It’s well-known that pandemic times have forced humans to become very acquainted with their screens. In lieu of seeing other people in person, for instance, many of us see them virtually, whether for work or recreation. And don’t even get me started on all the show binging. (I’m currently watching a remake of Ugly Betty called Betty in New York and darn, Telemundo sure knows how to get me hooked). Well, dear readers, let me tell you: We are not the only ones getting more screen time.
In recent weeks, chimpanzees at two zoos in the Czech Republic—the Safari Park Dvůr Králové and the Brno Zoo—have experienced a key fixture of human pandemic life: watching others on screens. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time every day, the chimps can check out what their very distant neighbors are doing—the zoos are about 111 miles (181 kilometers) away from each other—via a live Zoom call on a big screen. Their reactions, which you can see in the following images, are utterly fascinating.
