Gorillas use tools in the wild

Scientists have found evidence that gorillas use tools in the wild to deal with the rugged environment in which they live.
A team of researchers working at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund's Karisoke Research Center in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda (in association with the Max Planck Institute for Anthropology and the University of Western Australia) claim to have witnessed possible tool use by a mountain gorilla.
It used a bamboo pole to serve as a ladder to help its offspring climb into a difficult place. This marks just the third instance of an eyewitness report of a gorilla using tools in the wild.

Until now, there have been only two reports of mountain gorillas using tools in the wild (those in captivity have demonstrated a wide range of tool use).
One team of researchers spied an adult pushing a stick around in a muddy part of a river to learn whether there was anything below worth trying to catch, phys.Org reported.
Another team witnessed an adult move a tree-trunk crosswise over a stream then use it as a bridge to cross over.

In the latest research, team members Cyril Gruetera, Martha Robbinsa, Felix Ndagijimanab, and Tara Stoinskib reported watching as an adult female manipulated a bamboo pole to position it for use by one of her offspring, then held onto it to keep it steady as the little one clambered up the pole from the ground to join her in her perch.

The team added that it was clearly intentional as the mother didn't act until she heard distress calls from her infant.
Researchers suggest that unlike chimpanzees, which have been seen using all manner of tools in the wild to gain access to food, gorillas may be more inclined to use tools as a way to deal with the rugged environment in which they live.
The study is reported in the journal Behavioural Processes.