Make of this what you will
Sep. 18th, 2007 06:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urbpanBaboon adopts chicken at zoo
VILNIUS (Reuters) - A lonely baboon in a private Lithuanian zoo has adopted a chicken he saved from certain death last month and the two have formed a fast friendship, the zoo's director said Friday.
The chicken was intended as food for other animals in the zoo, but escaped and was sheltered by Mitis, a six-year-old Hamadryas Baboon, Edvardas Legeckas, who runs the zoo near the port city Klaipeda in western Lithuania, told Reuters.
Mitis has been fed chicken meat before, but this time he fell in love with his food, Legeckas said.
"He plays with the chicken, cleans its feathers, sleeps with it, and takes care as if it was his own baby child," the zoo director said.
"But I am not sure how long this affair would last, because baboon may finally realize this is food."
Baboons, with their distinctive long dog-like muzzles and heavy powerful jaws, are omnivorous, but usually prefer fruit. In the wild, they live in close-knit social groups.
"Obviously this baboon needed someone to communicate with," the director said.
VILNIUS (Reuters) - A lonely baboon in a private Lithuanian zoo has adopted a chicken he saved from certain death last month and the two have formed a fast friendship, the zoo's director said Friday.
The chicken was intended as food for other animals in the zoo, but escaped and was sheltered by Mitis, a six-year-old Hamadryas Baboon, Edvardas Legeckas, who runs the zoo near the port city Klaipeda in western Lithuania, told Reuters.
Mitis has been fed chicken meat before, but this time he fell in love with his food, Legeckas said.
"He plays with the chicken, cleans its feathers, sleeps with it, and takes care as if it was his own baby child," the zoo director said.
"But I am not sure how long this affair would last, because baboon may finally realize this is food."
Baboons, with their distinctive long dog-like muzzles and heavy powerful jaws, are omnivorous, but usually prefer fruit. In the wild, they live in close-knit social groups.
"Obviously this baboon needed someone to communicate with," the director said.
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Date: 2007-09-18 08:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-19 09:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-18 12:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-18 02:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-19 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-18 12:04 pm (UTC)I remember reading about that sign language gorilla in National Geographic and she had a pet kitten. I've also heard the gorillas in the wild are careful not to step on small animals like frogs and mice but that could be complete nonsense...
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Date: 2007-09-19 09:20 pm (UTC)Baboons generally scare the shit out of me - they're like giant dog-monkeys to me with the long snout and all the fangs. But I can imagine they'd get lonely, too.
Did you hear about the tortoise and the baby elephant? Or maybe it was a pig...
Saw a chihuahua adopt and NURSE a litter of squirrels last week.
/surely the End must be Nigh ;)
no subject
Date: 2007-09-19 09:27 pm (UTC)Yeah, the whole mixed species thing seems to resonate with people. Thus the success of the tortoise and hippo meme, and even the (fake) tiger and piglets set up.
MADNESS!
Date: 2007-09-19 09:30 pm (UTC)LOL! I was holding back! Glad you said it for me. ;)