Washoe (chimpanzee)

Washoe (c. September 1965 in West Africa, † October 30, 2007 in Ellensburg ) was a chimpanzee who in the late 1960s as the first zodiac of the American Sign Language ( American Sign Language, ASL short ) learned and actively used. The researchers, who have worked with her, they were the first non - human being who has learned a human language. Washoe was - probably in September - born in 1965 in West Africa. Her birthday was celebrated on June 21, as in 1966, the Washoe project began that day. Your unofficial " name " is Washoe Pan satyrus. Since 1980 and until her death on 30 October 2007 she lived in a large outdoor area of Central Washington University. Washoe was 42 years old.

Washoe's coach was Roger Fouts, who in the group of Robert Allen Gardner and his wife Beatrix Gardner Tugendhat acquired by this study doctoral degrees. Washoe learned several hundred ASL signs as well as various combinations of characters, which usually consisted of two or three gestures. After a short time they combined spontaneously characters in a meaningful for communication with their coach way without her had been specifically taught these combinations. Washoe even taught her " adopted son " Loulis who came to her in 1978, some ASL signs and chatted with him and with other chimpanzees also use the ASL sign.

More than two decades later wore these studies and the fact that humans and chimpanzees are very closely related, helping to put the discussion on "Human Rights for the big apes " in transition.