Kyoto zoo chimps no chumps at simple math

KYOTO (Kyodo) If you visit Kyoto City Zoo, there's a chance you will see chimpanzees learning numbers in front of a special touch panel.

By the numbers: A chimpanzee at Kyoto City Zoo studies number progressions with the aid of a touch panel. KYODO PHOTO

Since late May, four chimps that arrived at the zoo in March began their studies under the guidance of Masayuki Tanaka, an associate professor at Kyoto University's Wildlife Research Center. Visitors can watch the hourlong study period four times a week.

The chimpanzees are learning the scale of numbers. For example, when several numbers appear on the panel screen, a chimp sitting in front of it is to start touching them in order. He or she is to start from one and continue going up, but if an error is made, a buzzer will go off.

The quiz starts with one and two. As the accuracy rate goes up, more numbers are added to the quiz.

Through this project, observers can recognize the difference in characteristics of each chimpanzee, even when they sometimes argue over who gets to sit in front of the panel.

Among the four, a 20-year-old male named Takashi tries to intervene when 20-year-old female Yoko begins to study in front of the panel.

Koiko, a female approximately 32 years old, is good at dominating the screen and indulges herself in her studies.

Meanwhile, 13-year-old female Suzumi hangs from the ceiling and plays when one of the others is studying.

"When the stronger chimpanzees are in a bad mood, it influences the entire mood of the group. You can also see that the weaker ones are often worried about others," Tanaka said.

While the chimps exhibit similarities with humans, there are also differences. Tanaka said the chimpanzees aren't giving the weaker ones enough time to study, leading to gaps in their progress.

"I may need to provide some extra study time for the weaker ones because they need to catch up," he said.