Why?

Kanzi:  One Chatty Ape!
So, when it's all said and done, "what's the word" on Kanzi?

When Lisa Ling traveled to the Great Ape Trust for The Oprah Show, she concluded that Kanzi is "one chatty bonobo--and not just with other apes."

Ling continued, "What's extraordinary about Kanzi is that he is able to understand and communicate with humans.  His knowledge of language is so advanced, it has people asking:

Will a bonobo bridge the gap between primates and humans?"

Panbanisha "Takes Turns"
Some scientists think this has already happened.  Panbanisha, Kanzi's adopted sister, has learned turn-taking by living with humans.

According to the web site of the Great Ape Trust, Panbanisha's "language comprehension and production skills are the most advanced of all the bonobos at Great Ape Trust.  She began using the keyboard earlier than Kanzi, and has progressed further.

Panbanisha's handlers also refer to her as a "lady" because of the way she greets visitors, and eats--properly with utensils. 

Jane Goodall Believes Apes Share Feelings


Apes and Humans Learning Together


Statue by Hugo Rheinhold
Jane Goodall, a British primatologist, worked with wild chimpanzees for nearly fifty years, pioneering new methods of studying primates.  She believed also that humans greatly underestimate the "minds" of other primates.

Why study great apes?

Ted Townsend, founder of the Great Ape Trust, hopes to answer the following questions:
  • What is the definition of a human being?
  • How does a brain create a mind?
  • What is language, how did it evolve, and is it uniquely human?
  • How do children acquire language? How can enlightened rearing environments enhance learning?
In addition, the Great Ape Trust's Mission is "to understand the origins and future of culture, language, tools, and intelligence. Along with many respected scientists from multiple disciplines, with a range of beliefs, opinions, and methodologies, The Trust blends sanctuary, research, and education into an institution of courage, vision, and longitudinal, cross-generational inquiry."

Dr. Duane Rumbaugh, Scientist Emeritus at the Great Ape Trust answers this way: 

“When I look into the eyes of an ape, I see the universe. I see a magnificence in nature and in beings that I can’t see any other way. One can begin to sense there is a greatness beyond the ape that we need to work hard to understand.”

The final word belongs to Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, from her book Kanzi: The Ape at the Brink of the Human Mind:

"We have set ourselves too much apart, grasping for definitions that will distinguish man from all other life on the planet. We must rejoin the great stream of life from whence we arose and strive to see within it the seeds of all we are and all we may become." 
 
Apeaware. Web. 21 Jan. 2011. http://apeaware.blogspot.com/.

The Darwin Monkey Bronze Statue after Hugo Rheinhold. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. http://darwinmonkey.com/.

"Bonobos May Have Greater Linguistic Skills Than Previously Thought." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

"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. 25 Jan. 2011. http://www.greatapetrust.org/about-the-trust/meet-our-apes/panbanisha.

"Jane Goodall Biography - Life, Family, Childhood, Children, Parents, Wife, School, Mother, Son, Book, Old, Information, Born, House, Marriage, Time, Year." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 25 Jan. 2011. http://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Goodall-Jane.html.

"Kanzi the Talking Ape - Oprah.com." Oprah Winfrey's Official Website - Live Your Best Life - Oprah.com. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Lisa-Ling-Meets-Kanzi-the-Talking-Ape/1.