Shoushan Zoo’s chimpanzees turn bookish on World Book Day

Shoushan Zoo’s chimpanzees turn bookish on World Book Day

2026-04-23

April 23 is World Book Day, and Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung is celebrating with their chimpanzees. Following last year’s success, the zoo has again, made special treats presented in a bookish design for human’s distant relatives. They’ve turned recycled cardboard into book covers and newspaper pages, and made slits on the inward facing side for sunflower seeds. The chimps were so delighted by the treats, that they appear to be deeply engrossed in reading while feeding from the props, making for an amusing scene.

A chimpanzee carefully reads the newspaper, only to have it snatched away by another. Meanwhile, yet another seems completely engrossed in a picture book. Primary school kids watching them are impressed by their diligence.

Elementary school kid
Visiting Shoushan Zoo
Watching them read, I feel like I may never be as hardworking as they are.

It’s amusing to see chimpanzees read, and the audience favorite was probably this one, who appears to be reading newspaper job ads. The kids joke that the chimp may be sick of its current position and is looking for a new job.

Elementary school kid
Visiting Shoushan Zoo
It probably wants to quit and get a new job.

Elementary school kid
Visiting Shoushan Zoo
I wondered why it kept burying its head into the reading material. Maybe it wants a new job.

Liu Yin-chun
FTV reporter
The reading materials are special edible treats given to chimpanzees at Shoushan Zoo. All the inlaid sunflower seeds were placed by zookeepers themselves.

This is the second year Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung is making these book-shaped treats for their chimps on World Book Day. Slits for inserting sunflower seeds are cut on recycled cardboard and styled as various reading materials, making for a novel dining experience for the chimps. As for the design, the zoo got even more creative this year, as with the newspaper job ads, making for an amusing scene for visitors.

Lee Chien-ho
Shoushan Zoo
What makes this year even more special is that we made a prop after newspaper job ads. Good thing that chimpanzees are illiterate. If they were and could understand the job ads, we’re afraid they might all want to quit.

Even chimpanzees are eager to get their hands on a title this World Book Day, so why not pick up a book yourself, too?

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#books #booktok #worldbookday #reading #animals

動物園黑猩猩"讀報找工作"? 小朋友童言:你們要集體跳槽了嗎

2026-04-23

今天是世界閱讀日，有國小學童到高雄壽山動物園戶外教學，發現怎麼園區的黑猩猩都在看報紙，埋首苦讀的樣子，比人還認真。原來這是園方為了響應世界閱讀日，連續兩年特製葵花子可食書，利用回收瓦楞紙，塞入黑猩猩最愛的葵花子，吸引牠們翻頁尋寶，因為報紙正面就是求職版，還有小朋友說，難不成黑猩猩要集體跳槽了嗎？

表情認真的黑猩猩，仔細翻看報紙，另一隻黑猩猩湊過來，搶了報紙就跑，一旁還有一隻黑猩猩專注研讀，讓小朋友直呼好認真。

[[國小學童]]
“我發現牠看書，我的啟發是，覺得我可能不會像牠這麼認真。”

展區玻璃前，小朋友看著黑猩猩，用手指撕開書頁，但仔細一看，黑猩猩手上拿的報紙，正面居然是求職欄，就有小朋友笑說，看得這麼認真，難不成想要集體跳槽嗎？

[[國小學童]]
“牠可能想要離職，想要找新的工作了。”

[[國小學童]]
“想說為什麼牠會拿著書一直啃，可能就是...想找新工作。”

[[民視記者劉尹淳]]
“這其實是由壽山動物園特製，給黑猩猩加菜的可食書，上頭一顆顆瓜子，都是由園方人員親手挖洞製作的。”

高雄壽山動物園響應世界閱讀日，連續兩年利用回收瓦楞紙，背面割成小格子，再塞進黑猩猩最愛的葵花子，手工做成瓦楞紙書，不只增加進食的樂趣，也意外形成黑猩猩在讀報找工作的有趣畫面。

[[高雄壽山動物園股長李建和]]
“今年比較特別的，我們有做了一個是，類似像一個報紙的求職廣告欄，當然也還好，幸運就是說，黑猩猩牠們還不認識字，不然的話，黑猩猩如果懂得，知道這個求職的內容的話，或許他們就會整群跳槽。

園方特製的葵花子可食書，黑猩猩吃得津津有味，可愛逗趣的樣子，為世界閱讀日這天，增添話題。

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民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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