'Naked' chimpanzee is star attraction at Indian zoo

A chimpanzee suffering from alopecia has become the centre of attention at an Indian zoo. Guru, the 20-year-old male, has virtually no hair covering his body and looks startlingly human.



He is kept at the Mysore Zoo in southern India, and has attracted hundreds of curious visitors. Dr Suresh Kumar, a zoo vet said: "Everybody wants to see his biceps and triceps. He looks like a human being sitting naked in front of you. So it looks amazing."

Despite hair loss, the mischievous chimp makes a lot of noise and doesn't stop throwing stones and faeces on the visitors. "He beats his chest, and claps a lot when children come near his enclosure," said Dr Suresh.

I'm not entirely sure who owns the copyright to this video.


Guru had lost all his hair before he was rescued from a local circus. He was moved to the Mysore zoo in 2003 and has been undergoing treatment for the disease. "We have tried a number of medicines on him but till date there have been no positive results and as a last resort we are planning to consult a human skin doctor," said Dr Suresh.