ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Curiosity Stream Meet Zeze & Perrine | Rescued Chimpanzees Of The Congo
Welcome to the forest where two young chimpanzees, Zeze and Perrine, are having a fun time together. But it’s not just playtime for these little chimps; they are also learning important skills. Today, they are discovering how to dig for food like termites, roots, and grubs. These tasty treats are hidden in the ground, and the chimps need to learn the best way to find them. Using a stick as a tool can really help!
Antoinette Makosok, one of the caregivers, knows exactly where to find the food. She shows the chimps how to eat by picking a fruit that is safe for them and pretending to eat it herself. The chimps watch and learn from her actions. Antoinette also demonstrates how to crack open a nut using a stone, and the chimps try to copy her. This way, they learn by watching and doing.
The caregivers are amazing teachers for Zeze and Perrine. With their help, the chimps are learning important skills that will help them as they grow up. Maybe one day, Zeze and Perrine will be ready to live on Chinzulu Island, just like other chimps who have been released into the wild.
Did you know that chimpanzees are one of the few animals that use tools? Just like Zeze and Perrine are learning to use sticks and stones, wild chimpanzees use tools to help them find food and solve problems. Isn’t that cool?
Tool Time Exploration: Just like Zeze and Perrine, you can explore using tools to solve problems! Find a stick or a small spoon and try to dig in a sandbox or a garden. What can you find hidden in the soil? Imagine you are a chimpanzee looking for food. Share your discoveries with a friend or family member and talk about how using a tool helped you.
Role Play Learning: Pretend to be a caregiver like Antoinette. Choose a safe fruit or nut from your kitchen and show a friend or family member how to “eat” it. Use a toy or a real stone to pretend to crack open a nut. How does it feel to teach someone else? What did you learn from this activity?
Chimpanzee Observation Journal: Start a journal where you can draw or write about the different ways animals use tools. Watch a nature documentary or look for videos online about chimpanzees using tools. What did you notice? How do these animals use tools differently from humans? Share your journal with your class or family.
Thank you. Back in the forest, Zizi and Parine are still joined at the hip and having a good time. While this might look like play, these infant chimps are being taught valuable lessons. Today’s class focuses on digging for food—termites, roots, and grubs. There are loads of tasty and nutritious morsels buried in the soil, but you need to know just the right way to get at them. Using a stick as a spade certainly helps.
Caregiver Antoinette Makosok knows where the food is. “You can just take a fruit that you know they can eat—though not all fruits—and you eat it or pretend that you eat it, and they follow you. They learn a lot from what you do. You can also take a nut and try to break it with a stone, and then you will see how they do the same.”
The caregivers are doing a great job as teachers. With guidance like this, the chimps are getting a great start in life. One day, maybe they’ll make it to Chinzulu Island to follow in the footsteps of the release group.
