Bonobos apes in German Zoo have flat-screen TV installed Bonobo apes at Wilhema Zoo get a choice of channels in their enclosure Each includes short films about their species, including how they hunt Another clip contains explicit scenes of the apes mating Researchers reacord their selections and reactions using a webcam Zookeepers said when they gave the apes food, they ignored the TV By Allan Hall and Wills Robinson Christmas is coming up so at a German zoo it's all a question of what to watch on TV over the holiday period. 'The Ape Escape' for the males, perhaps 'Gorilla My Dreams' for the females? Those are the decisions the bonobo apes will have to make when they switch on the televisions in their enclosures. Their enclosure at the Wilhelma zoo and botanical garden in Stuttgart now has a flat-screen TV built into a wall with buttons below that order up different movies of apes, including footage of the animals having sex. Captivating: A Bonobo watches a film on a television screen in his enclosure in Stuttgart, Germany One shows bonobos eating, another shows them mating, one nurturing female infants, a fight sequence between alpha bonobo males and one about 'everyday bonobo living' and a mating scene. So far, the images of copulating apes has not 'turned on' any of the 15 members of the group. Zoo spokesman, Karin Herzcog, told NBC: 'Maybe they are not so interested, as bonobo apes very often have sex anyway. Mating not only plays a role for reproduction or pleasure, but also fulfills an important social function for the animals. As they look at the moving images in their enclosure, a webcam inside the enclosure will be rolling silently all the time observing them. Research: US primatologist Amy Paris presents a picture on a laptop computer, which is connected to a webcam filming the apes Researchers believe that monitoring the apes will shine more light on how decisions are taken, how and why a group leader is chosen and if there are indeed group decisions taken about what to watch. Miss Herzcog added: 'With the new TV set, we wanted to provide some change and a new play tool, but at the same time, hope to study the behavior of this species a little more.' In the past two weeks, only Banbo, a 15-year-old bonobo ape has been spotted pushing one of the buttons repeatedly.. Christin Zeltner, a zookeeper at the ape house, said: 'When the film started, Banbo and some other apes in the group moved away and watched for a while from a distance, but so far there was little reaction. But when the zookeepers threw in food, the animals immediately ignored the screens and turned their attention to their meals. Yet, when food was offered to the hairy viewers, the group went bananas, Zeltner said. Primate priorities: When the apes were thrown food, they immediately switched their attention from the screen to their meals