Chimp apes human

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- Chimpanzees and most monkeys are known for their uncanny ability to mimic human behavior.

Most experiments with apes and chimpanzees have human mentors teaching them the tricks of the trade.

VIDEO Chiko has learned to use a vending machine by watching humans Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Now one zoo has succeeded in showing that chimpanzees do not need humans to show them every step of the way.

Tama Zoo's five year old female chimp Chiko became the first of her brood to buy a can of juice from a vending machine without being taught.

So far she is the only one in her group who can perform the feat, but zoo keepers hope Chiko can teach her clan to do the same. But it wasn't easy at first.

"Chimpanzees have different hands from humans and had a hard time at the beginning, we had to change the coin slot after awhile and then she succeeded," said chimpanzee keeper Motoyasu Iida.

The experiment began in the summer of 2000. A vending machine was placed close to the glass enclosure of the chimps. The chimpanzees were then left to their own devices to watch - and learn - what comes naturally to young children.

"This experiment is meant to find out how and if chimpanzees can learn by looking at what humans do and understand it (without being specifically taught by humans)," Iida told Reuters.

At first the chimps preferred to be hand-fed by their keepers. But Chiko finally mastered the intricacies of buying a soft drink.

Unfortunately for Chiko her endeavors do not always get their just rewards. Her mates soon understood that they could just as easily get hold of the canned drinks by stealing them from Chiko.

Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

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