
The chimps can watch an inside area, the outside enclosure .
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the food preparation area, which they don't normally see, or they can turn it off by selecting a black screen.
All the images show on the screen, and if the chimps touch an image it will come up full screen for ten seconds.
Which, if any, will they prefer to watch? Touch.
Good girl, well done.
That's good.
Touch.
Good girl, Cindy.
It seems to me that Cindy keeps choosing the food prep area.
But to be sure that the chimps are really making choices, I need to do more than just watch.
So next time, if her memory kind of holds true and she really is interested, I'd like to have this image in a different location.
I'm going to record the results over the next four weeks and then analyse them before I can make any firm conclusions.
And that's just with these first test images.
The results still have to be analysed in detail, but it seems that the chimps didn't prefer any of these views over any others.
They treated them all the same.
This shows how hard it is to understand the chimp mind.
Was it because these images were too familiar? Would they prefer to see something else? But now Betsy has a way to ask these questions, and more.
It's only taken 18 months for these ordinary, untrained zoo chimps to learn to use a touch screen.
Betsy is working with the newest techniques in chimp research.
And working with the Edinburgh group, Betsy has taken this research in a new direction.
We basically just asked them to give their all to it and really just try their best.
And they did! They came in, they're dealing with so many things in their society, this dominance fight between each other, yet they found the time to come in and participate in the study.
They took themselves away from all of this just to be a part of Chimpcam, and that's really something special.
And now I'm reaching the final stage of my work - what happens when I give the Chimpcam to the whole group? Is he going to go for it? Oh, David's first up.
And now Emma.
They're really curious about the camera view screen.
They're more interested in this than in the monitor in the research pod.
Some of them are gently touching the Chimpcam screen, just as they did with the research pod monitor.
They might be making the connection between the two screens.
I wonder what's catching their interest.
Is it the movement on the screen? Or do they recognise what they're seeing? I don't know yet whether they understand the images, but they're reacting to something.
That's a really important result, for me and for the Chimpcam project.
It took thousands of years of human ingenuity to invent video.
But these ordinary chimps grasped something of this technology in just 18 months.
Who knows if this one small step for chimps could be the dawn of a whole new era in understanding the minds of our closest relatives? So here's the world premiere of the only film to be shot entirely by chimps.