in some ways they look and act much like
us now come stunning new evidence that
gorillas may also think like us this
incredible series of photographs taken
deep in the African Congo and revealed
here for the first time show what some
researchers thought was impossible proof
that while gorillas can think through
problems and like humans they can make
and use tools to solve those problems
Wildlife Conservation Society scientist
Emma Stokes and Thomas brewer believe
the discovery gives us new insight into
the mind of the great ape films his
observation of tweezing behavior by
gorillas in valley was was it was a
fantastic discovery it was made here in
this remote research outpost at him
belly by
the swampy forest clearing in the
northern Congo we’re frolicking
elephants create pools of turgid water
one morning Brewer witnesses something
extraordinary and manages to capture it
on film a female gorilla named Leah
grabs a stick and appears to use it as a
tool to measure the depth of the water
before crossing a patch of swampy ground
this is an amazing and scientifically
important moment but for Brewer is also
a very familiar experience when I I
cross a swamp I always use kind of steak
to test the water deepness and what’s
fascinating is that this greater found
exactly the mines domain the same
solution to this problem with these
extraordinary photographs WCS scientists
for the first time have documented the
use of tools among wild gorillas
something never seen before we know that
in the in the past we claim that to
leah’s is a unique feature of our own
species but we know that not the case
any longer animals are able to plan the
think and they define a solution to a
problem for years now we’ve known some
animals use tools especially in the
pursuit of food these chimpanzees are
experts at brandishing clubs to crack
open nuts passing their skills on to the
next generation
they use sticks to fish out insects and
leaves like cups to scoop up water
but until now while gorillas were not
considered tool users some in captivity
have used sticks to eke out a tasty
treat but this behavior was never
observed in the wild and there was more
in another stroke of luck one month
later Brewer witnesses a second gorilla
inventing a tool a female named effie
drives a branch into the ground and uses
it as an anchor as she reaches into the
water ape said and belly by have been
known to hang on to trees in order to
pull themselves from the swamps but this
is the first time a gorilla is seen
creating a structure to support its
weight this stunning new evidence shows
that when presented with a challenge
gorillas to had the ability to use tools
to cope with their environment much like
humans do such discoveries may help us
understand our own evolution how our
earliest ancestors made the cognitive
leap to grasp the possibilities of
engineering it just goes to show the
kinds of benefits you can see from a
long-term research presence in somewhere
like in bovine we could be here for
hundreds of years and still not truly
uncover all the secrets of the forest
have to offer
this important research gives us a
glimpse into the minds of one of our
nearest animal relatives and perhaps
into the mists of our own distant past
us now come stunning new evidence that
gorillas may also think like us this
incredible series of photographs taken
deep in the African Congo and revealed
here for the first time show what some
researchers thought was impossible proof
that while gorillas can think through
problems and like humans they can make
and use tools to solve those problems
Wildlife Conservation Society scientist
Emma Stokes and Thomas brewer believe
the discovery gives us new insight into
the mind of the great ape films his
observation of tweezing behavior by
gorillas in valley was was it was a
fantastic discovery it was made here in
this remote research outpost at him
belly by
the swampy forest clearing in the
northern Congo we’re frolicking
elephants create pools of turgid water
one morning Brewer witnesses something
extraordinary and manages to capture it
on film a female gorilla named Leah
grabs a stick and appears to use it as a
tool to measure the depth of the water
before crossing a patch of swampy ground
this is an amazing and scientifically
important moment but for Brewer is also
a very familiar experience when I I
cross a swamp I always use kind of steak
to test the water deepness and what’s
fascinating is that this greater found
exactly the mines domain the same
solution to this problem with these
extraordinary photographs WCS scientists
for the first time have documented the
use of tools among wild gorillas
something never seen before we know that
in the in the past we claim that to
leah’s is a unique feature of our own
species but we know that not the case
any longer animals are able to plan the
think and they define a solution to a
problem for years now we’ve known some
animals use tools especially in the
pursuit of food these chimpanzees are
experts at brandishing clubs to crack
open nuts passing their skills on to the
next generation
they use sticks to fish out insects and
leaves like cups to scoop up water
but until now while gorillas were not
considered tool users some in captivity
have used sticks to eke out a tasty
treat but this behavior was never
observed in the wild and there was more
in another stroke of luck one month
later Brewer witnesses a second gorilla
inventing a tool a female named effie
drives a branch into the ground and uses
it as an anchor as she reaches into the
water ape said and belly by have been
known to hang on to trees in order to
pull themselves from the swamps but this
is the first time a gorilla is seen
creating a structure to support its
weight this stunning new evidence shows
that when presented with a challenge
gorillas to had the ability to use tools
to cope with their environment much like
humans do such discoveries may help us
understand our own evolution how our
earliest ancestors made the cognitive
leap to grasp the possibilities of
engineering it just goes to show the
kinds of benefits you can see from a
long-term research presence in somewhere
like in bovine we could be here for
hundreds of years and still not truly
uncover all the secrets of the forest
have to offer
this important research gives us a
glimpse into the minds of one of our
nearest animal relatives and perhaps
into the mists of our own distant past
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