Chongqing - Yuhui, a male chimpanzee in the Chongqing Lehe Ledu Animal Theme Park, is an emerging “influencer” online with over one million followers. However, the zookeeper Xu Zhengkun views Yuhui as a cute and intelligent chimpanzee instead of an “influencer.”
With strong learning and imitation abilities, he can wash clothes, sweep the floor, and even trim nails like a human. Yuhui is loved by the public. In the Zookeeper's eyes, Yuhui has his own aesthetic values and also gets moody occasionally; noticing bruises on Xu’s arm, he will stroke his arm tenderly as if comforting him.
From chimpanzee to ‘influencer’
“I have accidentally discovered that by imitating human behavior, Yuhui knows how to do laundry: it rubs soap on the T-shirt and washes it by hand, sometimes even with a brush. You can tell he is a master of doing this.” Xu recorded videos showing Yuhui’s skills and posted them online. To his surprise, the videos have gone viral and amused many netizens.
Yuhui, the chimpanzee, was doing laundry. (Photo/Liu Li, Upstream News)
The chimpanzee has many other skills. He has learned how to trim nails recently. If the weather is good, he will drink milk gracefully through a straw to enjoy the taste.
Yuhui, the chimpanzee, was trimming his nails. (Photo/Liu Li, Upstream News)
Yuhui, the chimpanzee, was drinking milk through a straw. (Photo/Liu Li, Upstream News)
Yuhui wins praise from people and receives far more attention and love than the Park has expected. “Yuhui is a model worker,” “He is more capable than me,” joked the netizens. Fans sent a refrigerator worth thousands of yuan, expensive seasonal fruits, and tasty drinks to the Park, all for Yuhui.
There are also doubts focusing on one question: whether Yuhui’s skills have been deliberately trained. “Of course not. Chimpanzees are highly intelligent primates and also fierce beasts. They are not as gentle and approachable as imagined.” Xu thinks that Yuhui is excellent at observation, and his learning and imitation abilities are stronger than other chimpanzees.
Xu sees a different Yuhui
Xu became a zookeeper at the Chongqing Lehe Ledu Animal Theme Park in 2007. Nine years later, he began caring for Yuhui, a 15-year-old chimpanzee.
Xu usually starts his day by preparing meals for chimpanzees in the morning. Yuhui eats two meals and about 4-6 kilograms of food daily. Adjustments will be made according to the season and the chimpanzee’s physical conditions. Xu said feeding is not enough for advanced primates like chimpanzees; zookeepers should also care about their physiological and psychological needs. For example, considering chimpanzees are good at climbing, the Park has entertained Yuhui with new facilities, including hexagonal barbells, hanging rings, and swing benches, which benefit his physical and mental health.
Zookeeper Xu Zhengkun was preparing meals for chimpanzees. (Photo/Liu Li, Upstream News)
In fact, working as a zookeeper is far from easy. Instead, it is tedious, tiring, and even full of danger. Regarding why he has stuck to his post for many years, besides his love for wildlife, Xu also recalled his unique “moment of career satisfaction” thanks to Yuhui. “Once, I had a small bruise on my arm. Noticing it, Yuhui gently touched my arm, comforting me like a human.” Accompanying animals for 16 years, Xu summarized his experience with one sentence: "If you treat animals well, they will treat you well. Animals will never be deceived by words.”
While fans express their love by sending gifts generously, Xu’s love is embodied in his intimate relationship with Yuhui, whose interesting daily life is frequently shared in Xu’s WeChat Moments. On International Workers’ Day, he captured the expression of Yuhui sitting on the parallel bars and pouting. The photo was posted with the caption, “I’m not happy working overtime on May 1.” “I have to stop evolving; otherwise, I’ll be pushed to work like a human.” Amused by such comments under Yuhui’s dishwashing video, Xu took a screenshot and saved it. He even knows Yuhui’s little quirks. “The tourists find it interesting seeing Yuhui. Yuhui also finds it interesting to observe the tourists.” Immersed in describing Yuhui’s every detail, Xu seemed to ignore anything else and left no chance for interruption. Xu sees a different Yuhui, more multifaceted, behind his intelligent and cute portrait known by the public.
The chimpanzee Yuhui was looking at the tourists. (Photo/Liu Li, Upstream News)
In his spare time, Xu chats with many other zookeepers online. They share experiences and learn to analyze and understand animal behavior and psychology. Xu calls on more people to protect and love wild animals. He said that animals' intelligence and human-like behavior are just byproducts of their healthy growth, which is attributed to the love from all the people caring about them.
（Ying Zhuyu, as an intern, also contributed to this report.）