Question: There seem to be a very, very large number of apes descended from the original lab escapees. What kind of population growth must the ape colony have had to have so many apes in 10 years?
Chosen answer:The apes that were in the colony would not have to have been descended only from the lab apes. The end of the first movie shows the liberation of other apes from zoos in the area. As the virus had spread world-wide, it's logical to assume that all apes would have been infected as well, including these liberated apes. That's only staying within the fictional universe of the movie, because in reality there are only about 25 non-Human apes in zoos, 0 ape sanctuaries, and 0 apes living in research facilities, in the San Francisco area. It's also illegal to keep apes as pets in California (I'm assuming this includes Humans.) At least according to Nina Shen Rastogi. http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/08/23/the_rise_of_the_planet_of_the_apes_a_fact_check_how_many_apes_li.html.
Chosen answer: The apes that were in the colony would not have to have been descended only from the lab apes. The end of the first movie shows the liberation of other apes from zoos in the area. As the virus had spread world-wide, it's logical to assume that all apes would have been infected as well, including these liberated apes. That's only staying within the fictional universe of the movie, because in reality there are only about 25 non-Human apes in zoos, 0 ape sanctuaries, and 0 apes living in research facilities, in the San Francisco area. It's also illegal to keep apes as pets in California (I'm assuming this includes Humans.) At least according to Nina Shen Rastogi. http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/08/23/the_rise_of_the_planet_of_the_apes_a_fact_check_how_many_apes_li.html.