Latest news with #AdaLott
Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Tragic life of last PG Tips chimpanzee from poaching injuries to death
Choppers, a Western Chimpanzee, played grandmother Ada Lott in the long-running marketing campaign while she was still a juvenile Nine years on from the passing of a "beloved" chimpanzee, Choppers, famed for starring in PG Tips tea adverts, scientists have uncovered disturbing truths about her past. Astonishingly, the Western Chimpanzee who played the character of grandmother Ada Lott while still young, was housed at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire for over four decades until she died in 2016, ITV reports. Groundbreaking revelations about her life have come to light via National Museums Scotland (NMS) researchers, employing what they describe as "cutting-edge" techniques to narrate her life "like never before." Interestingly, this state-of-the-art method is similar to that used to decipher the history of King Richard III, whose remains emerged from beneath a Leicester car park. Known as osteobiographical analysis, it necessitates meticulous inspection of an individual's skeletal and soft tissues. While the technique typically sheds light on the lives of human entities, detailing their histories with impressive precision, its application to contemporary animal subjects is unheard of. Yet, NMS asserts that this occasion marks possibly the first time such a comprehensive use of this approach has been undertaken to probe the existence of a zoo creature. Choppers, a former TV-star chimp who was famously rescued from West African poachers at six weeks old and later became a beloved character known as Ada Lott on British screens, tragically passed away with her skeleton being exhibited at the National Museum of Scotland (NMS), reports the Express. Before settling into retirement around the age of six or seven, Choppers featured in countless living rooms, eventually leaving show business due to her maturing age. Back in 2014, the very zoo that trained chimps for television admitted to the BBC that utilising apes in entertainment was a mistake that led to lasting harm for the animals. In an enduring contribution to science after death, Choppers's remains were given to NMS by the Twycross Zoo, adding to a vast natural science trove boasting more than 10 million artefacts. NMS's Dr David Cooper, who conducted a cutting-edge osteobiographical study, said: "Choppers was beloved by audiences across the UK for years. Now the innovative application of osteobiographical analysis has allowed us to tell her story like never before. "Her life is a testament to the many thousands of chimpanzees that were taken from the wild and charts a crucial shift in the priorities of zoos away from entertainment and towards education, conservation, research and welfare." The research revealed personal hardships experienced by Choppers, including distressing injuries obtained during her capture as a baby. These afflictions affected her mobility and exacerbated age-related degenerative conditions, confirmed by scientific investigation. Experts have discovered that Choppers, a chimpanzee who was once a TV star, experienced significant changes in her diet and geography between the ages of three and four, coinciding with her move to the UK where she was introduced to a zoological diet. The study revealed that Choppers's upper jaw was "significantly elongated" compared to wild chimpanzees, a result of an early diet rich in sugary soft fruit. Researchers have noted that zoo primates' diets have recently changed to include tougher, less sugary vegetables, leading to marked improvements in their health and behaviour. The findings, detailed in the journal Scientific Reports, were a collaborative effort involving experts from the University of Exeter, the University of Reading, Twycross Zoo, and the University of Edinburgh. Phillipa Dobbs, veterinary services manager at Twycross Zoo, expressed delight at participating in the research, stating: "Choppers was an important part of our history and this pioneering research offers new insights into her life and the evolving role of modern zoos." She added: "By supporting studies like this, we can continue to learn from the past and drive progress in animal care, welfare, science and conservation. It's an honour to be involved."
Daily Record
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Tragic life of last PG Tips chimpanzee exposed in groundbreaking study
Choppers was a long-term resident at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire and starred in a series of adverts for the tea brand before her death in 2016 after a childhood of cruelty Nine years on from the passing of Choppers, a "beloved" chimpanzee famous for starring in PG Tips tea adverts, scientists have unveiled distressing insights into her life. Portraying the character grandmother Ada Lott while just a juvenile, the Western Chimpanzee was a long-standing inhabitant at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, where she lived for over four decades until her death in 2016, ITV reported. Recently, revelations have emerged thanks to researchers at National Museums Scotland (NMS), who employed what they term "cutting-edge" techniques to piece together her life story in unprecedented detail. Interestingly, this same technology was used to piece together the history of King Richard III after his remains were discovered in a car park in Leicester. Known as osteobiographical analysis, this innovative scientific method meticulously examines an individual's bones and tissues. It is typically utilised in archaeology to forge comprehensive biographies of ancient human beings, revealing intricate elements such as their living conditions and personal histories. The NMS, however, highlights that its application on contemporary animal subjects is quite extraordinary, and it's believed that this is the first instance where the method has been so extensively applied to delve into the narrative of a zoo animal's life, reports the Express. Choppers, the chimpanzee who was rescued from poachers in West Africa at a tender age of six weeks and later became a beloved television star in the UK, has had her life story told through osteobiographical analysis. After retiring from her role as Ada Lott when she hit puberty at around six or seven years old and Choppers's life took a turn away from the limelight. In 2014, the zoo that once trained chimps for TV appearances admitted to the BBC that using apes on television was a mistake, acknowledging the long-term damage suffered by the animals. Following her passing, Twycross Zoo contributed Choppers's skeleton to NMS, where it joined a vast natural science collection exceeding 10 million specimens. Dr David Cooper, the NMS researcher who led the study, commented: "Choppers was beloved by audiences across the UK for years. Now the innovative application of osteobiographical analysis has allowed us to tell her story like never before. "Her life is a testament to the many thousands of chimpanzees that were taken from the wild and charts a crucial shift in the priorities of zoos away from entertainment and towards education, conservation, research and welfare." The research provided detailed insights into Choppers's significant life events, including traumatic injuries she suffered as an infant due to poaching. These injuries affected her mobility and exacerbated age-related degenerative conditions, according to the scientists involved in the study. An analysis of Choppers's teeth revealed geographical and dietary shifts between the ages of three and four, corresponding with her move to the UK where she was placed on a typical zoo diet. The study highlighted that her upper jaw was "significantly elongated" when matched against that of wild chimpanzees in their natural environment, which researchers attributed to an early diet rich in sugary soft fruit. Experts have noted that recent years have seen a change in zoo primate diets to include tougher, less sugary vegetables, resulting in marked improvements in health and behaviour. Findings from the research have been detailed in the journal Scientific Reports, with contributions from academics affiliated with institutions such as the University of Exeter, the University of Reading, Twycross Zoo, and the University of Edinburgh. Phillipa Dobbs, the veterinary services manager at Twycross Zoo, expressed pleasure at participating in the research, commenting: "Choppers was an important part of our history and this pioneering research offers new insights into her life and the evolving role of modern zoos." She added: "By supporting studies like this, we can continue to learn from the past and drive progress in animal care, welfare, science and conservation. It's an honour to be involved."
BBC News
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Life story of PG Tips chimp cared for at Twycross Zoo revealed
Details of the life of a "beloved" chimpanzee who starred in a series of adverts for PG Tips tea has been revealed in a new a Western Chimpanzee, played Grandmother Ada Lott in the long-running advertising campaign while still a juvenile. She was cared for at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire after for more than 40 years until her death in a team led by scientists at National Museums Scotland (NMS) says a "cutting-edge" technique of analysis - the same used to reconstruct the life of Richard III whose remains were found in a Leicester car park - has allowed them to tell her story "like never before". The scientific method, called osteobiographical analysis, involves detailed analysis of bones and tissue, and is more commonly used in archaeology to reconstruct the life stories of ancient human subjects, identifying where and how they lived in remarkable detail. But according to the NMS, it is rarely used on modern animal subjects, with this being the first time the technique has been applied so comprehensively to a zoo animal. Choppers had been rescued from poachers in West Africa at just six weeks old before being brought to the UK and was cared for at Twycross Zoo for more than 40 retired from playing Ada Lott when she reached puberty aged about six or Zoo previously said Choppers was the last surviving PG Tips chimp after her co-habitant Louis died July 2014, the zoo - where chimps were trained for TV - told the BBC the use of apes on television had been wrong and that the chimps suffered long-term her death, Twycross Zoo donated Choppers's skeleton to NMS, where it became part of a natural science collection of more than 10m specimens. Signs of trauma NMS researcher Dr David Cooper, who authored the study, said: "Choppers was beloved by audiences across the UK for years."Now the innovative application of osteobiographical analysis has allowed us to tell her story like never before."Her life is a testament to the many thousands of chimpanzees that were taken from the wild and charts a crucial shift in the priorities of zoos away from entertainment and towards education, conservation, research and welfare."Researchers were able to paint a picture of Choppers's key life events, including evidence of traumatic injuries sustained when she was poached in injuries impacted her throughout her life by impairing her movement and worsening degenerative issues linked to old age, the NMS said. Analysis of Choppers's teeth also indicated geographical and dietary shifts between the ages of three and four - coinciding with her move to the said her upper jaw was "significantly elongated" when compared with that of a wild chimpanzee, which they said reflected an early diet of sugary soft pointed out that in recent years the diets of zoo primates had shifted towards tougher, less sugary vegetables, which they said is leading to significant improvements in health and study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also involved researchers from the University of Exeter, the University of Reading, Twycross Zoo and the University of Dobbs, veterinary services manager at Twycross Zoo, said it was "delighted" to have been involved in the said: "Choppers was an important part of our history and this pioneering research offers new insights into her life and the evolving role of modern zoos."By supporting studies like this, we can continue to learn from the past and drive progress in animal care, welfare, science and conservation. It's an honour to be involved."
The Independent
12-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Scientists tell life story of ‘beloved' tea-drinking celebrity chimp
The life story of the 'beloved' chimpanzee star of a series of PG Tips adverts in the 1970s has been revealed in a new study. Choppers, a Western Chimpanzee, played Grandmother Ada Lott in the well-known advertisements when she was still a juvenile. She had been rescued from poachers in Sierra Leone at just six weeks old, before being brought to the UK. After starring in the ads, she was cared for at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire for more than 40 years, until her death in 2016. A team led by scientists at National Museums Scotland (NMS) has now told Choppers's story 'like never before', thanks to a cutting-edge scientific method called osteobiographical analysis. The technique, which involves detailed analysis of bones and tissue, is more commonly used in archaeology to reconstruct the life stories of ancient human subjects like Richard III, identifying where and how they lived in remarkable detail. It is rarely used on modern animal subjects – and this is the first time the technique has been applied so comprehensively to a zoo animal. NMS researcher Dr David Cooper, who authored the study, said: 'Choppers was beloved by audiences across the UK for years. 'Now the innovative application of osteobiographical analysis has allowed us to tell her story like never before. 'Her life is a testament to the many thousands of chimpanzees that were taken from the wild and charts a crucial shift in the priorities of zoos away from entertainment and towards education, conservation, research and welfare.' The study saw researchers use biogeochemical, pathological, and morphometric analytic techniques to paint a rich picture of Choppers's key life events. These included evidence of traumatic injuries sustained when she was poached from the wild in infancy, which impacted her throughout her life by impairing her movement and worsening degenerative issues linked to old age. Analysis of Choppers's teeth also indicated geographical and dietary shifts between the ages of three and four – coinciding with her move to the UK. Choppers played Grandmother Ada Lott before retiring as she reached puberty aged about six or seven. Researchers said her upper jaw was 'significantly elongated' when compared with that of a wild chimpanzee, which they said reflected an early diet of sugary soft fruit. They pointed out that in recent years the diets of zoo primates has shifted towards tougher, less sugary vegetables, which they said is leading to significant improvements in health and behaviour. After her death, Twycross Zoo donated Choppers's skeleton to NMS, where it became part of an internationally-significant natural science collection of more than 10 million specimens. Dr Andrew Kitchener, principal curator of vertebrate biology at NMS, said: 'Natural science collections are an invaluable resource in understanding the world in which we live, offering insight into some of the greatest challenges of our age, from biodiversity loss to the climate crisis. 'Our collections are increasingly reflecting the impacts of human activities both locally and globally, and hence are important for providing evidence of those impacts and how we can mitigate against them.' Phillipa Dobbs, veterinary services manager at Twycross Zoo, said it was 'delighted' to have been involved in the project. 'At Twycross Zoo, our commitment to animal welfare extends beyond an individual's lifetime, and studies like this allow us to ensure they contribute to scientific knowledge,' she said. 'Choppers was an important part of our history and this pioneering research offers new insights into her life and the evolving role of modern zoos. 'By supporting studies like this, we can continue to learn from the past and drive progress in animal care, welfare, science and conservation. It's an honour to be involved.' The study, which is published in the journal Scientific Reports, also involved researchers from the University of Exeter, the University of Reading, Twycross Zoo and the University of Edinburgh. The research is part of the Animal Feeding project funded by Wellcome, and comes as the NMS prepares to welcome the return of the biggest exhibition of primate biology ever staged, Monkeys: Our Primate Family, opening on June 28.
