We’ll find out what happens to fictitious humans battling fictitious primates by the end of “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” on July 11, but a new documentary from VICE’s Motherboard explores what happens when a bunch of damn, dirty apes take control in real life.
The trailer for “Island of the Apes” shows a crew journeying to Liberia to explore “Monkey Island,” a place solely inhabited by former lab-tested chimpanzees.
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“They’ll eat you,” a local tells the documentary crew in the preview (above), which is highlighted by screaming chimpanzees charging the camera when humans invade their turf.
The animals were once subjects of the Liberian Institute of Biomedical Research, and were were let loose when the lab was forced to shut down due to civil war in the African country.
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According to an account of someone that visited the island, it’s not as terrifying as the trailer would lead you to believe, albeit, still kind of dangerous since the animals can behave aggressively. It is, however, a tourist attraction, and the monkeys are regularly fed by the New York Blood Center, which funded the now defunct hepatitis research center.
“Island of the Apes” is another collaboration between 20th Century Fox and Motherboard, which produced three short films that bridge the gap between “Rise” and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”
The 17-minute documentary is now available to view on Motherboard’s YouTube channel.