Born in 1936, Jan van Hooff’s childhood predestined him to become a famous animal behavourist. After all, his parents were the directors of Burgers Zoo in Arnhem, and this is where he grew up. During his illustrious career, Jan Van Hooff has been in charge of the renowned Chimpanzee Consortium at the Arnhem Zoo, a professor of animal behaviour at the University of Utrecht, served as Secretary General of the International Primatological Society and Chairman of the Netherlands Jan Goodall Institute, and he has written numerous books about what he knows about apes. In this lively discussion with Anne Blair Gould for Dutch Profiles, Professor Van Hooff explains what chimps might mean when they put on their “play face”. Are they laughing? Do they have a sense of humour? Well, one thing we know for sure: apes practice morality.
Producer: Anne Blair Gould
Broadcast: November 18, 2005