Wild chimpanzees enjoy opportunistic booze-ups on palm wine, scientists have discovered.

The chimps in the west African country of Guinea found a free treat in raffia palms tapped by local people to extract a sweet, milky sap which then ferments into an alcoholic drink

The apes scrunched up leaves in their mouths, moulding them into spongy pads that they then dipped into the sap-gathering container, which villagers attach to the tree near its crown.

Tests showed that the beverage’s alcoholic content varied from 3.1 per cent to a whopping 6.9 per cent, the equivalent of strong beer.

Some of the chimps went a little, well, ape.

via Boozy chimps in west Africa enjoy drinking sessions in groups – Telegraph.