AUSTIN, TEXAS: During an episode of the podcast 'The Joe Rogan Experience', podcast host and UFC commentator Joe Rogan discussed the "enormous" chimpanzee known as Bili or Bondo apes with his guest Mariana van Zeller.
Mariana van Zeller, a Portuguese journalist and correspondent for the National Geographic Channel, appeared on Rogan's podcast, in episode #1938. This primate species enthralled Rogan.
'Tree beaters and lion killers'
Rogan went into great depth with his guest regarding these animals. The podcaster looked at the picture of Bondo apes and stated, “There’s like a subspecies of chimpanzee that’s enormous. They call it the ‘Bili’ ape the ‘Bondo’ ape. Look at the size of that thing.”
Mariana gasped, "Wow!" after viewing the photographs and videos. "That does not look like a chimp.” Rogan went on to explain the purported new species in great detail. He even claimed that a 'Bondo' ape was caught eating a jaguar in Africa.
He said, “I know, it’s enormous. The locals have two categories: They call the smaller chimps ‘tree beaters’ because they’re up in the trees and the bottom ones they call ‘lion killers’ and they nest on the ground like gorillas. They saw this uh one walk across the road and they said it’s six feet tall."
He went on to say, "A six-foot tall chimpanzee that was hundreds and hundreds of pounds. They have a video of one of them eating a jaguar or excuse me a leopard because it’s in Africa. But they call them lion killers but can you imagine a chimpanzee that’s six foot tall 400 pounds?”
However, there is still debate about this ape species. It has been discovered that the apes formerly thought to be Bili or Bondo are actually common chimps.
'Investigate things before talking crap'
After watching the clip, netizens started sharing their opinions. One user criticized Rogan for not investigating the information. He wrote, "Joe Rogan should investigate things before talking crap."
Another user, referring to Rogan's "lion killer" statement, said, "A troupe of Bili Ape would surely kill a Bear." A third user added, "Bro a lion would kill it." One said, "I would pay to see a fight between a 6 foot tall chimp and a lion." Another user questioned Rogan, "Then why do you no think there are Bigfoot?"
Rogan was once confronted by a Florida-based primatologist, Allison, who claimed the Bondo ape theory was a false one. Rogan dismissed her explanation, calling her "stupid" and suggesting she look it up online. Rogan mocked the primatologist and did not let her speak throughout the clip. The Bondo ape theory was debunked in the early 2000s, with the species being categorized as an eastern chimpanzee.
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