Wild Gorillas Seen Using Tools For the First Time

Biologists have been able to observe wild gorillas using tools for the first time. The research was done in the Republic of Congo and was led by Thomas Breuer of the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo.

Previously, gorillas had only been seen using tools in captivity. The only wild primates seen using simple tools in the wild were smaller animals such as chimpanzees and orangutans.

Biologists were able to observe and document gorillas in the wild using simple tools such as poking a stick in a pool of water in order to determine who deep it is.

'This is a truly astounding discovery,' Breuer said in a statement. 'Tool usage in wild apes provides us with valuable insights into the evolution of our own species and the abilities of other species.'

Breuer's group had been observing gorillas in the Congo's Nouabale-Ndoki National Park since February 1995.

Last October was the first documented use of tools by one of the gorillas. A female gorilla called Leah by the researchers measured the depth of a pool of water made by elephants by using a stick. This way, she was able to determine that the pool was safe to cross.

A month later, a female gorilla called Efi used a tree trunk as a bridge to cross a muddy patch of land. She also used a tree trunk to support herself with one hand while digging for herbs with the other.

Video of the gorillas using tools will be aired on PBS Saturday on the program 'Wild Chronicles.'

Prior to this study, gorillas were thought to be less intelligent than chimpanzees and other smaller primates. Many biologists believe this is now more due to the fact that they were not studied as often because of their size and the difficulty in safely observing them in the wild.

The results of the study were published in the on-line journal 'PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology.'