Latest news with #vanLeeuwen
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Chimpanzees engage in cheeky trendsetting behavior — proving they're more human-like than you realize, study reveals
Move over, fashion week — the hottest accessory of the season is a blade of grass shoved in your ear. Or, for the truly daring: your butt. Chimpanzees at a Zambian wildlife sanctuary are going viral — not for escaping or throwing poo, but for their bizarre behavior that's as puzzling as it is cheeky. At the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, one group of captive chimps has taken to dangling grass out of their ears, a trend researchers first spotted back in 2010, originally reported on by Live Science. But now, a second chimp clique has upped the ante — by sticking it where the sun don't shine. Yes, you read that right. A new study published July 4 in the journal 'Behaviour' reveals the latest primate pastime involves wedging grass into their rectums and letting it hang like the world's worst tail. Why? Even the experts are scratching their heads. The first trendsetter, a female chimp named Julie, kicked off the grassy-ear craze over a decade ago. After she died in 2013, her son and a few others kept the tradition alive. But it wasn't until 2023 that the butt-branch brigade burst onto the scene. Enter Juma — a male chimp and apparent innovator — who debuted the rear-end version of the fad, which spread faster than lice in a middle school locker room. A new study published July 4 uncovers the chimps' latest pastime: stuffing grass up their behinds and letting it dangle like a sad excuse for a tail. Paul – Within a week, his entire group was in on the gag — er, grass. Researchers, who watched the apes closely over a year, say the trend isn't about hygiene or comfort. It's all about clout. 'In captivity, they have more free time than in the wild,' van Leeuwen said. 'They don't have to stay as alert or spend as much time searching for food.' So with extra downtime and no TikTok to scroll, these chimps are showing off their flair — and perhaps strengthening their friend groups in the process. 'It could also serve a social purpose,' van Leeuwen added. 'By copying someone else's behaviour, you show that you notice and maybe even like that individual. So, it might help strengthen social bonds and create a sense of belonging within the group, just like it does in humans.' As The Post previously reported, wild chimps in West Africa were recently caught on camera cracking open cold ones of their own — in the form of fermented African breadfruit laced with booze. Researchers from the University of Exeter spotted the buzzed behavior in Guinea-Bissau's Cantanhez National Park, where the furry foragers shared the fruit — which clocked in at a light 0.61% ABV — in what may be the original happy hour. 'For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation,' ecologist Anna Bowland, lead author of the study, noted in her report. Experts say life in captivity gives chimps plenty of downtime — with meals delivered and no predators to dodge, they've got extra time to get weird. Kitch Bain – While the chimps likely didn't get tipsy off the low-proof fruit, scientists are digging into whether these jungle juice hangouts are rooted in early evolutionary bonding rituals. Overall, Charles Darwin never said evolution would be glamorous — just weirdly on-trend.
Winnipeg Free Press
07-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
City paints over frequently defaced reconciliation-themed mural in St. Vital pedestrian tunnel
A 37-metre-long mural designed to beautify a pedestrian tunnel and honour Indigenous history has been painted over, after repeatedly falling victim to graffiti. In 2021, the collaborative work of art was unveiled along the walls of the underground tunnel connecting Glenlawn Collegiate, the South Winnipeg YMCA branch and the St. Vital Library, with a design meant to mark a step in reconciliation. The once-dingy space constructed back in 1965 was rejuvenated with poems and a colourful depiction of traditional healing plants and animals. Free Press Files St. Vital city councillor Brian Mayes takes in the mural in 2021 in the pedestrian tunnel underneath Fermor Avenue connecting the St. Vital Library to Glenlawn Collegiate. The mural has been painted over, after repeatedly falling victim to graffiti. But the project that took weeks to complete was vandalized soon after. 'The mural was put up, initially, with some incredible students from Glenlawn and a couple of mural artists…. Unfortunately, within a short time there was some tagging on the actual mural. We removed as much as we could and then we had to redo the mural in its entirety. We redid the mural next spring and, again, within a short period of time, it was defaced and defaced and defaced. So, then we just painted it over,' said Tom Ethans, executive director of Take Pride Winnipeg. Ethans said graffiti piled up so fast that small repairs wouldn't do, leading to a repainting in spring 2022 and, finally, a crew of city and Take Pride workers completely covering it with white paint in the summer of 2023. Graffiti showed up over the now-blank wall soon after that, he said. Ethans said the city tried to keep the space secure with cameras and lighting, which were also damaged. He believes the tunnel's relative privacy convinces vandals they can deface it without consequence. 'The only way it would have stopped is if you had somebody down there 24 hours a day, guarding it…. It's just disappointing, because they don't respect the artist's work,' he said. Artist Mandy van Leeuwen, who provided direction on the project painted by Glenlawn students, said losing the mural was incredibly frustrating. 'That was irritating beyond belief, how disrespectful people can be…. Here we are, trying to include people, (help) students to express themselves and be creative, beautify a space, but also learn from each other, and then to have that happen over and over,' said van Leeuwen. She said Jeannie Whitebird of Rolling River First Nation led the project as a knowledge keeper, making it even more meaningful. 'I thought it was really beautiful what she could share with us and what we could make together,' said van Leeuwen. She said the graffiti was wide-ranging, with profanity and various expressions of hate. Discarded needles and various forms of trash were also spotted in the tunnel at times, leading van Leeuwen to suggest it be closed permanently. 'I say fill it in and put an above-ground walkway. There's scary things that are going on down there sometimes,' she said. On Wednesday, several large portions of the white walls bore graffiti, while small piles of trash were scattered on the tunnel floor. Coun. Brian Mayes said he doesn't support closing the tunnel, since it still helps people safely cross underneath Fermor Avenue. 'It encourages people to cross a busy street in a safe manner,' said Mayes (St. Vital) . The councillor said he made the tunnel a beautification priority and was thrilled to see the city spend $300,000 to upgrade its tiles, stairs and lighting in 2020. He also provided $10,000 of ward funding for the mural, and Take Pride Winnipeg contributed $6,000. '(Before the repairs) it was just in really horrible condition,' he said. 'Lots of graffiti, the tiles all smashed up, the lights smashed up, with lots of complaints about lack of safety.' He said Take Pride reached out with the mural idea soon after the city's tunnel repair, which exceeded his vision for the site, at least until the graffiti returned. 'It's just a cautionary tale about (beautifying) things in the city…. You need things to be (highly) visible because, with the best of intentions, we did this project and we've ended up really back where we started,' said Mayes. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up The councillor said the tunnel is often used by folks to quickly travel between the Y and the library, though he has been asked to shut it down before. He said those calls were linked to concerns the site offered a mostly concealed spot where people could smoke and, possibly, buy drugs. City spokesperson Julie Horbal Dooley said it cost about $3,000 to repaint over 'excessive graffiti' at the site, which the city continues to monitor. 'We periodically visit the site and are also semi-frequently responding to service requests (there). The tunnel is consistently targeted with graffiti, making beautification efforts… challenging,' Horbal Dooley wrote in an emailed statement. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne Pursaga Reporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press 's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. 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