Twycross ZooDetails of the life of a “beloved” chimpanzee who starred in a series of adverts for PG Tips tea has been revealed in a new study.
Choppers, a Western Chimpanzee, played Grandmother Ada Lott in the long-running advertising campaign while still a juvenile.
She was cared for at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire for more than 40 years until her death in 2016.
Now a team led by scientists at National Museums Scotland (NMS) says a “cutting-edge” technique of analysis – the same used to reconstruct the life of Richard III whose remains were found in a Leicester car park – has allowed them to tell her story “like never before”.
The scientific method, called osteobiographical analysis, involves detailed analysis of bones and tissue, and is more commonly used in archaeology to reconstruct the life stories of ancient human subjects, identifying where and how they lived in remarkable detail.
But according to the NMS, it is rarely used on modern animal subjects, with this being the first time the technique has been applied so comprehensively to a zoo animal.
Unilever/PG TipsChoppers had been rescued from poachers in West Africa at just six weeks old before being brought to the UK and was cared for at Twycross Zoo for more than 40 years.
She retired from playing Ada Lott when she reached puberty aged about six or seven.
Twycross Zoo previously said Choppers was the last surviving PG Tips chimp after her co-habitant Louis died July 2013.
In 2014, the zoo – where chimps were trained for TV – told the BBC the use of apes on television had been wrong and that the chimps suffered long-term damage.
After her death, Twycross Zoo donated Choppers’s skeleton to NMS, where it became part of a natural science collection of more than 10m specimens.
Signs of trauma
NMS researcher Dr David Cooper, who authored the study, said: “Choppers was beloved by audiences across the UK for years.
“Now the innovative application of osteobiographical analysis has allowed us to tell her story like never before.
“Her life is a testament to the many thousands of chimpanzees that were taken from the wild and charts a crucial shift in the priorities of zoos away from entertainment and towards education, conservation, research and welfare.”
Researchers were able to paint a picture of Choppers’s key life events, including evidence of traumatic injuries sustained when she was poached in infancy.
Those injuries impacted her throughout her life by impairing her movement and worsening degenerative issues linked to old age, the NMS said.
National Museums of ScotlandAnalysis of Choppers’s teeth also indicated geographical and dietary shifts between the ages of three and four – coinciding with her move to the UK.
Researchers said her upper jaw was “significantly elongated” when compared with that of a wild chimpanzee, which they said reflected an early diet of sugary soft fruit.
They pointed out that in recent years the diets of zoo primates had shifted towards tougher, less sugary vegetables, which they said is leading to significant improvements in health and behaviour.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also involved researchers from the University of Exeter, the University of Reading, Twycross Zoo and the University of Edinburgh.
Phillipa Dobbs, veterinary services manager at Twycross Zoo, said it was “delighted” to have been involved in the project.
She said: “Choppers was an important part of our history and this pioneering research offers new insights into her life and the evolving role of modern zoos.
“By supporting studies like this, we can continue to learn from the past and drive progress in animal care, welfare, science and conservation. It’s an honour to be involved.”
