- "In what terms should we think of these beings,
nonhuman yet possessing so very many human-like characteristics? How should
we treat them? Surely we should treat them with the same consideration
and kindness as we show to other humans; and as we recognize human rights,
so too should we recognize the rights of the great apes? Yes."
- --Jane Goodall
-
- "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty
ape!"
- --Chuck Heston
-
- Throughout my entire adult life, I've been interested
in the search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. For me, the possibility
that man is the sole "thinking" entity in the Cosmos inspires
as much despair as it does loneliness. I say with no judgment or sanctimony
that man is a terribly unsophisticated beast. In spite of his remarkable
technological achievements, Homo sapiens has never been more than a half
step removed from the jungle.
-
- Perhaps, then, our quest for others like ourselves need
not be projected into outer space. Here on planet Earth, we may have already
found precisely what we're looking for.
-
- Most everyone who has owned a pet has caught a glimpse
of the innate spark of intelligence that God gives most animals. One cannot
expect his cat or dog to perform long division or compose a bestselling
novel, but that does not mean the "beasts" do not think. Many
animals display cleverness and cunning that borders on reason.
-
- The smartest pet I have ever owned was a Lilac Shorthair
cat named Frisco. If that little bugger didn't qualify as "thinking,"
then neither should most humans. I remember the discomfiture I felt when
Frisco learned to open doors by turning the handles -- or to try mightily,
at least. He wouldn't just bat at them, but would stand on his hind legs
and attempt to twist them with his forepaws. But Mother Nature didn't bestow
Frisco with quite as much dexterity or strength as the humans he attempted
to emulate. As far as I know, he never was able to open a door that was
adequately closed, but that had nothing to do with his intelligence.
-
- But the casual wit displayed by domesticated animals
is nothing compared to the sheer perspicacity of man's closest relative.
The Great Apes - gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos - are just
a couple of chromosomes off from being virtually identical to humans. Indeed,
chimpanzees are actually closer genetically to humans than they are to
gorillas.
-
- Over the past few decades, enormous strides have been
made in the documentation of primate intelligence. Most famously, gorilla
Koko has been taught to communicate with humans through sign language.
Koko understands about 2,000 words of spoken English, and has a working
vocabulary of over 1,000 signs. It has also been reported that she possesses
an IQ ranging between 75-95 points on the human scale. (Source: http://www.iqtestnow.com/mag/koko.html)
-
- Skeptics of Koko's talents initially downplayed her intelligence,
speculating that she was performing a mere parlor trick, with no real "comprehension"
of language. But she has repeatedly defied this reasoning, most recently
when she informed her handlers that she was suffering from a bad toothache.
A dental examination revealed that she was indeed in need of a tooth extraction.
(Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3548246.stm)
-
- One ape who aspires to achieve Koko's level of brilliance
is a Japanese chimp named Asuka. She began painting at the age of 2 and
a half years, and has created nearly 100 works of art (though I've read
that her work is charitably described as "abstract").
-
- Some people claim that the handlers of primates make
the mistake of ascribing "human" thoughts and intentions to the
"beasts." But in reality, the "thinking" of apes may
be closer to ours than we suspect.
-
- I recently came across a very old news story that had
me scratching my head, re-assessing the perception of apes as unthinking
creatures acting solely on instinct. The article is entitled "Death
Duel Between Man and Gorilla." It tells the tale of a gorilla at a
zoo who killed his male handler, reportedly out of JEALOUSY. You see, the
man was married a few weeks previous, and made the mistake of exhibiting
his blushing bride in front of the smitten ape.
-
- From the May 28, 1902 edition of the Fort Wayne News:
-
- "In the Marseilles zoo there recently took place
a duel to the death between a man and an adult gorilla, the only one in
Europe. The gorilla was killed after a fight lasting twenty minutes, in
which the keeper was so terribly mangled that he died five hours later.
-
- "The famous gorilla was named Francois. He was one
of the largest species and always had been perfectly tractable, showing
especial affection for his keeper, a man named Journoux, until the latter
married a few weeks ago.
-
- "The bride visited the zoo often, and the gorilla
was very sensitive about the attentions she showed her husband. When the
gorilla perceived that she undoubtedly preferred his keeper, Francois became
more and more jealous, and finally Jouroux found it impossible to approach
the gorilla, especially if Mme. Journoux was in sight.
-
- "Francois became so surly and quiet that the keeper
thought he was sick and entered the cage to comfort him. The gorilla immediately
sprang upon his keeper. Journoux held a short tamer's fork, which alone
accounts for the fight lasting so long....
-
- "By the time help arrived the gorilla had been killed.
The keeper was found with one eye torn out and rapidly losing blood from
many other wounds. One hand had been completely chewed off, and the lower
lip and part of the chin had also been bitten off."
-
- It is worth noting that in the homophobic era of the
early 20th century, this journalist did not feel free to speculate that
the real object of the gorilla's affection was not the handler's wife,
but the handler himself.
-
- Of course, the reporter may have been misguided in concluding
that "jealousy" was the motive behind the gorilla's rampage,
but remember that gorillas share about 98 percent of the genetic material
of humans. And to quote Dr. Zaius, the eminent simian scholar in Planet
of the Apes, "I have always known about man. From the evidence, I
believe his wisdom must walk hand and hand with his idiocy. His emotions
must rule his brain. He must be a warlike creature who gives battle to
everything around him, even himself."
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