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Oliver is a Common Chimpanzee and a former performing ape once promoted as a missing link or "Humanzee" due to an unusually human-like face and a tendency to walk upright. The Common Chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes) also known as the Robust Chimpanzee, is a great ape. Transitional fossils are the Fossilized remains of transitional forms of life that illustrate an evolutionary transition The Humanzee (also known as the Chuman or Manpanzee) is a hypothetical Chimpanzee / Human hybrid. Bipedalism is a form of Terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs Despite his somewhat unusual appearance and behavior, Oliver is, genetically speaking, a normal chimpanzee. However, research into specific genetic markers shows that Oliver has several inconsistencies with control groups of both traditional and bonobo chimpanzees.

Contents

Early life

Oliver was acquired as a young animal (around 2 years old[1]) in 1960 by trainers Frank and Janet Berger. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Supposedly, the chimpanzee had been caught in the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire). The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to Some physical and behavioral evidence led the Bergers to believe Oliver was a creature other than a chimpanzee, perhaps a human-chimp hybrid: Oliver possesses a flatter face than his fellow chimpanzees; Oliver was habitually bipedal (before being struck with arthritis), never walking on his knuckles like his chimpanzee peers; and Oliver may have preferred human females over chimpanzee females. Bipedalism is a form of Terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body [1] During a December 16, 2006 Discovery Channel special, Janet Berger herself claimed that Oliver was becoming attracted to her when he reached the age of 16[2]. Discovery Channel is an American Satellite and Cable TV channel (also delivered via IPTV, Terrestrial television and He mounted her and tried to mate with her. After he tried it several times it became apparent that Oliver was a threat to Janet, and had to be sold. Still, Oliver was not the clownish performer his chimp peers were, and other chimps avoided him. Some people claim he did not possess a typical odor common to chimpanzees.

Japanese tour

Oliver's next owner was New York appellate lawyer Michael Miller, who purchased Oliver from the Bergers in or before 1976[1] and promoted Oliver as a "missing link. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. " Oliver appeared on Japanese TV with fraudulent promotions picturing him as a miniature, hairy human being. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Though he was sent to Japan in a normal chimpanzee cage as cargo, Oliver was depicted as flying in the passenger cabin. Oliver's trip coincided with a concert promotion of the rock 'n roll group The Monkees, and he was presented on Japanese television shows with Micky Dolenz providing inaccurate scientific observations. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African For the group's self-titled album see The Monkees (album. For the TV series see The Monkees (TV series. George Michael Dolenz Jr (born March 8, 1945) is an American Actor, Musician, Television director and theatre

Miller claimed he was promised genuine scientific examination of Oliver including genetic testing by the Japanese promoters. Some Japanese results held that Oliver had 47 chromosomes. A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and Protein that is found in cells. [3] Some anthropologists observing Oliver's head, nose, ears, and preference for bipedal walking asserted the possibility that the chimp was a hybrid. Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of

1997 to 2006

Miller in 1977 sold him to Ralph Helfer, partner in a small Buena Park, California, theme park called Enchanted Village which was built on the site of the defunct Japanese Deer Park And Village amusement attraction. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Buena Park is a city located in northwestern Orange County California. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Theme park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other Entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group When Enchanted Village closed down later that year, Helfer continued exhibiting Oliver in a new venture, Gentle Jungle, which changed locations a few times before finally closing in 1982. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The Los Angeles Times did an extensive article about Oliver as a possible missing link or new sub-species of chimp. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed Oliver was transferred to the Wild Animal Training Center at Riverside, California, owned by Ken Decroo, but he was allegedly sold by Decroo in 1985. Riverside is the County seat of Riverside County, California, United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The last trainer to own Oliver was Bill Rivers. Rivers reported problems with Oliver not getting along with other chimps.

The Buckshire Corporation, a Pennsylvanian laboratory leasing out animals for scientific and cosmetic testing, purchased Oliver in 1989. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) His entrance examination revealed some previous rough handling. He was never used in experiments, but for the next nine years, his home was a small cage, whose restricted size resulted in muscular atrophy to the point that Oliver's limbs trembled. Atrophy is the partial or complete Wasting away of a part of the Body. In 1996, Sharon Hursh, president of the Buckshire Corporation, inquired whether Primarily Primates could start a retirement effort for Buckshire's colony of 12 chimpanzees. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Primarily Primates is a non-profit organization in Bexar County Texas that operates an animal sanctuary housing 600 non-human Primates and a variety of other animals

Older, blind, and arthritic, in 1998 Oliver ended up at a spacious, open-air cage at Primarily Primates;[4] the sanctuary's director at the time also decided to resolve the question of Oliver's taxonomy. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Primarily Primates is a non-profit organization in Bexar County Texas that operates an animal sanctuary housing 600 non-human Primates and a variety of other animals

Genetic testing

A geneticist from University of Chicago examined Oliver's chromosomes in 1996[5] and revealed that Oliver had forty-eight, not forty-seven, chromosomes, thus disproving the earlier claim and confirming that he had a normal chromosome count for a chimpanzee. Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is The University of Chicago is a Private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and Protein that is found in cells. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Oliver's cranial morphology, ear shape, freckles and baldness fall within the range of variability exhibited by the Common Chimpanzee. [6] Scientists performed further studies with Oliver, the results of which were published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. [3]

Standard chromosomal studies fully supported Ledbetter's findings that Oliver had the diploid chromosome count expected for chimpanzees. The tests showed several variations of the traditional chimpanzee. The radical differences in his behavior remain notable for their suggestion of his being to some extent culturally and physically more humanlike than most known chimpanzees. Rumors persist that Oliver's bipedalism and behavior were most probably due to domestication and animal training, and his head shape was mainly a consequence of his teeth being removed at an early age to prevent biting, however Oliver currently has 40 teeth (the number found in adult chimpanzees) Also chimpanzees do not walk upright for extended periods of time and do not prefer doing so because of the hipbone leg joint connection. No “behavioral” explanation accounts for why Oliver smells different from other chimps and is treated by other Chimps as an outsider and is not included in any chimpanzee society. .

On the other hand, the mtDNA D-loop is not known to carry information relevant to the bipedalism trait; Oliver's walking style may yet be inborn and inherited. However, the biogeography of the variation in chimpanzee populations makes this rather unlikely; more recent findings on the geography of behavioral diversity in chimpanzees (see Bili Ape) raise the novel possibility that Oliver might have belonged to one or a few more bipedal "tribes" of Common Chimpanzees (which would be scientifically considered morphs and not subspecies). Biogeography is the study of the distribution of Biodiversity over Space and Time. Bili Ape, also Bondo Mystery Ape, is the name given to a large Primate that is said to inhabit Bili Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different Phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words the occurrence of more than one

Oliver Today

Oliver was in the temporary care of wildlife rehabilitator Lee Theisen-Watt, who had been appointed to oversee Primarily Primates while the State of Texas determined who would ultimately be in charge of the facility. Though Oliver's health may have been compromised by being kept for long periods of time under unsatisfactory conditions prior to receivorship, he has barely exceeded half the usual lifespan of captive Common Chimpanzees which survive to adulthood.

On April 27, 2007, The State of Texas entered into a settlement agreement which removed Lee Theisen-Watt as overseer of Primarily Primates and replaced her with a board of directors that is headed by Eric Turton and Priscilla Feral. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The settlement also dismissed all charges against Primarily Primates. Swett was required to leave the property and is prohibited from serving either on the Board or as an employee. [7]

Oliver remains in the care of Primarily Primates while the facility goes through major renovations. Members of the re-formed board of directors expressed concern for Oliver in court proceedings and in news articles about the ongoing dispute over management of the sanctuary. The Star-Telegram reports that Friends of Animals is now merging with Primarily Primates in order to restructure its management and address past concerns about the future of the sanctuary. [8]

Oliver in popular culture

The decades long speculation about Oliver's origins and the possibility that he was a Human-Chimp hybrid has led to numerous references to him in popular culture. Many of these are satirical in nature or at least intended to be humorous. For example, the popular Church of the SubGenius assigns a feast day or holy day (sometimes several) to every day of the year and has seen fit to assign October 20 as The Feast of Saint Oliver the humanzee. The Church of the SubGenius is a religious group that satirizes Religion, Conspiracy theory, UFOs and Popular culture. [9] In addition, there is a New Mexico Jam band calling itself Oliver and The Humanzees. [10] As shown by these examples, most pop culture references to Oliver tend to mythologize him as a real example of a Humanzee despite tests having proved he is no such thing.

References

  1. ^ a b c Shuker, Karl (1999). Dr Karl P N Shuker (born 1959) is a British Zoologist living in the West Midlands, England. "Oliver's No Gene Genie". Fortean Times 120: 48–49. Fortean Times - "The World of Strange Phenomena" - is a British monthly Magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised  
  2. ^ "The Human Chimp" .  
  3. ^ a b Ely JJ, Leland M, Martino M, Swett W, Moore CM (1998). "Technical note: chromosomal and mtDNA analysis of Oliver". Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 105 (3): 395–403. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199803)105:3<395::AID-AJPA8>3.0.CO;2-Q. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. PMID 9545080.  
  4. ^ The Texas Monkey Project. Texas Monkey Project. Retrieved on 2007-12-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila
  5. ^ Anonymous (1996). "Mutant Chimp Gets Gene Check". Science 274 (5288): 727. doi:10.1126/science.274.5288.727e. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.  
  6. ^ Hill, WCO; in Bourne, GH (1969), Anatomy, behavior, and diseases of chimpanzees (The Chimpanzee, vol. 1, S. Karger, pp. 22–49 
  7. ^ Settlement looming for Primarily Primates by Cindy Tumiel San Antonio Express-News 04/25/2007 10:30 PM CDT
  8. ^ Lawsuit filed in Oregon latest battle over Texas animal sanctuary By WILLIAM McCALL, Associated Press Writer Tue, Jun. 26, 2007. Accssed June 28 2006
  9. ^ Calendar Of SubGenius Saints.
  10. ^ Oliver and the Humanzees at iSound Alt. Pop-Rock from Albuquerque, NM [US]. Accessed 2/29/07

External links

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