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Bonobos showered with Christmas gifts at popular German zoo

December 26, 2022

Zookeepers in the German city of Stuttgart say bonobos love receiving gifts just as much as humans do... and they are willing to prove it. This Christmas, the animals got raisins and popcorn.

https://p.dw.com/p/4LRKW
A bonobo unwraps a colorful Christmas present at a popular zoo in Stuttgart city
Bonobos enjoy receiving giftsImage: Franziska Kraufmann/Wilhelma/picture alliance

Zookeepers at a popular zoological park in southwestern Germany have showered bonobos with Christmas presents.

The bonobos at Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, the capital of southwestern Germany's Baden-Württemberg state, were treated to snacks like raisins and popcorn.

Bonobos at Wilhelma zoo unwrap their Christmas presents
Bonobos at Wilhelma zoo got to the bottom of their Christmas presents Image: Franziska Kraufmann/Wilhelma/picture alliance

But the main purpose of the treats, which were put in boxes, were the colorful packages the bonobos had to unwrap.

"Great apes are very curious and like surprises," a spokesperson for the zoo told German press agency, DPA.

Bonobos are members of the great ape family and form complex social hierarchies. They are less aggressive than their close cousins chimpanzees and are more likely to share food and cooperate.

The Stuttgart zookeepers said the bonobos are regularly given treats. But Christmas was a special occasion, and the animals deserved to be entertained.

"They are just as happy to receive gifts as we are," the spokesperson added. 

Wilhelma is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Baden-Württemberg, with more than 2 million visitors annually. 

The report was written with the material by the German news agency DPA.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic

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