(18 Apr 2007)
1. Wide shot of entrance to Antwerp Zoo
2. Close-up of Zoo logo
3. Wide shot of glass enclosure for chimpanzees
4. Close-up of posters showing chimpanzees
5. Woman reading zoo notice
6. Wide shot of notice posted on glass to chimpanzee enclosure, zoom in to close up of notice
7. Pan across notice
8. Wide shot of chimpanzee enclosure
9. Close-up of chimpanzee sleeping
10. Various shots of chimpanzees in enclosure
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ilse Segers, Spokeswoman for Antwerp Zoo:
"What we ask is for our daily visitors, who stay here for half an hour, an hour, just to get in contact with that animal and try to have contact, try to look him in the eyes, we ask for this period not to do it because then it delays the social integration of the animal in the group and that's what we aim and that's our goal."
12. Wide shot of visitors walking through the zoo
13. Various of girl looking at chimpanzee through glass
14. Wide shot of visitors looking through glass
15. Man looking through glass
16. Close-up of sign describing chimpanzees in enclosure
17. Various shots of chimpanzees in enclosure
18. Man and child looking at chimpanzees
19. Chimpanzee sitting in branch
20. Children looking through glass
21. SOUNDBITE: (French) Vox-Pop, Zoo visitor:
"It's a pity because it's in the eyes where all their expression lies."
22. Visitors looking at chimpanzees
23. SOUNDBITE: (French) Vox-Pop, Zoo visitor:
"If it is for the good of the animal, then we better avoid it (having eye contact). If it's for their good, yes."
24. Visitors walking through zoo
STORYLINE:
Officials at Antwerp Zoo urged visitors on Wednesday to avoid making eye contact with chimpanzees, claiming it may delay one particular male chimp from forging a social bond with the other apes.
A new set of rules was posted outside the chimp enclosure at the city zoo urging visitors, especially regular daily ones, not to form a bond with a male chimp named 'Cheetah.'
He was raised by humans but is now trying to forge a social bond with the other seven apes at the animal park, a zoo official said.
"We ask for this period not to do it because then it delays the social integration of the animal in the group and that's what we aim and that's our goal," zoo spokeswoman Ilse Segers told Associated Press Television.
She said that Cheetah's continued interaction with humans was delaying the social integration of the animal in the group, and isolating the ape from the others.
A sign posted on the glass enclosure requests onlookers not to stare at the apes.
"Look away when an animal seeks to make contact with you, or take a step back," said the sign.
"Some individuals are more interested with visitors than their own kind."
Segers said the zoo was not barring visitors from looking at the chimps altogether.
The 164-year old Antwerp Zoo is one of the oldest animal parks in Europe, attracting around 1.3 (m) million visitors a year.
Keyword-animals wacky
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