John Mitani

And this is a difference between chimps and humans that actually gives me hope, especially in this time of increasing polarization.

Well, we practice a policy of non-intervention, and we maintain a healthy distance away from chimps, in part because we've learned over the years that we can actually pass on diseases, human-borne diseases, to them.

So we maintain a good distance from them while we're out there trying to observe what they're doing.

We actually mask chimps.

now so as to prevent airborne diseases spreading from us to them.

We use surgical face masks as people were using during the COVID pandemic to prevent us from doing any harm

Well, one thing I'll tell you is that the thing I've learned over the years is that each and every individual human forms different kinds of attachments to different chimpanzees.

One of the things we know about chimps is something that Jane described so many years ago.

Like us, they're all different.

And humans, we form different attachments to different people for a variety of different reasons.

And that's why I have my favorites, my colleagues, students, friends who come out and study them, form attachments with others.

Who knows, you know, at the end of the day why.

It's something that's also difficult for me to explain.

No, I would think it would be impossible to intervene because, again, they're so much stronger and more powerful than us.

And, you know, it has...

Again, you know, what we want to do at the end of the day as scientists is to document what's happening.

And we try not to intervene.

It's...

as difficult as these things are for us to describe and watch.

No, I don't think at the end of the day this would be a good idea.