Human zoo

The launch of the Human Zoo exhibit at the Adelaide Zoo has blurred the line between human and ape.

Six people are being locked up in the old orang-outang enclosure during opening hours for a week.

Over the next month, 24 people will act as though they are animals on display.

A great ape expert and psychology lecturer Carla Litchfield will spend the four weeks studying their behaviour.

"Part of what I do at the zoo is to come up with activities for great apes and other animals, to stimulate them behaviourally and keep their brains occupied," she said.

"I never know what it feels like, so a month in there will give me a good idea of the smells and sounds and what it's like to be stared at by thousands of people every day."

The exercise also aims to raise money for conservation and a new enclosure for primates at the Monarto Zoo.