Zoo Chimpanzee Delights Visitors by Expertly Tossing Back Sandal That Fell into His Enclosure

Kelli Bender

22 May 2024 at 11:18 am·2-min read

Dong Dong the chimpanzee has a reputation at Shendiao Mountain Wildlife Park in China for being polite and intelligent

<p>Newsflare</p> Dong Dong the chimpanzee throwing a shoe out of his zoo enclosure — Newsflare
Dong Dong the chimpanzee throwing a shoe out of his zoo enclosure

Dong Dong the chimpanzee doesn't believe in the adage "finders, keepers."

The compassionate chimpanzee resides at Shendiao Mountain Wildlife Park in China's Shandong Province, according to Newsflare. On May 13, a visitor to the zoo stopped by the chimpanzee exhibit and accidentally dropped their sandal in the habitat while viewing the animals.

After the footwear landed in the primates' enclosure, Dong Dong approached the shoe and picked it up. The animal then started playing with the surprise gift, much to the dismay of the shoe's owner.

In response, the zoo visitor located a zookeeper and asked for assistance retrieving their sandal. The zookeeper agreed to help and communicated with Dong Dong from the walkway above the chimpanzee's enclosure.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Footage of the exchange shows the ape, who is sitting with the sandal in his mouth at the start of the clip, looking up at the keeper as the person addresses him. Shortly after the keeper communicates with Dong Dong, the chimpanzee expertly tosses the sandal from his perch up and over the railing surrounding his habitat. The primate's high toss is precise enough to land the sandal near the keeper's feet.

The clip ends with the shoe returning to its rightful owner as Dong Dong watches.

According to Newsflare, Dong Dong has a reputation at Shendiao Mountain Wildlife Park. He is known for being intelligent and helpful. Zoo officials informed the outlet that this is not the first time 14-year-old Dong Dong has returned a dropped item to a park visitor.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

A different zoo in China shocked its visitors when it started displaying panda dogs. The animals added to the Taizhou Zoo turned out to be Chow Chow dogs painted to look like pandas.

Video of the canines taken at the zoo shows two "panda dogs" walking around a habitat, wagging their tails and looking at visitors through the glass.

A zoo spokesperson confirmed that the panda dogs were Chow Chows and that the zoo purchased and dyed them after the facility was denied the opportunity to house giant pandas.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.

The Independent
Eight puppies abandoned in dangerous heatwave are rescued by police
All the puppies dumped in Fort Worth are healthy and have found new homes
The Independent
Kinkajou - a rainforest animal - is rescued from a dusty rest stop in Washington state
Kinkajous are carnivores that live in tropical rainforests from southern Mexico through Brazil
The Telegraph
Falkland Islands eyes economic boom in talks to exploit huge oil field
The Falkland Islands has opened the door to oil exploration in its waters for the first time in history, in a move that could trigger an economic boom for locals.
CNN
Extreme heat: Tracking temperatures and risks across the US this summer
CNN is tracking extreme heat conditions for Americans each day. See where the risks are greatest — and where high temperature records might be broken.
CNN
A third of shark species face extinction. Here’s what one man is doing to help
Diego Cardenosa has loved sharks ever since he was a child. The Colombia native was never afraid of them when he visited his beloved beach. He was fascinated with how sharks moved through water using their multiple fins.
AFP News
Planting giant cactus to stave off desertification in Brazil
Giant spiky cacti tower over farmer Alcides Peixinho Nascimento, 70, one of the residents of Brazil's unique Caatinga biome who is on a mission to plant native vegetation in a bid to halt desertification."Preserving the Caatinga means keeping the land alive," said the farmer Nascimento.
BBC
Affordable home families hit by 450% gas price rise
About 1,000 residents in Edinburgh see their heating bills jump by almost 550%.
CNN
Fact check: Sea levels are already rising faster per year than Trump claims they might rise over ‘next 497 years’
The day after their CNN presidential debate, former President Donald Trump cited a wildly inaccurate figure about sea levels to mock President Joe Biden’s debate claim that “the only existential threat to humanity is climate change.”
CNN
Hurricane Beryl intensifies into ‘very dangerous’ Category 3 storm as it approaches the Caribbean
Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, intensified into a “very dangerous” Category 3 storm on Sunday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Euronews
From Bornean elephants to Chilean cacti: Red list of threatened species jumps by 6,000
Reptiles have suffered a “staggering” decline in the Canary Islands and Ibiza, but there’s good news for one European species.
CNN
How to survive a shark attack – or better yet, avoid one entirely
You are incredibly unlikely to be attacked by a shark. But if you are that very rare person who is, here’s what to do when a shark goes after you.
CNN
Shark bites man who was boating off Florida coast, leaving him in critical condition
A shark attack off Florida’s east coast left a man aboard a boat with a “severe bite to his right arm” on Friday, according to authorities.
People
Why Are Thousands of Lego Pieces Washing Up on Beaches? The Answer Lies in a 1997 Cargo Ship Spill (Exclusive)
Tracey Williams tells PEOPLE how the Lego Lost at Sea project got started
Futurism
Startups Working on Using the Ocean as Huge Waste Dump for CO2 to Save Earth From Climate Change
Flow State Our fight against climate change is getting desperate. We may be on our way to a renewables-powered future, but until then, immediate solutions are needed to contend with soaring temperatures and rising sea levels. That has scientists considering ambitious large-scale projects to engineer the climate in our favor, such as reducing the sunlight […]
Euronews
Criminals stole hundreds of rare cacti from Chile. Now an Italian NGO is suing the suspects
An Italian conservation organisation is suing two people at the centre of a cacti smuggling lawsuit for damaging its work to support biodiversity.
The Guardian
Britain embraces pond life as aquatic garden plant sales boom
RHS reports 35% surge in orders, while garden designers note pond trend at Hampton Court Palace flower show
The Guardian
Eastern Australia to shiver through cold week as snow predicted for ski fields in Victoria and NSW
Weather bureau says the cold front sweeping from SA to Tasmania will move up into alpine areas to bring much-needed snowfalls
Associated Press
Brazil's Pantanal wetlands fire season hasn't officially started but it's already breaking records
Brazil’s massive Pantanal wetlands haven't technically entered annual fire season, but already the number of blazes has broken records and is leading experts to predict this year will be the most devastating in decades. Typically the world’s largest tropical wetlands dry out and are prone to fires from July to September. But the National Space Research Institute’s satellites spotted over 2,500 fires in the region in June alone -- by far the most ever recorded for the month in data going back to 1998. “We are facing one of the worst situations ever seen in the Pantanal,” Environment Minister Marina Silva told journalists Monday, adding that the entire Paraguay River basin is experiencing severe water scarcity.
CBC
'Very good at everything': Nunavut residents remember pilot Natalie Gillis
Natalie Gillis is described by people who knew her as ambitious, joyful, talented and humble. The 34-year-old died June 17 when her plane, a twin-engine Pier PA-31, crashed approximately three kilometres southwest of the Albany International Airport in New York. She was working for Kasi Aviation, an airline in Montreal that specializes in aerial surveys and mapping services. A pilot, photographer, and outdoor guide, Gillis filled her life with experiences that took her from the Arctic to the Ant
CNN
Beryl strengthens into a hurricane. Here’s what we know
CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar breaks down what we know about Tropical Storm Beryl and explains the severe storms posing a risk to 80 million Americans.

Latest stories