Slightly different reality show Miroslav Bobek Martin Smrček Khalil Baalbaki
The Slightly Different Reality Show
Shortly before The Revealed began, the global meeting of the DAB forum in Prague provided the opportunity for testing broadcasts at DMB standard. The content of the broadcast was a clip from the gorilla pavilion.
We begin preparations for the first episode of the television portion of he Revealed. The moderators are Jana Infeldová and Petr Rajchert.
Even before “The Slightly Different Reality Show”, The Revealed (Odhalení) began broadcasting, the project provoked great interest in the media. We introduced it in detail at a press conference on Tuesday November 1, 2005, a week before the program was broadcast. We showed journalists photographs and video of our “contestants” – four gorillas living at the Prague Zoo – familiarized them with the technology involved, explained the rules of the contest for 12 melons, and let them know the broadcast times on Czech Radio and Czech Television. Then Mgr. Miroslav Bobek, Chief Editor of Czech Radio Online and Leonardo and the author of The Revealed, responded to questions: How did you get the idea for The Revealed? Was it influenced by other reality shows? In the past we have realized many direct streaming broadcasts online, for example, following the nesting of black storks, the migration of falcons, or the birth of a rhinoceros. The idea of doing an internet broadcast from the ape pavilion first arose about two or three years prior to The Revealed, but at the time it wasn’t terribly interesting to me.
However, with the rise this summer of reality shows like “Big Brother”, the situation changed, and during the first days of September I proposed to my colleagues that we broadcast a “reality show” on the internet in which the contestants would be either apes or monkeys. At that time we were thinking about how to publicize the newly-starting popular educational radio station Leonardo, and that’s probably why the idea for The Revealed immediately took off. Why is the contest for 12 melons? On one commercial reality show the main prize is 10 million crowns and on the other it’s 11 million. Does that answer your question? What are the goals of the project? Besides our desire to demonstrate the absurdity of commercial reality shows, we would like to give the public access to the life of these apes. Their world is very similar to ours and they can tell us a lot about ourselves. Scientists from many fields will help us with this by commenting on the events in the gorilla pavilion daily. The Revealed of course also has an entertainment element – there will be several rounds of SMS voting and then the winner of the 12 melons will be selected. The money generated by the voting will be used to protect gorillas in Africa. In the beginning you assumed The Revealed would only be on the internet. When did you decide to do a television broadcast? There are two “gorilla” programs running constantly on the internet and we will be reporting regularly from the gorilla pavilion on Czech Radio, especially on the Leonardo station. That was our idea from the beginning and the idea to broadcast The Revealed on Czech TV really did come later. We couldn’t have considered it without the support of the general director of Czech Radio, Václac Kasík, the availability of the chief editor of the news division of Czech Television, Michal Petrov, and the exceptional technological support of the Visual Connection company. Every weekday we will broadcast a five-minute magazine version of The Revealed on the Good Morning program of Czech Television and on ČT24. I believe the management of Czech Tele11
Mgr. Miroslav Bobek Studied zoology at the Life Sciences Faculty of Charles University. Since 1993 he has worked at Czech Radio. In the year 2000 he founded Czech Radio Online and in the year 2005 Czech Radio Leonardo. He is the creator of the “slightly different reality show,” The Revealed.
vision will find other broadcast times for this project as well (Note: During The Revealed the five-minute magazine was added to Czech TV broadcasts up to seven times a day, but neither a longer version of the magazine nor prime time broadcasting were ever achieved).
After The Revealed began broadcasting, Moja became the public’s favorite member of the gorilla family.
On the right: An extensive outdoor run adjoins the pavilion, separated from visitors by a moat and partially by thick glass
Why did you pick gorillas and what did the zoo have to say about it? In the beginning we didn’t consider that it had to be gorillas, we just wanted “some primates.” We might have preferred orangutans, but the availability of both pavilions finally led us to decide to realize the “slightly different reality show” with lowland gorillas. At the Prague Zoo the choice was made for practical reasons. Zoo director Petr Fejk knows the Africa and New Odyssey projects well, in which we follow stork migration with the aid of satellites, and he had also noticed our live internet broadcasts. He knew we had experience with animals and that he wouldn’t have to worry about the overall results of the project. After a certain hesitation, he eventually agreed. How did the gorillas react? Are they aware of the presence of the cameras? They are aware of the presence of the new objects and inspect them with interest, but of course they can’t connect the presence of these objects with the fact that they are now seen by an incomparably larger number of people than could ever fit behind the other side of the glass at the pavilion.
Richard, Shinda, and Kijivu with Moja – the four inhabitants of the lowland gorilla pavilion in the Prague Zoo.
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Day One
Monday November 7, 2005
Top of the line technology will guarantee high-quality broadcasts of images during the next 70 days.
The gorilla family slowly gets used to the cameras located out of their reach along the walls. The cameras purr quietly as they rotate, following the gorillas in every corner of the pavilion.
Many cameras have been up for several days on the walls of the lowland gorilla pavilion. We were curious whether the gorillas would try to get to them, but it seems they are not much interested in the new technology. Here and there they look at some of the cameras with the same interest as when the display artists put new plants up on the pavilion wall or some minor change is made to the interior. The only one we have seen attempt contact with the new equipment is Shinda, who ran up the tree trunk in the middle of the pavilion and, from somewhere out of reach of the camera, made off with a wire which was not related to our systems. This morning, however, the gorillas seem somewhat surprised. After the hundreds and thousands of visitors watching them all weekend, it is usually quiet on Monday, especially in the morning, but today the visitors’ space behind the glass is full of people. What is even stranger, these unusual visitors have suddenly stopped looking at the gorillas and are opening a bottle of champagne.
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Action! At 9:00 The Revealed began! Television crews and photographers crowded the glass of the lowland gorilla pavilion. Richard just watched them for a moment, but after one of the photographers used his flash a few times, Richard lost patience, ran up against the glass and slammed into it with all his weight. The photographer fell to the ground. “Unless you can outrun Richard, you should behave respectfully,” Prague Zoo director Petr Fejk commented dryly. The race was on for the best prize in the history of Czech reality shows – not for 10 or 11 million, but for 12 melons! Our “competitors” were Kijivu, Shinda, and Richard. We decided not to include young Moja in the competition. In directing the project we began by selecting the most interesting clips non-stop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and broadcasting them on two internet programs. Several Czech Radio stations reported on events in the gorilla pavilion and production of the programs for Czech Television began at the studios on Vinohradská street. We were anxious over how the public would respond to our project, whether they would understand it only as a parody of “real” reality shows or whether our gamble on the fact that the world of apes is immeasurably close to the world of people would pay off. We expected to witness not only the loving care of the adults for their young, but also jealousies and arguments. We had many tasks prepared for the gorillas, some more difficult, others easier. But would it all be enough for The Revealed to take off? With the help of scientists from many disciplines, would we be able to facilitate a different view of the society outside the gorilla pavilion? The 12 melons were the least important part. During the first week, we planned how to introduce the competitors to the audience. The first stage of voting was to be finished by the end of the year, and we prepared the grand finale for the first half of January. Of course, whoever won our 12 melons would not be the only one to benefit. We decided to donate the profits from the voting – and from other activities – to protection of lowland gorillas living in the wild.
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From the very first day the heroes of The Revealed drew the attention of not only domestic but also foreign media.
O mláďata v gorilí tlupě pečují samice. Dospělí samci se s vlastními mláďaty téměř nekontaktují.
Jak se dominantní samec vyrovnává s dospíváním svého syna? Dobře i špatně. Mladší samec nemá šediny vůdce tlupy, a to signalizuje jeho nižší postavení. Zprvu nevznikají potíže, protože dominantní samec je mnohem silnější. Když se mladší chce pářit, starší mu to umožní jen s mladými samicemi, které ještě nejsou plodné. Pokud se pokusí pářit jinde, dominantní samec mu to zakáže. Stačí hrozba; pohled a jednoznačný postoj. Jak vůdce tlupy zvládne chránit si všechny své samice? Zejména musí být dominantní vůči okolním samcům nebo případným pretendentům – mladším či nově příchozím samcům. Může mu v tom pomoci právě jeho syn nebo jiný příbuzný, protože na jednoho samce si někdo troufne, ale na dva už prakticky nikdo. Takže pokud jsou samci dva, může být skupina větší. Dokážete si podobné uspořádání rodiny jako u goril představit v lidské společnosti? Samozřejmě. Málokdo totiž ví, kolik lidských kultur povoluje mnohoženství. Žijeme v euroamerické společnosti, kde se nic takového neděje. Ale jen zdánlivě. Stává se přece, že když děti odrostou, přijde rozvod a muž si přivede novou ženu. Tomu se říká sukcesivní polygynie, kdy více manželek nemá zároveň, ale po22
stupně. Kdybychom vzali všechny lidské společnosti, které byly podrobně popsány, tak asi z tisíce případů zhruba ve dvou třetinách je polygynie povolena a v jedné třetině je běžná. Nikdy se nemůže týkat většiny mužů, protože potom by na některé žádné manželky nezbyly. Monogamie je vlastně jakési opatření společnosti, jak se zbavit hrozby existence velkého počtu mužů, kteří nemají manželku.
Czech media coverage Lidové noviny, October 12, 2005 Public radio and television have brought us an alternative to the reality shows on commercial stations. Starting in November they will show how animals, not people, live in a closed space. Česká média, October 14, 2005 It seems that this originally was a not very well-thought-out “student’s” practical joke, which soon saw the light of day and gave journalists something interesting to cover. Czech Television soon followed suit. Česká média, October 16, 2005 President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Přemysl Sobotka: “We may find many similar moments between the life of the gorillas to be followed by public broadcasting and the life of those living in villas. I’m rather looking forward to it. Nature is sometimes more pleasant to watch than people.” RadioTV, November 5, 2005 Public broadcasting strikes back – The Revealed, a slightly different reality show. TechNet.cz, November 7, 2005 It will be interesting to follow how this little group, the members of which may collectively have a higher IQ than the competitors of a similar reality show on another channel, will make it through the competition. Will they begin to behave like animals, just like on “Big Brother”? Will they fearlessly reveal their real natures, like Vladko of “The Chosen One”? We shall see. Metro, November 8, 2005 Intelligent monkeys compete with a commercial reality show.
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From a human point of view, Richard sometimes negotiates order in the family rather bluntly. The females usually give in, but when his behavior is at its worst, they join forces to resist him.
Gorilí hnízda
Naše technika nám umožňuje sledovat gorily i za tmy. Překvapilo nás, že se v noci probouzejí a Shinda dokonce přijímá potravu. Gorily běžně odpočívají i spí ve dvojicích. Jejich složení se často mění.
Také v přírodě si gorily vždy před odpočinkem a před soumrakem chystají hnízda. A jako všichni lidoopi si tato hnízda staví každý den nová. Jednak je gorilí rodina stále na cestách za potravou, jednak je výhodné měnit stanoviště kvůli ochraně před případnými nepřáteli. Oproti ostatním lidoopům si však gorily stavějí hnízda přednostně na zemi nebo těsně nad ní. Dospělá zvířata téměř výhradně, mladé gorily někdy i na stromech, ale vzácně výše než pár metrů. Není divu, hnízdo bývá těžká a rozložitá stavba a hrozí mu zřícení. Francouzští primatologové C. Tutinová a M. Fernandez sčítali hnízda goril v Gabonu. Zajímalo je umístění a výška nad zemí. Přes 75 % všech hnízd leželo přímo na zemi, dalších 7 % jich bylo ve výšce do dvou metrů. Nejvyšší hnízdo bylo objeveno v koruně stromu ve výšce asi 16 metrů. Hnízdo mívá kruhovitý tvar a bývá dost vysoké, takže ležící zvíře do něho zapadne a nevykulí se z něj ani v nejhlubším spánku. Materiál na stavbu gorily nahrabou či nalámou v nejbližším okolí. Jsou to olistěné slabé větve, ale i byliny a další dosažitelná zeleň. Není to jen měkká „postel“, ve které se dobře spí, ale současně chrání před vlhkem a chladem ze země. Hnízda jednotlivých členů skupiny jsou roztroušena v mnohametrových vzdálenostech, společně se drží jen matka s mláďaty.
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Learn to speak gorilla How do gorillas communicate with one another? Zoologists have tried to discover this for years. Unlike chimpanzees, gorilla speech, or more correctly gorilla communication, has not been extensively researched. Experts have not had as many opportunities to observe them in the wild. Nevertheless, they have succeeded in deciphering the behavior of the gorilla male when showing off and defending his harem. During this behavior the gorilla uses many positions and movements which we will try to learn today. Many of them are unusually similar to human behavior.
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Lesson One: I’m in charge here How a gorilla says it: He stands on his hind legs, expands his chest and drums on it several times with open palms. Lesson Two: Pay attention to me! How a gorilla says it: For many animals a direct gaze is a challenge to open conflict. If a male gorilla stares fixedly at his opponent, the meaning is clear – I’m in charge here and this is your last chance to get used to it. Otherwise, look out.
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Lesson Three: Beat it or you’ll be sorry! How a gorilla says it: The fixed gaze is usually followed by a series of movements. First the male gorilla resoundingly thumps the back of his hands on the ground and stares at his opponent. We can describe this behavior with the words: Beat it or you’ll be sorry! 4
Lesson Four: Look what a stud I am How a gorilla says it: The male gorilla continues to show off by tearing up leaves and branches, gathering them on the ground, and demonstratively throwing them about, which is his way of saying: Look what a stud I am. Strong and handsome.
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Lesson Five: I am stressed out How a gorilla says it: This gesture is not common for gorillas in the wild, but we saw it very often in the pavilion. This was how Kijivu let everyone know very clearly that she was afraid, did not feel well, or was under stress. Lesson Six: Don’t be angry anymore How a gorilla says it: Reconciliation plays an irreplaceable role in gorilla life. A simple gesture calms aggression. One gorilla trying to calm and suppress another’s aggression places his hand on the other’s head. This says: Don’t be angry with me anymore. Vocal communication is also important for gorillas. Different kinds of calls can be heard during copulation, games, commands, the threat of conflict, division of the group, or as a warning of danger.
Kijivu learned her typical gesture expressing fear or stress in the Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
Gorila, která „mluví lidskou řečí“ Gorily, které vyrůstají mezi lidmi a od mládí s nimi komunikují, jsou schopné se naučit základy znakové řeči, využívané hluchoněmými lidmi. Jejich běžná slovní zásoba jen výjimečně přesáhne sto znaků. Čtyřiatřicetiletá gorila Koko, která žije ve výzkumném zařízení společnosti Gorilla Foundation v americkém Woodside, však zná a sama dokáže používat více než tisíc slov modifikované americké znakové řeči. Vedle toho je schopna používat i některé abstraktní výrazy. Tento ojedinělý výsledek je dílem neutuchající snahy psycholožky Francine Pattersonové ze Stanford University, která s Koko pracuje již déle než pětatřicet let. Před časem proběhla médii zpráva, že Koko svým ošetřovatelům dokázala sdělit, že ji bolí zuby. Vědci z týmu, který s Koko pracuje, poté sestavili tabulku se stupnicí od jedné do deseti, kde mohla označit intenzitu bolesti. Koko opakovaně ukazovala na stupně devět a deset, takže nezbylo než povolat na pomoc zubaře. Zákrok byl proveden v plné narkóze a té bylo využito i k celkové zdravotní prohlídce. Sešlo se dvanáct specialistů z různých oborů lidské a veterinární medicíny. Vyšetření trvalo čtyři hodiny a proběhlo v místě, které Koko důvěrně zná. Jedná se o zařízenou buňku, kde Koko žije tak trochu jako člověk. Má k dispozici vlastní upravený splachovací záchod, televizi, DVD přehrávač a nepřeberné množství hraček. Vyšetření přineslo velice pozitivní výsledek: Koko je po zdravotní stránce ve velmi dobrém stavu, a tak se lékařský zákrok mohl omezit prakticky na pouhé vytržení bolavého zubu. Koko v současnosti nemá konkurenta. Vděčí za to nejen lidem, kteří kolem ní odmalička jsou a všemu ji stále učí, ale i mimořádnému talentu a osobnosti. K její popularitě přispívá i kvalitní marketing. Koko má kupříkladu i svou vlastní internetovou adresu, na které si zájemci mohou najít průběžné výsledky pokusů, testů, ale i odborné vědecké posudky. A v roce 1998 byl dokonce otevřen první mezidruhový chat, ve kterém Koko odpovídala na dotazy návštěvníků webových stránek. Více informací o Koko na www.koko.org.
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Koko je asi nejslavnější gorilou světa. Vyrostla ve společnosti lidí a umí údajně používat více než tisíc slov modifikované americké znakové řeči. Na obrázcích (shora dolů) říká: mám tě ráda, páchnoucí, zamračený. Na obrázcích vlevo dole Koko konverzuje s ošetřovatelkou.
Day 31
Wednesday December 7, 2005
Disputes in the group primarily center around food. Kamba has not yet managed to establish a sufficiently friendly relationship with the other gorillas and is refusing to accept the fact that Richard is the one who controls the pavilion. She has evidently been used to being granted more privileges from other males. When Richard demonstratively spurns her, she sits against the glass wall. She was raised in captivity, and therefore she often sits next to the glass that separates the pavilion from the visitors and closely observes them. She also often watches the television, which shows images from Africa
A gorilla’s front limbs are similar to humans’. The lower limbs are different and have an opposable thumb similar to our hands. This makes it possible for gorillas to walk on branches or ropes and to pick up objects with their feet. In the pavilion we sometimes observe the gorillas carrying off objects or food in order to hide them, each limb clutching an item.
and the life of gorillas for visitors. This gives the impression that she is dimly remembering she was born in Africa. We heard a great deal about how clever Richard was in his use of tools to get food. We decided to give him a small test today.
Richard knows how to make “silverware”! It is usually claimed that gorillas are not capable of using tools. They are also said to be less intelligent than chimpanzees. However, recently there was a report of a gorilla observed in the Congo who was testing the depth of a body of water with a branch. As Marek Ždánský has confirmed to us, gorillas in the Prague Zoo also do something similar. Today we became convinced that Richard knows how to do much more! Marek drilled grooves into a piece of wood and stuffed them with raisins. The goodies were embedded so deeply that the gorillas would not be able to remove them with their fingers. He then distributed the wood to them. The females did not waste time but got to the raisins through brute force, crushing the wood with their teeth. Richard, however, solved the problem ingeniously. He first tried to pry the raisins out with his fingers. Then something unbelievable happened! He broke off a slender twig, sharpened it with his teeth, and very skillfully removed the raisins with this “silverware”! This is an exceptional The Revealed, as such an obvious use of a fine tool has never been observed in gorillas before.
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Richard may be the first gorilla ever to perform such behavior. He is creating a kind of toothpick and prying loose the raisins stuffed into the wood.
V zoo gorily prakticky nemají možnost vybírat si rostliny, které budou požírat – nabídka je celoročně velmi omezená.
Tyto gorily také občas jedí gigantické lobelky (Lobelia), které rostou ve vysokých nadmořských výškách a obsahují hořce chutnající alkaloidy s povzbuzujícími účinky. Jeden z těchto alkaloidů, lobelin, je respirační stimulátor. Ochota goril dojít až do těchto nadmořských výšek, vydat značnou energii, aby dosáhly zóny s menší potravní základnou a nedostatkem kyslíku, předpokládá, že farmakologicky aktivní rostliny, které zde konzumují, pro ně musejí mít speciální význam. Je třeba více podrobných studií, které by umožnily kritické zhodnocení možnosti, že gorily jsou schopny samoléčby, a detailněji prozkoumat skutečný význam konzumace rostlin s léčivými účinky pro gorily. Tento výzkum může poskytnout nový vhled do problematiky léčby onemocnění jak u lidí, tak u lidoopů.
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What You Wrote Us About The Revealed This the FIRST TIME (!!!) that I am participating in an internet discussion – I want to and I just must. Following the life of the gorillas is a great idea – not just because it is cute, but from an ethological point of view. I can only echo those who are sorry that the clips aren’t on in the evening (including the interviews with the experts, especially with the ethologists, who are able to analyze the individual elements of the behavior so that we do not anthropomorphize them, but comprehend them…). Comparing these clips to the “human reality show” might result in interesting sociological observations… about human society, that is… Milan This is just SUPER. If you ever take those cameras down I will cancel my internet. Thanks. Petruna I am looking at the discussion pages and I have the feeling there isn’t one negative reaction. I don’t know, I guess I’m not a real intellectual. In principle, it seems an enormous shame to me that the public broadcasters are always trying to achieve the same “quality” in their programming as commercial stations. … Personally, I do not see any advantage or any difference between this and Big Brother or The Chosen One (even though I love animals and go to the Prague Zoo several times a year)… David Four thumbs up!!! Luboš I admire the creators of this project. Such a response to the ridiculous, vulgar shows on the commercial media deserves recognition. Not one of these gorillas behaves as impossibly as the actors on the other reality shows. Olga Klabanová I think this was a super idea and given that this reality show is garnering acclaim from all over the world I am certainly not the only one enthusiastic about this project. I hope the creators of this program have copyrighted the broadcasting rights. I am convinced this could be successfully sold abroad to raise more money to protect gorillas in the wild. Terka The interest in this is so great that a colleague of mine who is otherwise a dour opponent of the virtual world has braved the Internet. She learned the “steps” so she can watch THIS :) … We are pleased and will miss it when it’s over. We wish all of you and the little gorilla family… the best of health. Hana
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Day 52
Wednesday December 28, 2005
Gorillas attentively watching a television program – that is a fascinating sight. In the “first row,” close to the screen, sits Richard, with all three females behind him. Only Moja is more interested in the colored buttons than in the television; she changes the channels, probably inadvertently. The inhabitants of the pavilion often remind us of people, but these moments show the most marked resemblance. The image of a human family is completed by Kijivu and Shinda mindlessly chewing twigs while watching TV…
Gorillas watch television The television is now in operation every day for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. We discussed the results of this with the initiator of this experiment, Dr. Daniel Frynta. People often ask why we put the television in the pavilion. Because it can become a source of a certain kind of entertainment for the animals, who suffer from boredom despite all our efforts. If we succeed in stimulating them, it can only be good for their psychological health. There is also another reason – we wanted to study the gorillas using methods similar to those we use when studying humans. We can directly ask people what they want and what interests them, but with animals we have to indirectly deduce this from their behavior. In this case, the fact that we are giving them the option of changing the channels is a direct way of asking them, so we are treating them a bit like people. We changed the content of the television broadcast over time. It is clear that the gorillas most like watching other apes, while they show practically no interest in insects.
What did you expect from this experiment with the television? I thought the gorillas would connect the remote control with the screen and would change channels intentionally. That hasn’t occurred yet – we should probably use subjects that are more distinct from one another. However, we can’t afford to excite the
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gorillas too much. This is why we abandoned the idea of showing them, for example, spiders or poisonous snakes, which they might want to turn off. What have the gorillas been able to see on TV so far? Three distinct kinds of animals species – an orangutan, the creature most like them, a lion as an image of danger, and a grasshopper as something abstract, something small. The result was rather interesting. Richard was interested only in the orangutan, while the lion, surprisingly, did not attract his attention. Did Richard try to contact the orangutan? When the gorillas were watching television we could see they were understanding what was taking place on the screen. However, their attempts to directly intervene were exceptions. This could mean that they are aware of the difference between reality and the screen. How long did the gorillas watch TV at once? Not as long as people do at all, only for a few minutes. On the other hand, the television brings the whole group together. When one starts to watch, the others join.
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Kamba has “made her bed” on the remote control this time. There is usually interest in the place nearest the screen, so she has taken advantage of the moment when the others have gone to look for food on the other side of the pavilion.
