Chimpanzees in Africa get daily dose of alcohol, study finds

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley have revealed that wild chimpanzees in the forests consume alcohol worth two cocktails.

The research published in Science Advances states that apes in the forests of Uganda and Cote d’Ivoire consume 14 grams of ethanol in roughly 10 pounds of fruit they eat per day.

Aleksey Maro from the Department of Integrative Biology said that both female chimpanzees glug down the same amount of ethanol, equalling to one standard American drink.

In an interview with Berkeley News, Maro said, “If we adjust this according to body mass then it goes up to nearly two drinks because chimps weigh 40 kilo whereas a typical human weighs 70kg.”

The alcohol comes from naturally fermented fruits.

Researchers claimed that despite having alcohol in such heavy amounts every day, the chimps do not feel a buzz.

They would need to overeat to the point of bloating before feeling any intoxication.

Adding to the popular belief in science that chimpanzees share a common ancestor with humans, Maro said, “The dietary heritage of our common ancestor has resulted in the human attraction toward alcohol.”

He further added, “It is the similar amount of alcohol that humans might consume if they eat fermented fruit daily.”