takealookatyourlife: congenitaldisease: Washoe was a common chimpanzee and the first ever non-human
takealookatyourlife: congenitaldisease: Washoe was a common chimpanzee and the first ever non-human to learn how to communicate with sign language. She was raised as close to a human child as possible. One of her care workers, Kat, suffered a miscarriage and took a few weeks off work. When she returned, Washoe seemed upset that she had left her for a prolonged period of time. Kat signed that she was sorry and signed “my baby died,” to which Washoe responded by signing the word “cry” before running her finger down Kat’s cheek, mimicking a tear. She then asked Kat for a hug. Washoe, who had lost her own babies, appeared to be sympathetic and understanding toward Kat’s own pain and loss. She’s one of the reasons the Great Ape Project formed in an effort to give chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas the moral category of “persons” instead of property. She showed apes have emotional intelligence because while chimpanzees don’t cry, she knew that’s how humans express sadness, hence signing the tear. She also proved her own self awareness by recognising herself in a mirror, and when introduced for the first time to other chimps, she was unsure if she was more human or chimp but ultimately enjoyed the company of both. She also slowed down her signing for people who were new to ASL to help them communicate. -- source link
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