Oliver was a chimpanzee. Despite his unusually human-like appearance and tendency to walk upright. Genetic tests confirmed that Oliver had the correct number of chromosomes for a chimpanzee and belonged to a Central African subspecies. Oliver’s upright posture, ability to mix drinks, and general human-like qualities fueled speculation that he might be a human-chimpanzee hybrid, or “Humanzee. He was eventually rescued by Primarily Primates in 1998, where he lived the remainder of his life in peace until his death in 2012.
NEW YORK SEPTEMBER 2025: In 1976, a bald chimpanzee with eerily human traits shocked the world. Nicknamed the “Humanzee,” Oliver walked on two legs, preferred human company, and defied scientific explanation. Was he a human-chimp hybrid? A missing link? Or something science had never seen before?
Supposedly, the chimpanzee was caught in the Congo. Oliver was acquired as a young animal in 1970 by trainers Frank and Janet Berger. Some physical and behavioral evidence led the Bergers to believe Oliver was a creature other than a chimpanzee.
Humans and chimpanzees share an estimated 98 per cent of genetic material, having branched off from one another two and a half million years ago. Genetically it is very likely that humans and chimpanzees could produce offspring. This fascinating special has unique access to the most famous purported human-chimpanzee hybrid called Oliver. He is 41 years old, walks upright on two legs, has a pronounced nose, human-like teeth and is eerily, always rejected by other chimpanzees. But is he really a chimp-human hybrid? Drawing on archive footage and interviews this film explores the taboo of hybridisation and the ethics of such a Frankenstein-science.
Oliver died in his sleep and was found on June 2, 2012 – he was at least 55 years old.
This film was first broadcast: 2003
