China zoo bans visitors from letting chimp watch short videos over eyesight fears
Cheeky chimp Ding Ding develops film clip habit, zoo staff worry while online observers tell visitors to respect primate’s animal rights
A zoo in eastern China has sparked laughter online after it banned visitors from asking a chimpanzee to watch short videos, citing concerns for its eyesight.
Ding Ding, a two-year-old chimpanzee at Shanghai Wildlife Park whose gender has not been disclosed, has already won many hearts with its human baby-like charm.
Viral clips show it sipping milk cross-legged, hiding shyly in its keeper’s arms, and even swiping a lotus flower to munch petal by petal.
Netizens nicknamed Ding Ding the “flower thief”, joking that the keeper should not “punish the kid”.
Recently, posts online claimed Ding Ding had developed a fondness for short videos.
In one viral clip, a woman holds her phone to the glass of Ding Ding’s enclosure as music plays and the chimp stares intently at the screen, occasionally scratching its face in concentration.
Another visitor noted that Ding Ding seemed particularly drawn to funny videos and short dramas, suggesting that the sounds and visuals might be especially stimulating for animals.
