2 Brainy Chimps Unlock Door to Freedom
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TOKYO — Two of the world’s smartest chimps proved that they are no chumps when they used a key to elope from a Japanese laboratory studying animal intelligence.
Ai, a 13-year-old female, stole or found the key so she could escape with boyfriend, Akira, a spokesman said today.
The pair, described by experts as among the world’s brightest chimpanzees, have been taught language and other skills for 12 years at the Kyoto University Primate Research Center in central Japan.
When they were eventually outsmarted by humans and recaptured, Ai was still carrying the key in her mouth.
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