Indianapolis Zoo VP lectures about animals

Animal tool behavior and crafting were among topics discussed Wednesday night in “Are Chimpanzees the Most Proficient Animal Tool Users?” by Robert Shumaker, vice president of life sciences for the Indianapolis Zoo.

Shumaker highlighted his book, “Animal Tool Behavior,” which focused on the use of tools by various animals from insects to orangutans.

Shumaker then explained instances in which animals uesd tools.

He said hermit crabs inhabit shells of animals after the other animals die.

“Putting this shell on, carrying it around with their body absolutely fits our definition of tool use,” Shumaker said.

Shumaker said dogs also use tools. In one instance, a dog put a hockey puck on top of a frisbee in order to carry them both with his mouth, he explained.

He also talked about anelephant that held a fly swatter with its tusk and swatted the flies away.

“Tool use occurs throughout the animal kingdom, but there is no way to accurately predict which animals use tools,” Shumaker said.

Shumaker showed a video of an experiment he conducted with an orangutan.

He put a treat inside a wooden box and tied it closed with a rope. In order for the box to open, the rope had to be cut.

Shumaker demonstrated to the orangutan how to open the box by cutting the rope with a razor blade and showed her the treat was inside the box.

He then let her try to figure it out.

She started plucking and scraping the rope with the razor blade and initially had no success. After a few moments, she was able to cut the rope with the razor blade and retrieve the treat.

After she cut the rope, she inspected it by touching it with her lips, something Shumaker said orangutans often do.  He then had her try again.

Shumaker said the orangutan cut the rope the second time so quickly, they had not even turned the video camera on yet.

Shumaker also spoke about tokens, which are used to represent an object, such as a piece of food.

He said that the greatest example of tokens involved Fifi, a 49-year-old chimp at the Toledo Zoo who passed away in 2009, and her toy alligator.

According to an article by the Toledo Blade in 2009, Fifi became inseparable with the toy after its original owner, Mickie, another chimpanzee, died in 2000.

Shumaker said Fifi had an unusual history for a chimpanzee.

“She had an unusual habit, and it revolved around this alligator toy,” Shumaker said.

He also said Fifi became remarkably distressed when she was separated from her toy.

“The keepers tried to trade her a new alligator, and she rejected all of them,” Shumaker said.

He said the only toy she wanted was the original one, the toy Mickie had up until his death. 

“It was only her original one that provided her security,” Schumacher said. “It gave her security in order to function.”