Researchers stunned by rare sight caught on trail camera deep in African national park: 'We were all shocked'

A trail camera recorded a chimpanzee accomplishing a feat so rare that it nearly stumped a team of researchers.

While working through several dozen videos, the team at Batéké Plateau National Park in Gabon came across rare footage of a chimpanzee using a tool. In the clip, the endangered animal picks up a long stick and uses it to poke the camera. Afterward, the chimp sniffs the end of the stick that came in contact with the camera.

Alex Botha, Panthera wildlife restoration coordinator in Batéké, described the team's shock after viewing the clip. "It was probably the 100th or 150th video we had reviewed from the savannas and forests of the park, and all of a sudden the entire team let out a yell of excitement as this was the first time we had seen footage as incredible as this in the park," Botha wrote in an email to McClatchy News.

Batéké Plateau National Park offers a biodiverse and lush habitat for many species, including lions, spotted hyenas, forest elephants, crocodiles, and chimpanzees. As the trail camera footage shows, conservation efforts can promote healthy ecosystems where animals can thrive.

Tobias Deschner, a primatologist with Osnabrück University, explained the significance of the chimpanzee's wielding a tool. "To capture non-habituated chimpanzees while using a tool is rather rare, particularly in an area such as the Batéké Plateau that is relatively undocumented in comparison to other populations in the region," Deschner noted.

Besides the advanced behavior of the chimpanzee, Botha highlighted how rewarding it was to witness an animal that has experienced a rapid population decline.

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"Chimpanzees have been recorded by the Panthera/[Gabon Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux] cameras in forests, savannas, and saline beaches across the park, but chimpanzee sightings are always special because of their endangered classification by the IUCN," Botha said. "Needless to say, we were all shocked but more importantly, excited that the years of conservation efforts are positively influencing mammal populations in the region, including our closest living relatives, the chimpanzee."

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