Orangutan Mother and Baby Rescued from Hunters

As a gang of local youths surrounded a 30-year-old, pregnant orangutan and her 5-year-old child, all the mother could do was try to shield the baby from the knives that were coming at them.

Zoo Break!

When eight capuchin monkeys decided to make a break for it at the zoo in Parana, Brazil, they used the tools they had at hand to open the door of the cage. (Another example of how the old conventional wisdom that “using tools is a uniquely human ability” is completely wrong.)

“Watch Out! There’s Something Here You Can’t See”

Knowing what someone else doesn’t know enables you to take advantage of them – or, on the other hand, help them. It’s one of the hallmarks of extra brain power, and it’s one of the key arguments that we use to make the case that a particular animal qualifies to be recognized as a “person” in legal and philosophical terms.

Our Top Ten-Plus Videos of 2011

How can you choose just ten from all the rescues, wildlife shows, comic pieces on Youtube, and so much else? You can probably think of many more that should be on that list. Still, here are a few of our faves:

Video of the Year

Of all the great videos of the year, this one really tops the charts. The gorillas simply walk in to a tourist camp at Bwindi National Park one morning. Note that the great silverback is in charge of the proceedings, letting the kids know what’s OK, what’s not, and how long they can visit the human.

Chimp Research: The End in Sight?

The good news is that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has accepted the recommendations of an expert panel to cut way back on using chimpanzees in medical research.

More Chimps Go to Sanctuary

It’s first-class travel for Bradley the chimp. He’s one of the last of the chimps on their way from the former Coulston Research Facility to a new home in Florida.

‘Look Where I’m Pointing’

We humans point at things with our fingers, or by motioning with our head and eyes. Other apes do much the same thing. Now we know that raven do it, too. In their case, they point with their beaks.

How Do You Define a Person?

While a pair of cells may be deemed to be a person, a 40-year-old elephant or orca, who carries the wisdom and culture of her community, is no more considered a person than is a computer or a pile of garbage.

Circuses Take a Hit in Congress

Watch out, Ringling Brothers and others. Congressman Jim Moran is nipping at your heels. And veteran animal protector Bob Barker was by his side on Tuesday, along with Jorja Fox, to introduce a bill that would stop the use of exotic animals in traveling circuses.

Baby Gorilla Rescued from Poachers

Year-old Shamavu was rescued by the Congolese Wildlife Authorities rangers in Africa’s Virunga National Park in a sting operation.

Remarkable Video of Fish Using Tools

Not long ago, it was generally believed that humans were the only animals that use tools, and that this was one of the chief proofs of human exceptionalism compared to “the animals.”

Here Comes the Sun!

They stopped at the open door. They stared out nervously for a moment. Then they hugged each other in delight and stepped gingerly into the sunlight.

Will Research on Chimps Be Banned?

It’s looking increasingly like the end is in sight for the use of chimpanzees in invasive research in the United States.

Can a Non-Human Be a ‘Person’?

Laws that protect animals from cruelty are granted as acts of kindness, not inherent rights. One attorney is setting out to put a crack in the legal wall that separates humans from nonhumans.

Going Ape

One of the main ethical conundrums surrounding experimenting on chimpanzees has always been that if you justify doing these experiments on the basis that chimps are very similar to humans, you have a harder time justifying it morally.

Top Ten Tool Users

Scientists once thought that tool use was the defining feature of humans. Animals using tools is a a sign of extraordinary intelligence that shows an ability to manipulate an object.

Gorilla Warfare in Rwanda

Dian Fossey would probably have been turning over in her grave…if I hadn’t been standing on it. It’s in a small cemetery and you have to get close to read the gravestone.

Is It Real? Or Is It a Summer Movie?

The fact that a sci-fi movie may well become a case of truth being stranger than fiction is just one of the paradoxes in this year’s crop of animal-themed summer movies.