It is not the most accomplished sweded version of King Kong: a man dressed in a furry suit (trainers still visible) mimics an ape breaking out of a cage and then attacking a human. The victim then – spoiler alert – fetches a small red hammer and batters his assailant.
And yet this 40-second attempt at homemade horror by researchers in Japan has succeeded in gripping a chimp crowd. A study published in Current Biology found they not only failed to avert their eyes, but were not tempted by distracting treats dangled during the screening.
When the film was then screened to the same chimps 24 hours later, their eye movements indicated a clear memory of the hammer denouement.
The rights of simians are currently being debated in the US, with some lawyers arguing chimps are “autonomous and self-determining” beings.
Such issues have long been chewed over at the movies, with the rebooted Dawn of the Planet of the Apes franchise recently reigniting discussion. Earlier this year, Jurassic World and Ted 2 both also cheerled for some animals to enjoy equivalent rights to humans.
