TV Premiere for Chimp Film
British scientists have revealed that a film shot by a group chimpanzees is set to be featured in a documentary on nature.
The Edinburgh Zoo animals shot footage thanks to a chimp-proof video camera which had been offered to them by a scientist studying their behaviour.
The video was part of an 18-month project to study the way chimps perceive the world around them.
Touch-screen technology was first taught to the group of 11 monkeys in order to enable them to choose what they wanted to watch.
Researchers then gave the chimps the video camera which had been specially prepared thanks to encasing made of a sturdy box equipped with a side monitor so they could see what they were shooting.
The BBC2 documentary explores to what degree the chimps appeared to be aware of what they were recording, and also give viewers an idea of the how the world is through the eyes of a chimp.
The experiment was led by University of Stirling behavioural scientist Betsy Herrelko.
Dubbed The Chimpcam Project, Miss Herrelko said it was created to embark on a tour of the chimp mind.
She said that scientists had developed the studies and activities but the chimps decided what happened after that.
She added that viewers go along for a ride, in the hope of learning a little more of how they perceive the world. She said this is an experience she will never forget.
The project was a team effort between Burning Gold Productions, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the University of Stirling.