Up Close and Personal

Kanzi is perhaps one of the world's most well-known apes, and considered by many it's "Superstar" for his ability to communicate with humans.

Kanzi is a bonobo ape, born October 28, 1980 in the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center at Georgia State University, Atlanta, and now lives at The Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Iowa.

Kanzi the Superstar
Kanzi is the first ape to acquire language as humans do--that is by being exposed to language.  Kanzi is able to carry on conversations with his trainers, creating new sentences and not just answering "memorized" responses.

Kanzi enjoys onions, cherries, and orange soda.  He likes puzzles, playing a game of chase, and his favorite toy is a green ball.  Kanzi also is a skilled toolmaker, displaying his ability to solve problems with intellect and mechanical skill.
Kanzi "Mugs" For the Camera

Kanzi is a rare and ground-breaking primate who is changing how we look at intellect, communication, and what it means to be human.  In Swahili Kanzi's name means "treasure."

Great Ape Trust | Bonobos, Orangutans and the Study of Ape Language, Tools and Intelligence. Web. 02 Jan. 2011. http://www.greatapetrust.org/.

"Great Ape Trust | Meet Our Apes, Bonobos, Oragutans, Kanzi, Panbanisha, Elikya, Teco, Nyota, Maisha, Matata, Rocky, Allie." Great Ape Trust | Bonobos, Orangutans and the Study of Ape Language, Tools and Intelligence. Web. 02 Jan. 2011. http://www.greatapetrust.org/about-the-trust/meet-our-apes/.

"The My Hero Project - Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh." The MY HERO Project. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. http://myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=sue_savage_rumbaugh.