Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Questar, Inc
• VHS Release Date: January 31, 2000
• Run Time: 57 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304841256
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,975 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic video on Chimpanzees., May 9, 2001

By 

"bldeagle" (Bountiful, Utah USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic: New Chimpanzees (1995) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I saw this program on PBS. I even recorded it. I recently purchased a copy. This was the best video on Chimpanzees I had seen. This one was great because it showed the Bonobo chimp. I have yet to see another National Geographic with them it it. The Bonobo is called the Pygmy Chimp. It is the same size as the other species but it is more delicate and has a more child-like face. It is a matriarchal society where the females run the show. The other species have males at the head of their societies. The Bonobo don't fight or go to war like the other species. They use sex to defuse tense situations.

I particularly enjoyed the footage of tool use amoung varius groups of chimps. The behavior is learned because some groups crack open nuts while other groups have not learned that ability even though nuts are plentiful in their areas as well.

This would be a great program for schools. Don't miss this one. It is destined to be a classic.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and unique. Should be on high-quality DVD, April 19, 2003

By 

PJR (Minneapolis, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic: New Chimpanzees (1995) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I agree that this is an excellent and unique film especially because it has valuable footage on the rare and endangered bonobo or pygmy chimpanzee. I show it every year to my university students. No species is closer to us than the bonobo and it may be going extinct right now. This film may be much of its legacy to civilization and a high quality print should be made available on DVD.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic: Why Doesn't National Geographic Keep It in Stock?, December 23, 2006

By 

Paul V. McDowell "Anthropologist and Social J... (Santa Barbara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Geographic: New Chimpanzees (1995) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Along with Among the Wild Chimpanzees, The New Chimpanzees is a classic. It beats me why National Geographic does not keep it in stock. Here's why. It covers all aspects of chimpanzee behavior, from protecting the borders of their territory to coalition politics on the hunt to warfare to cannibalism.

There is an all-too-short segment on the bonobos which, nevertheless, covers the dominance hierarchy of females, its influence on male hierarchy, and the use of sex to defuse tension and to integrate the group.

The New Chimpanzees also shows the cultural side of chimps and bonobos. We learn about the differences between Gombe and Tai chimps in hunting colobus monkeys, the gathering of foods (nut cracking among the Tai chimps, which is not practiced in Gombe, and the absence of termite fishing in Tai), speculations about using medicine, and mortuary practices (maternal behavior as an infant dies).

The film pulls no punches (cannibalism, warfare, hunting) and brings everything covered in Among the Wild Chimpanzee (1982) up to date (as of 1995). It also tracks Flo's lineage to the third generation through Fifi to her offspring Frodo and Freud--and their rivaly around the top of the hierarchy. For those reasons, I use both films in my classes when time allows; Wild Chimpanzees is a good introduction, and New Chimpanzees provide both update and additional details.

As I said, I cannot understand why National Geographic does not produce and stock more copies. This is a lapse on its responsibility to provide what is excellent in its collection.

It would be an excellent public service if we had a full-length film on the bonobos and a comprehensive update on Gombe and Tai. There are a couple, but they are not comprehensive.