An amateur mixed martial arts fighter has claimed online to have been offered over $500,000 to engage in a fight with an adult male chimpanzee.
Cole Johnson, a fighter from Minnesota, stated in a series of social media posts that he has arranged a fight with a chimpanzee scheduled for Friday. However, experts in primatology and conservation science have voiced strong warnings about the potential for severe injury to Johnson and raised ethical concerns.
Dr. Kimberley Jane Hockings, Associate Professor in Conservation Science at Exeter University, emphasized the significant danger, noting that chimpanzees are powerful wild animals with sophisticated responses to perceived threats. "Chimpanzees are extremely powerful animals, with substantially greater upper–body strength and dynamic muscle performance than humans," Dr. Hockings stated. "When chimpanzees do attack, the injuries can be catastrophic."
Johnson's claim originated from a viral TikTok post where he asserted he could defeat a chimpanzee in a fight. He alleges that the post gained significant attention, leading to public offers of money to stage such an event. According to an interview, Johnson initially received a $500,000 offer to travel to an undisclosed country for the fight, but the funder reportedly withdrew. Johnson claims to have since found another group willing to finance the event, which he described as "less sketchy."
Details shared by Johnson suggest the chimpanzee would be unsedated with intact claws and teeth, with the fight taking place in a large, grass-based cage. He also mentioned that individuals would be present with tranquilizers to intervene. A website has reportedly been launched to advertise the event and market a related cryptocurrency.
Professor Michael Wilson, a chimpanzee expert from the University of Minnesota, highlighted that chimpanzees may not understand a fight as a game but as a struggle for survival. He also noted their physical capabilities, including sharp canine teeth capable of severe wounds and the use of hands to "twist and tear parts of their opponent's body." Professor Wilson added, "Chimpanzees appear easily provoked to extreme violence. A chimpanzee threatened by a human opponent might escalate to a severe fight that could end up with the human injured or dead."
Beyond the physical risks, experts expressed significant ethical reservations. Professor Joanna Setchel, a primate expert from Durham University, called the proposed fight irresponsible and unethical. "Chimpanzees are wild animals, not opponents or entertainers. There is no responsible or ethical way to stage such a 'fight'," Professor Setchel said. "Treating a chimpanzee as an object for human entertainment is entirely at odds with efforts to protect them and with modern standards for the welfare and ethical treatment of primates."
Conservationists also raised concerns that such spectacles could undermine years of conservation work. Chimpanzees, while generally tolerant of humans, are facing increasing pressure from habitat loss and human encroachment. Staging a fight could foster negative perceptions of the species, potentially hindering conservation efforts. Dr. Alexander Piel, Associate Professor of Anthropology at University College London, stated, "The use of chimpanzees in publicity stunts is both ethically reprehensible and counterproductive to conservation efforts to protect them."