AssetID: 54601372
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Choppers The PG Tips Chimp's Life Story Told Through Skeleton
Caption: The story of the life of one of the PG Tips chimps has been told using analysis of her skeleton. Choppers was a Western Chimpanzee who starred in the popular 1970s PG Tips television adverts, and highlights the evolving role of zoos over the past 50 years. She played Grandmother Ada Lott in the popular British tea commercials, was rescued from poachers in Sierra Leone at just six weeks old. Brought to the UK, she became a household name before being retired at around six or seven years of age. She spent over 40 years in the care of Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire until her death in 2016. Osteobiographies are more commonly used to reconstruct the lives of ancient human figures, such as Richard III but this study marks the first time the method has been applied so thoroughly to a zoo animal. The study revealed key moments in Choppers' life, including evidence of traumatic injuries sustained when she was poached as an infant which affected her mobility and exacerbated age-related degenerative issues later in life. Isotopic analysis of her tooth enamel indicated a distinct geographical and dietary shift between the ages of three and four, coinciding with her relocation to the UK.
Keywords: Science & Technology,PG Tips chimps,Choppers the chimp,National Museums Scotland,osteobiography,zoo animal skeleton analysis,Twycross Zoo,chimpanzee history,Western Chimpanzee,PG Tips adverts,Grandmother Ada Lott,chimpanzee poaching,Sierra Leone,zoo entertainment to conservation shift,primate research,biogeochemical analysis,morphometric analysis,traumatic injuries,diet changes,tooth enamel analysis,scientific reports,Monkeys: Our Primate Family exhibition,animal welfare,veterinary research,National Collection,biodiversity loss,climate crisis,University of Exeter,University of Reading,University of Edinburgh,Wellcome-funded project,chimpanzees,primates,zoo history,animal conservation,wildlife research,skeletal analysis,scientific discovery,poaching,habitat loss,zoological studies,evolutionary biology,natural history,museum collections,environmental impact,climate change,diet and health,primate care,conservation initiatives,ethical zoos,animal studies
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