On March 2, 1991 a high speed police chased turned into a brutal police beating of the intoxicated Rodney King. Rodney King was driving down the 210 freeway at 12:30 AM when Tim and Melanie Singer spotted him. They pursude him at speeds of up to 117 miles per hour. King eventually went up a ramp and stopped at the intersection of Osbourne and Foothill Boulevard, where three more cop cars that were holding Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, Rolando Solano, and Sergeant Stacy Koon, showed up along with a police helicopter. Singer got out of her car and ordered the suspects to get down on the ground, where Allen and Helms did as they were told who were with him in the vehicle, King did not. She told him again and he finally got out but not before he "grabbed his right buttock with his right hand and shook it" at Singer, as she recalls. Melanie Singer had her gun drawn and was going to arrest him when Sergeant Koon told her to stand back because they could handle…
Wolf’s Guenons, Old World monkeys, are found at south of Africa’s Congo River. Their habitat is forests, woodlands, near rivers and streams. They have a unique way of jumping from tree to tree: they aim at the center of dense clump of foliage and leap. When they land, they scramble through the branches and find a large, steady limb, and then hurl themselves at the next clump of foliage from there. Like many other guenons, their smaller body size allows them to forage farther out on small branches and escape leopards and chimpanzees by fleeing to the outer edge. This colorful species of monkey has nothing to do with a wolf. It was named after the last name of the person who discovered it. Like other guenons, Wolf’s Guenons love to eat fruit. Other favorites include leaves, plant nectars, and insects. All guenons have cheek pouches they can store food in as they forage. Wolf’s Guenons may live with other related species in small social groups. They have been seen in Africa living with red-tailed monkeys, black Mangabeys, and black-and-white Colobus monkeys. This species status is vulnerable due to destruction of forest habitat for agriculture and logging, excessive hunting for food, and illegal bushmeat trade. Mandrills, endangered monkeys from Africa, are one of the largest and most colorful monkeys in the world. Male mandrills that sport the brightest and most distinctive reds, blues, lavenders, and golds on their faces and fur are thought to be most attractive to females. Their bright colors also play a role in keeping the troop together as they travel in the forest. Mandrill troops contain one dominant male, several females, and their offspring, usually about 20 animals. Super troops of several hundred may gather where food is plentiful. Mandrills come equipped with their own…
Dawn breaks over the horizon in the remote wilderness of the equatorial forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a large community of bonobos splits up for the day. Stomach gurgling, a bonobo wanders off with his group in search of food. Moving as swiftly and majestically as a gymnast, the bonobo swings from tree to tree, its kind brown eyes scanning the trees of the Salonga National forest in search of fruits and insects for ingestion. The ape and his group travel together and go about their day in search of anything but trouble. Thick black hair stands out, not blending with the tree trunks, making the apes somewhat easier to see in the dense forest and giving them a disadvantage over their human predators. When the sun begins to descend over the thick forest, the original community reunites to nest for the night. Once reunited, the apes begin to hoot and squeal, filling the twilight with a variety of high-pitched screams and noises that make them sound as if they’re singing a song. After concluding their…
The mountain gorillas of Virunga National Park are in serious danger. There around 800 gorillas living in the world and the majority of the gorillas live in the park of Virunga. There are four mountain gorillas located in a gorilla orphanage in Virunga. These mountain gorilla species located here are the only remaining gorillas in the world. The mountain gorillas are in danger because poachers are trying to steal the remaining gorillas and sell them. They would try to kill the parents and take the babies. In July of 2006, there was a big massacre of the mountain gorillas. The poachers waited until dark to sneak into the forest and find the well-known Rugendo family of twelve. The villagers outside of the forest heard gunshots only to find the female leader of the family murdered along with her infants. A total of nine gorillas were killed. Two months earlier, two females and an infant were attacked. One of the female gorilla and the infant were injured, and the other…
I don’t think when talking about the mountain gorillas it was a coincidence the only two things he mentioned were how they eschew outcasts (referring to Billy’s mom), and the dominant male’s silver line down the spine. After Billy asks if the Silverback’s son becomes the leader, too, his ‘syndrome’ is…
In the Himalayas of Asia, it is known as a Yeti; in the Pacific Northwest of America it is known as Bigfoot. Bigfoot is described as a large, hairy, muscular, ape-like creature, covered in hair ranging from black to dark red. This creature stands anywhere from six to ten feet in height and weighs somewhere in between six hundred and nine hundred pounds. The enormous footprints for which it is named after range anywhere from four inches long to twenty-seven inches long; however, the average recorded length of a footprint is fifteen and a half inches long (Fahrenbach). There are many similar characteristics recorded about Bigfoot. However, some of the most diverse includes the climate the creature was spotted in, how the creature appeared like, and what the creature was doing when it was spotted.…
Humans have been interested in odd creatures and beings from mythology for most of time. One of these beings is Bigfoot. Bigfoot is a large ape like being that lives in forests all round the world. But a large part of the sightings are in the northwest of the United States and up into Canada. Bigfoots are also thought to be related to the Yeti. References to, and recorded sightings of Bigfoots have been around for a very long time. There are also many eyewitness accounts and odd events that have ben described as being Bigfoots.…
Chapter 1: Dian Fossey plans a trip for seven weeks to Africa where she will study gorillas and meet scientists Louis and Mary Leakey. Fossey goes with the Leakey’s to look at a giraffe fossil at an excavation site. She ends up falling into the ditch where the fossil was, breaking her ankle and throwing up all over the fossil. After two weeks of recovering, Fossey goes to study gorillas with Alan Root, a photographer, and his wife, Joan. After watching the gorillas, Fossey returns to her hometown, Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Leakey then offers Fossey an opportunity to study gorillas in Africa for a long period of time, and it will be completely free for Fossey. Fossey agrees and once again begins her trip to Africa. She goes out with her tracker Sanweke to an area known to have a high population of gorillas, a camp at Kabara in the Parc des Virungas. Fossey and her tracker find three groups of gorillas near her camp. Fossey tries to identify the gorillas by recording their nose prints, which like human fingerprints, are different for each individual. As she continues to study the gorillas, Fossey realizes that her actions can impact the gorillas’ actions. "Any observer is an intruder in the domain of a wild animal and must remember that the rights of that animal supersede human interests. An observer must also keep in mind that an animal's memories of one day's contact might well be reflected in the follow day's behavior." (14). At the end of the chapter, soldiers approach Fossey and take her away because of political upheaval. Fossey, acting stupid so she gets released, gets very excited and crazy once her hen Lucy lays an egg. The soldiers release her and she goes back to Dr. Leakey. He takes her to the Rwandan side of the mountain so she can continue her research with other groups of gorillas without any distractions from the soldiers.…
Primates are one of the most interesting mammals on earth, not only because of their complex social structures, but because they hold so many similar characteristics to humans. Primates are often cited as our closest living relatives and on two separate occasions I observed four separate species of primates at the San Diego Zoo that can justify their use of their physical characteristics and behaviors that may be similar as well as different to the other primates and ours.…
There have been many legends and myths surrounding wild men in the woods. However, none of these other creatures compare to Bigfoot. Over time, stories about Bigfoot have entered oral tradition and become part of regional folklore. Since 1904, people have claimed to see this creature. In 1904, sightings began in Oregon where settlers along the Sixes River claimed to have witnessed and every since then, sightings have been reported from every corner of North America. Although there are many sightings being reported, bigfoot has sparked debate and led to many questions regarding the proof of it. Is Bigfoot real, or is it all in my imagination?…
Humans are an extremely curious animal and are always trying to discover what capabilities other animals possess, whether the capabilities are the same or entirely different than humans the curiosity still exists. Human beings study and observe animals in the hopes of learning more about them, and sometimes in hopes of learning more about human beings of now or human beings of the past. People often study non-human primates just to compare their levels and types of intelligence to that of humans, such as looking to discover if they have or can learn communication and language that is comparable to that of human language. Knowing whether another grouping of animals, especially non-human primates, can have a complex language or system of communication…
The order of Primates is comprised of an estimated 230-270 species, however, new species are being discovered every year and some scientists classify them using sub-specie groups, which makes it difficult to count an exact number of primate species in existence today. Most primates are found in tropical or subtropical regions of the world, but have never existed in Australia or most of the islands of the Pacific. Most primates are arboreal, meaning that they live in trees. Humans and gorillas are two species that are primarily terrestrial. Most primates are also diurnal, meaning they are active throughout hours of daylight and then sleep at night. They are also omnivorous and generalists, meaning that they will eat almost anything. This…
i. A gorilla caused panic after escaping a Dutch zoo last week. Bokito, an 11-year-old gorilla, injured four people. After two hours the zookeepers were finally able to catch the animal. The gorilla was taken back to its cage.…
Primates are some of the most interesting animals to watch and learn about whether it be in person at a zoo or seeing a film or documentary on wild ones in a natural environment. Part of this reason is due to the incredible amount of similarities found in between primates and humans. After observing two different primate species at a local zoo, I found out that by observing their behavior, we gain a small insight into human behaviors and their roots. Today I will discuss the different types of behavior I observed as well as the effects of being in captivity and how this helps us understand hunan behavior.…
Global warming is becoming a big issue of concern for walruses and seals. Earth’s temperature has risen by 1.5°F over the past century, it is predicted to rise another .5 to 8.6°F over the next hundred years (Climate Change: Basic Information). Small changes in the average temperature can cause large and potentially dangerous shifts in the climate and weather. Oceans and glaciers experienced tremendous changes. As oceans are warming they are becoming more acidic, ice caps are melting, and sea levels are rising. These factors pose threats to walruses and seals. Human activities are releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The majority of gases are coming from the burning of fossil fuels.…