Rare Footage Of Oliver The 'Humanzee' Leaves Viewers Terrified

Oliver, the 'humanzee', was once thought to be the 'missing link' in the evolutionary chain.

His way of walking and his features were so human-like that he bore a striking resemblance to one of us. 

Oliver was a chimpanzee, captured in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and acquired by trainers Frank and Janet Berger in 1970.

Due to his unique physical and behavioral traits, many people believed he was a human-chimp hybrid, often referred to as a ‘humanzee’. 

Oliver the Chimpanzee and South African animal handler Frank Burger Bettmann/Getty Images

Oliver had a small head, and his face appeared flatter than that of a typical chimpanzee.

He also had a pronounced nose and walked upright on two legs, unlike other chimps who walk on their knuckles. 

Oliver’s bald head and lack of the typical chimpanzee’s short, white beard and pronounced forward jaw made him even more unique. 

Instead, he had pointed ears, placed higher on his head, and he even had freckles. Some thought he was the missing link, a term not used by biologists. 

This term suggests the evolutionary process is linear and forms originate one after another in a chain. 

Instead, scientists prefer the term 'last common ancestor' and confirmed that Oliver was not a human-chimpanzee hybrid.

Commenting on the resurfaced footage, one viewer said: "Woah I remember this really freaked me out." 

Another added: "I'm not going to sleep after seeing that face. It's the scariest face. Ever."

In 1975, Frank and Janet sold Oliver to a Manhattan lawyer named Michael Miller, who then gave Oliver to Ralph Helfer, a partner in a small theme park called Enchanted Village in Buena Park, California. 

Some believe that “Oliver”Was mixed with human DNA Wikimedia Commons/Carlos Duarte

Later, in 1989, Oliver was purchased by Buckshire Corporation, a Pennsylvania laboratory that leased animals for scientific and cosmetic testing. 

Later, in 1989, Oliver was purchased by Buckshire Corporation, a Pennsylvania laboratory that leased animals for scientific and cosmetic testing. 

Now partially sighted and arthritic, Oliver was moved to an open-air cage at Primarily Primates in Texas.

According to Primarily Primates: "Oliver was a gentle soul who brought out the kindness in other chimpanzees." 

Oliver also became sexually attracted to his carer and preferred human company over that of other chimps.

Oliver had an unsually bald head x/@Sm97536886David

“He loved coconut sorbet — that got the biggest hoots and hollers,” one caregiver said in 2012. 

“But if he didn't like something, he'd hand the bowl back to you — like the time he tried sugar-free pistachio pudding.”

Sadly, in June 2012, Oliver "was found resting motionless" in filmmaker Andy Cockrum's hammock. 

He passed away at the age of 55.

"Although Oliver was gone, he was certainly not forgotten. Plans to create an enrichment habitat were in the works and it was decided that the new structure would be situated where Oliver lived during his time at Primarily Primates," they added.

Getty Images

"Two years after his passing, Primarily Primates and Friends of Animals were able to unveil the new habitat which was dubbed Oliver’s Playground."