Fact Check: Chimps Are NOT Wearing Masks When Raiding Fruit Stands In the Congo -- Fictional Story

Fictional Tale

Did researchers discover a shocking display of primate intelligence when a band of chimps in the Congo began wearing masks to hide their faces when they were raiding local markets? No, that's not true: This story appeared spontaneously on social media from an account bearing the disclaimer, "story (noun) - an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment". There are no scientific reports that match this claim, and the images included with the story have only appeared on duplicate social media posts paired with the tale.

The made-up story appeared in a post (archived here) published by the Facebook page StoryTime on Oct. 19, 2025. The post caption begins:

Chimps Spotted Wearing Masks in the Congo.

Incredible new footage out of the Congo has left researchers stunned, chimps have been spotted wearing makeshift masks while raiding local markets. It all started after authorities cracked down last month when a single chimp was repeatedly stealing food. Locals say the crackdown left the group shaken, after seeing their companion taken away, the rest seemed to realize they needed a new plan.

This is the image in the Facebook post:

(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot from facebook.com/photo?fbid=1167222698844540&set=a.762744129292401.)

The story continues:

Now, entire groups of chimps arrive together. But this time, they cover their faces with leaves, bark, and even discarded cloth to avoid being recognized. Witnesses say the masked raiders snatch fruit and vegetables before vanishing back into the forest, leaving vendors bewildered.

Experts are calling it one of the most shocking displays of primate intelligence ever caught on camera. One researcher summed it up: "They didn't just learn from punishment they adapted, together. This is problem-solving on another level."

#animals #wholesome

The two images with different natural lighting conditions have some deceptively realistic details. The realism of the slightly out of focus chimps moving along well worn paths in the forest is paired with the outlandish element that the chimps are wearing well constructed face coverings made of natural forest materials. It might appear that these are two stand alone images included in the same post but it is actually one composite image. Along the bottom edge (visible above) there is a black margin with some partially legible numbers -- an effect suggesting this is a real image file from a digital camera. Attention to the other posts on this page show that it is part of the deceptive formula.

Lead Stories did a Google reverse image search for the composite image, and also cropped the image into the respective top and bottom elements, and searched for each alone. In both cases, the top image and the bottom image only produced search results showing the composite image on social media. The individual parts of this composite image have no record online as stand-alone photos and the composite image has no history outside of social media posts.

The Facebook page StoryTime has a disclaimer in the page intro which reads:

story (noun) - an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment

Almost all of the content shared by the page features animals doing unexpected things, and the posts feature a two- or three-panel composite image, frequently with a black band on the lower edge lending a realistic effect to the fakery. In another example posted on Oct. 21, 2025 (pictured below), the fictional story is about chimps who try to domesticate alligators.

(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot from facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1169047835328693&set=pb.100066704634362.-2207520000&type=3.)

A Google search (archived here) for the title of this post, "Chimps Spotted Wearing Masks in the Congo" did not produce any relevant news or science reporting, only duplicate social media posts.