Series 02: Alan Gibson Stewart papers, 1987-1989 - Page 679
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society of chimps. Her book "In the Shadow of Man" was widely accalimed. The philosophy of the management of many Zoos, including Taronga, began to change, as the need to provide captive animals with more natural surroundings was realised. Concrete and steel began to give way to grass and trees.
At Taronga, the chimps were moved to a large new grassed enclosure. At one end were wooden cabins where they could retire for privacy. The public viewed the enclosure from the other end. The chimps were only on display when they wanted to be.
That Saturday, I spent a long time watching the chimp lifestyle. They were calmly coping with their social interactions, utilizing their open space, and apparently making no concessions for human observers. They were not in the forests of Africa, from which their ancestors had been transported. They were Australian born and could not go back to a forgotten culture.
Providence had now given them a choice: they could remain inside their private shelter, safe from prying eyes but without a natural habitat; or they could emerge and claim their rightful territory with dignity. Most of the time, they chose the later option.
I wondered what was the natural habitat of Homo sapiens in contemporary Australia. Given a choice, would we enhance our social structure by emerging and using our true territory, or would we remain in our