Amateur MMA fighter Cole Johnson, from Minnesota, United States, revealed he received an offer of $500,000, equivalent to about R$ 2.5 million, to fight against a chimpanzee. According to him, the confrontation with an adult male chimpanzee would be organized for next Friday.
Experts warned that this supposed confrontation represents a disaster waiting to happen. Although chimpanzees are generally very tolerant with humans, primatologists assure that no fighting skill would be sufficient to protect Johnson from suffering catastrophic injuries.
In addition to the obvious concerns about animal cruelty and species conservation, experts emphasize that it is extremely dangerous to deliberately provoke a chimpanzee to the point of attacking. Kimberley Jane Hockings, associate professor of Sciences, explained that chimpanzees are wild animals with sophisticated social and behavioral responses, and that when they perceive a threat to themselves or to other members of their group, they can react with extraordinary aggressiveness.
