Featured Image Credit: Douyin
Topics: TikTok, Social Media, Animals
Joshua Nair
A Chinese zoo has released a statement after it banned visitors from showing videos to a baby chimpanzee.
It's a line you'd never expect to read in your life but it is 2025, after all.
Visitors at the Shanghai Wildlife Park started to show short-form clips to a young primate, creating some viral moments because of the animal's human-like reactions.
The two-year-old is called Ding Ding and it's been seen drinking milk with its legs crossed, clinging shyly to keepers, and picking petals from flowers to eat on - all adorable behaviours that would probably do the rounds on social media on its own.
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But it's the way little Ding Ding has been watching videos through the glass of its enclosure that has caused the wildlife park to intervene and put a stop to it.
It's not because the chimpanzee might develop a doom-scrolling addiction though, as the zoo was forced to place a notice in front of its enclosure to stop the trend from escalating.
Visitors are now forbidden from showing the young primate their devices, with the sketch featuring a picture of Ding Ding and a phone, which has been crossed out.
Apparently, too much screen time can cause vision problems and even stress for the chimp.
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Speaking to the South China Morning Post, a zoo worker said: “If a chimpanzee cannot see clearly and cannot communicate with humans, it may become anxious, leading to health problems.”
One particular clip showing the trend in action was uploaded to Douyin, China's version of TikTok, where a woman pressed her phone against the glass with music as Ding Ding looked on with attention.
Visitors claimed that it was attracted to comedic clips and short dramas in particular, but this prompted many to start showing the chimp videos on their phones.
The ban, while necessary, sparked a humorous response online, with users joking that their own children are just as addicted to screens as Ding Ding appears to be, while one said that maybe the zoo should 'take their child' too because of this.
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There are currently no penalties in place for breaking the rules, however, those visiting have been urged to follow the guidelines, warning that unlike us homo sapiens, the chimps can't head down to Specsavers and get a pair of glasses.
Bottom line, maybe we shouldn't get animals addicted to social media - if we're trapped in the endless scroll, why should they be?