Human Display At Australian Zoo

An Australian zoo has put a group of humans on display to raise awareness about primate conservation.

Over a month, the humans will be locked in an unused orang-utan cage at Adelaide zoo, braving the searing heat and snacking on bananas. They will be monitored by a psychologist who hopes to use the findings to improve conditions for real apes in captivity.

Audiences can vote for their favorite "ape" via mobile phone text messages, in the style of reality television shows, and at the end of the month, a "super human" will be selected to represent the zoo.

Participants wear microphones in front of Web cams to allow watchers to hear the action in what has been billed as "Big Brother behind bars."

Dr. Carla Litchfield, who is conducting the experiment, has laid down firm rules for the new apes: no nudity, no rude behavior and no jumping into the enclosure spa.

Zoo vets haven't ruled out using tranquillizer darts if the humans misbehave.