Kanzi, the extraordinary bonobo born in 1980, has died. This loss is a great tragedy, both for our field and on a personal level. Kanzi is famous for his extraordinary skill in using symbols to communicate. During his relatively short, four-decade life, he became one of the foremost advocates and researchers of the capacity of other non-human primates to develop a use of language. He first learned to speak as a baby, learning language in an aquatic version of the way human children learn.
Reminiscing on his life so far, Kanzi proved to be a prodigy throughout, learning more than 300 lexigrams and even understanding spoken English. His death in March has prompted reflections on the implications of decades of ape-language research, both its achievements and its ethical considerations.
A Unique Approach to Communication
Kanzi’s path to the world of communication started from a young age. He was taught to use a board covered with multisensory symbols to help him communicate his needs and ideas. The most vivid example of this occurred when he picked up a plank. He started by touching the button for “egg,” then gestured to the button for “question.” This capacity to recombine symbols in new, original, and creative ways highlighted these complex communicative abilities.
Researchers noticed that Kanzi had learned language in a way that was real, natural. He learned it unconventionally, like any human child learns language. His intelligence made him a lot of people’s choice for the smartest great ape in a generation of so-called “talking” apes.
“The ability for people to have a direct conversation with an ape who was expressing that interiority was really mind-blowing.” – Barbara J. King
Through Kanzi’s interactions, we learned a great deal about how language grows and takes shape. They ignited inquiry into what the cognitive mechanisms and processes underlying non-human species’ communication are.
Ethical Reflections and Concerns
In 2012, members of the public became increasingly concerned about the health and safety of these apes at the Great Ape Trust in Iowa. This facility was home to Kanzi’s later years. Staff repeatedly raised concerns about traumatic injuries incurred by the great apes and general conditions at the research facility. This has sparked an ongoing, deeper discourse about the ethics of doing invasive studies like this on sentient, intelligent animals.
For anyone familiar with Kanzi’s case, it became clear that the quality of his communication was imperative. Indeed, as experts such as Simon Townsend observed, Kanzi often exhibited a deep yearning for something. He would much rather do that than sit in Washington talking in the abstract.
“There seems to be a lot more imperative usage, like he just wanted things.” – Simon Townsend
This remarkable observation raises profound questions about animal communication − why do animals talk? It challenges us to check ourselves on whether these interactions even have any substance or a real purpose.
The End of an Era
The death of Kanzi, a one-of-a-kind bonobo, is a monumental loss to the bonobo species. It marks a critical tipping point in animal language research. Heidi Lyn, right, collaborated with language chimp Kanzi for 30 years. She’s convinced that his death sets back the entire field of inquiry.
“It’s not just Kanzi that is gone; it’s this whole field of inquiry.” – Heidi Lyn
Barbara J. King elaborated on Kanzi’s significance, emphasizing that his work was crucial for understanding language development in both humans and non-humans.
“In retrospect, I think there was absolutely no intention to harm these apes at all, but I do think they were harmed.” – Barbara J. King
It would be hard to overstate how Kanzi’s contributions have shaped debates about the evolution of language. They pose crucial ethical questions in the study of intelligent beings. His exceptional gift of communication revealed the spectacular linguistic capacity of non-human animals. This find led to conversations going mainstream about the researchers’ duty of care to their subjects.
Leave a Reply