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Home , Louis (gorilla), Loulis, Lucy (chimpanzee), Moja (chimpanzee)

w I i i Article I0

The Mind of the Chimpanr,ee

JaneGoodall

lr.-,,7ften I have gazed into a chimpan- was quite familiar with in the is more like us than is zee'seyes and wonderedwhat was going thewild. But , havinggrown up asa any other living creature. There is close on behindthem. I usedto look into Flo's, human child, was like a changeling, her resemblance in the physiology of our sheso old, so wise. What did she remem- essential chimpanzeenessovedaid by the two speciesand genetically, in the struc- ber of her young days? David Greybeard various human behaviours she had ac- ture of the DNA, chimpanzees and hu- had the most beautiful eyes of them all, quired over the years. No longer purely mans differ by only just over one per large and lustrous, set wide apart. They chimp yet eons away from humanity, she cent. This is why medical research uses somehow expressedhis whole personal- was man-made, some other kind of be- chimpanzees as experimental animals ity, his serene self-assurance,his inher- ing. I watched, amazed, as she opened when they need substitutesfor humans in ent dignity-and, from time to time, his the refrigerator and various cupboards, the testing of some drug or vaccine. utter determination to get his way. For a found bottles and a glass, then poured Chimpanzees can be infected with just long time I never liked to look a chim- herself a gin and tonic. She took the about all known human infectious dis- panzee straight in the eye-I assumed drink to the TV, turned the set on, flipped easesincluding those, such as hepatitis B that, as is the case with most , from one channel to another then. as and AIDS, to which other non-human this would be interpreted as a threat or at though in disgust, turned it off again. She animals (except , and leastas a breach of good manners. No so. selected a glossy magazine from the ta- gibbons) are immune. There ard equally As long as one looks with gentleness, ble and, still canying her drink, settled in striking similarities between humans and without arrogance, a chimpanzee will a comfortable chair. Occasionally, as she chimpanzees in the anatomy and wiring understand, and may even return the leafed through the magazine she identi- of the brain and nervous system, and- look, And then-or such is my fantasy- fied something she saw, using the signs although many scientists have been re- it is as though the eyes are windows into of ASL, the American luctant to admit to this-in social behav- the mind. Only the glass is opaque so that used by the deaf. I, of course, did not un- iour, intellectual ability, and the the mystery can never be fully revealed. derstand, but my hostess,Jane Temerlin emotions. The notion of an evolutionary 'mother'), I shall never forget my meeting with (who was also Lucy's trans- continuity in physical strucfure from pre- 'That Lucy, an eight-year-old home-raised lated: dog,' Lucy commented, human to modern man has long been chimpanzee.She came and sat beside me pausing at a photo of a small white poo- morally acceptable to most scientists. 'Blue,' on the sofa and, with her face very close dle. She turned the page. she de- That the same might hold good for mind to mine, searchedin my eyes-for what? clared, pointing then signing as she was generally considered an absurd hy- Perhaps she was looking for signs of gazed at a picture of a lady advertising pothesis-particularly by those who mistrust,dislike. or fear, sincemany peo- some kind of soap powder and wearing a used, and often misused, animals in their ple must have been somewhat discon- brilliant blue dress. And finally, after laboratories. It is, after all, convenient to certedwhen, for the first time, they came some vague hand movements-perhaps believe that the creature you are using, face to face with a grown chimpanzee. signed mutterings-'This Lucy's, this while it may react in disturbingly hu- Whatever Lucy read in my eyes clearly mine,' as she closed the magazine and man-like ways, is, in fact, merely a satisfied her for she suddenly put one laid it on her lap. She had just been mindless and, above all, unfeeling, 'dumb'animal. arm round my neck and gave me a gen- taught, Jane told me, the use of the pos- erous and very chimp-like kiss, her sessive pronouns during the thrice When I began my study at Gombe in mouth wide open and laid over mine. I weekly ASL lessonsshe was receiving at 1960it was not pemissible-at leastnot was accepted. the time. in ethological circles-to talk about an For a long time after that encounter I The book written by Lucy's human animal's mind. Only humans had minds. 'father,' was profoundly disturbed. I had been at Maury Temerlin, was entitled Nor was it quite proper to talk about ani- Gombe for about fifteen years then and I Lucy, Growing Up Human. And in fact, mal personality. Of course everyone

51. ANNUALEDITIONS knew that they did have their own unique I had expected my audience to be as fas- circumspect-at least until I had gained characters-everyone who had ever cinated and impressed as I was. I had some credentials and credibility. And owned a dog or other pet was aware of hoped for an exchange of views about Robert gave me wonderful advice on that. But ethologists, striving to make the chimpanzee's undoubted intelli- how best to tie up some of my more re- theirs a 'hard' science, shied away from gence.Instead there was a chill silence, bellious ideas with scientific ribbon. 'You the task of trying to explain such things after which the chairman hastily changed can't know that Fifi was jealous,' objectively. One respected ethologist, the subject. Needless to say, after being had admonishedon one occasion. We ar- 'Why while acknowledging that there was thus snubbed, I was very reluctant to gued a little. And then: don't you 'variability betweenindividual animals,' contributeany comments,at any scien- just say If Fifi were a human child we wrote that it was best that this fact be tific gatherings, for a very long time. would say she wasjealoas.'I did. 'swept under the carpet.' At that time Looking back, I suspect that everyone It is not easy to study emotions even ethological carpets fairly bulged with all was interested, but it was, of course, not when the subjects are human. I know 'anecdote' that was hidden beneath them. permissible to present a mere how I feel if I am sad or happy or angry, How naive I was. As I had not had an as evidence for anything. and if a friend tells me that he is feeling undergraduatescience education I didn't The editorial comments on the fhst sad, happy or angrir, I assume that his realize that animals were not supposedto paper I wrote for publication demanded feelings are similar to mine. But of have personalities, or to think, or to feel that every he or she be replacedwith it, course I cannot know. As we try to come emotions or pain. I had no idea that it and every who be replaced with which. to grips with the emotions of beings pro- would have been more appropriate to as- Incensed, I, in my turn, crossed out the gressively more different from ourselves sign each of the chimpanzees a number .irs and whichs and scrawled back the the task, obviously, becomes increas- rather than a name when I got to know original pronouns. As I had no desire to ingly difficult. If we ascribe human emo- him or her. I didn't realize that it was not carve a niche for myself in the world of tions to non-human animals we itre scientific to discuss behaviour in terms science, but simply wanted to go on liv- accused of being anthropomorphic-a of motivation or purpose. And no one ing among and learning about chimpan- cardinal sin in ethology. But is it so terri- had told me that terms such as childhood zees, the possible reaction of the editor ble? If we test the effect of drugs on and adolescence were uniquely human of the learnedjournal did not trouble me. chimpanzees because they are biologi- phases of the life cycle, culturally deter- In fact I won that round: the paper when cally so similar to ourselves,if we accept mined, not to be used when referring to finally published did confer upon the that there are dramatic similarities in young chimpanzees. Not knowing, I chimpanzees the dignity of their appro- chimpanzee and human brain and ner- freely made use of all those forbidden priate genders and properly upgraded vous system, is it not logical to assume 'thinss' terms and concepts in my initial attempt them from the status of mere to that there will be similarities also in at to describe, to the best of my ability, the essentialBeingness. least the more basic feelings, emotions, amazing things I had observed at Go- However, despite my somewhat tru- moods of the two species? mbe. culent attitude, I did want to learn, and I In fact, all those who have worked I shall never forget the response of a was sensible of my incredible good for- long and closely with chimpanzeeshave group of ethologists to some remarks I tune in being admitted to Cambridge. I no hesitation in asserting that chimps ex- made at an erudite seminar. I described wanted to get my PhD, if only for the perience emotions similar to those which how Figan, as an adolescent,had learned sake of Leakey and the other peo- in ourselves we label pleasure,joy, sor- to stay behind in camp after senior males ple who had written letters in support of row, anger, boredom and so on. Some of had left, so that we could give him a few my admission.And how lucky I was to the emotional states of the chimpanzee bananas for himself. On the first occa- have, as my supervisor, Robert Hinde. are so obviously similar to ours that even sion he had, upon seeing the fruits, ut- Not only because I thereby benefitted an inexperienced observer can under- tered loud, delighted food calls: from his brilliant mind and clear think- stand what is going on. An infant who whereupon a couple of the older males ing, but also becauseI doubt that I could hurls himself screaming to the ground, had charged back, chased after Figan, have found a teacher more suited to my face contorted, hitting out with his arms and taken his bananas.And then, coming particular needs and personality. Gradu- at any nearby object, banging his head, is to the point of the story, I explained how, ally he was able to cloak me with at least clearly having a tantrum. Another on the next occasion, Figan had actually some of the trappings of a scientist. Thus youngster, who gambols around his suppressedhis calls. We could hear little although I continued to hold to most of mother, turning somersaults,pirouetting sounds, in his throat, but so quiet that my convictions-that animals had per- and, every so often, rushing up to her and none of the others could have heard sonalities; that they could feel happy or tumbling into her lap, patting her or pull- them. Other young chimps, to whom we sad or fearful; that they could feel pain; ing her hand towards him in a requestfor tried to smuggle fruit without the knowl- that they could strive towards planned tickling, is obviously filled with joie de edge of their elders, never learned such goals and achieve greater successifthey vivre. Therc are few observers who self-control. With shrieks of glee they were highly motivated-I soon rcalized would not unhesitatingly ascribe his be- would fall to, only to be robbed of their that thesepersonal convictions were, in- haviour to a happy, carefree state of booty when the big males charged back. deed, difficult to prove. It was best to be well-being. And one cannot watch chim-

<). rFi r Article10. The Mindof the Chimpanzee

panzeeinfants for long without realizing close evolutionary relationship with the with intelligent behaviour in non-human that they have the same emotional need chimpanzees in our attempts to interpret animals. for affection and reassurance as human complex behaviour. By the time systematic observations children. An adult male, reclining in the of tool-using came from Gombe those Today, as in Darwin's time, it is once shade after a good meal, reaching be- pioneering studies had been largely for- again fashionable to speak of and study nignly to play with an infant or idly gotten. Moreover, it was one thing to the animal mind. This change came groom an adult female, is clearly in a know that humanized chimpanzees in about gradually, and was, at least in part, good mood. When he sits with bristling the lab could use implements: it was due to the information collected during hair, glaring at his subordinates and quite another to find that this was a natu- careful studies of animal societies in the threateningthem, with irritated gestures, rally occurring skill in the wild. I well re- field. As these observations became if they come too close, he is clearly feel- member writing to Louis about my firsf widely known, it was impossible to ing cross and grumpy. We make these observations, describing how David brush aside the complexities of social be- judgements because the similarity of so Greybeard not only used bits of straw to haviour that were revealed in species af- much of a chimpanzee's behaviour to tish for termites but actually stripped ter species. The untidy clutter under the our own permits us to empathize. leaves from a stem and thus made atool. ethological carpets was brought out and It is hard to empathize with emotions And I remember too receiving the now examined,piece by piece. Gradually it we have not experienced.I can image, to oft-quoted telegram he sent in response was realized that parsimonious explana- "Now some extent, the pleasure of a female to my letter: we must redefine tions of apparently intelligent behaviours chimpanzee during the act of procre- tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpan- were often misleading. This led to a ation. The feelings of her male partner zeesas humans." succession of experiments that, taken arebeyond my knowledge-as are those There were initially, a few scientists together, clearly prove that many in- of the human male in the same context. I who attempted to write off the termiting tellectual abilities that had been have spent countless hours watching observations, even suggesting that I had thought unique to humans were actu- mother chimpanzees interacting with taught the chimps! By and large, though, ally present, though in a less highly their infants. But not until I had an infant people were fascinated by the informa- developed form, in other, non-human of my own did I begin to understand the tion and by the subsequentobservations beings. Particularly, of course, in the basic, powerful instinct of mother-love. of the other contexts in which the Gombe non-human primates and especially in If someone accidentally did something chimpanzeesused objects as tools. And chimpanzees. to frighten Grub, or threaten his well-be- there were only a few anthropologists ing in any way, I felt a surge of quite ir- When first I began to read about hu- who objected when I suggestedthat the rational anger. How much more easily man evolution, I learned that one of the chimpanzeesprobably passedtheir tool- could I then understand the feelings of hallmarks of our own species was that using traditions from one generation to the chimpanzee mother who furiously we, and only we, were capable of making the next, through observations,imitation waves her arm and barks in threat at an tools. Man the Toolmaker was an oft- and practice, so that each population individual who approachesher infant too cited definition-and this despite the might be expected to have its own unique closely, or at a playmate who inadvert- careful and exhaustive research of Wolf- tool-using culture. Which, incidentally, ent$ hurts her child. And it was not until gang Kohler and Robert Yerkes on the turns out to be quite true. And when I de- I knew the numbing grief that gripped tool-using and tool-making abilities of scribed how one chimpanzee, Mike, me after the death of my second husband chimpanzees. Those studies, carried out spontaneously solved a new problem by that I could even begin to appreciate the independently in the early twenties, were using a tool (he broke off a stick to knock despairand sense of loss that can cause received with scepticism. Yet both a banana to the ground when he was too young chimps to pine away and die when Kohler and Yerkes were respectedscien- nervous to actually take itfrom my hand) they lose their mothers. tists, and both had a profound under- I don't believe there were any raised eye- Empathy and intuition can be of tre- standing of chimpanzee behaviour. brows in the scientific community. Cer- mendousvalue as we attempt to under- Indeed, Kohler's descriptions of the per- tainly I was not attacked viciously, as stand certain complex behavioral sonalities and behaviour of the various were Kohler and Yerkes, for suggesting interactions,provided that the behaviour, individuals in his colony, published in that humans were not the only beings ca- asit occurs, is recorded precisely and ob- his book The Mentality of , remain pable of reasoning and insight. jectively. Fortunately I have seldom some of the most vivid and colourful The mid-sixties saw the start of a found it difficult to record facts in an ever written. And his experiments, project that, along with other similar re. orderly manner even during times of showing how chimpanzeescould stack search,was to teach us a great deal about powerful emotional involvement. And boxes, then climb the unstable construc- the chimpanzee mind. This was Project "knowing" intuitively how a chimpan- tions to reach fruit suspended from the , conceived by Trixie and Allen zee is feeling-after an attack, for ex- ceiling, or join two short sticks to make a Gardner. They purchasedan infant chim- ample-may help one to understand pole long enough to rake in fruit other- panzee and began to teach her the signs what happens next. We should not be wise out of reach, have become classic, of ASL, the afraid at least to try to make use of our appearing in almost all textbooks dealing used by the deaf. Twenty years earlier

53 ANNUALEDITIONS another husband and wife team, Richzrd chimp are similar to those of a human ously identified herself in the mirror, and Cathy Hayes, had tried, with an al- childl staring at her image and making her most total lack of success. to teach a When news of Washoe's accomplish- name sign. But that observation was young chimp, Vikki, to talk. The Hayes's ments firsthitthe scientific community it merely anecdotal. The proof came when undertaking taught us a lot about the immediately provoked a storm of bitter chimpanzees who had been allowed to chimpanzee mind, but Vikki, although protest. It implied that chimpanzeeswere play with mirrors were, while anaesthe- she did well in IQ tests, and was clearly capable of mastering a human language, tized, dabbed with spots of odourless an intelligent youngster, could not learn and this, in turn, indicated mental powers paint in places, such as the ears or the top human speech. The Gardners, however, of generalization, abstraction and con- of the head, that they could see only in achieved spectacular success with their cept-formation as well as an ability to the mirror. When they woke they were pupil, Washoe. Not only did she learn understand and use abstract symbols. not only fascinated by their spotted im- signs easily, but she quickly began to And these intellectual skills were surely ages, but immediately investigated, with string them together in meaningful ways. the prerogatives of Homo sapiens. Al- their fingers, the dabs of paint. It was clear that each sign evoked, in her though there were many who were fasci- The fact that chimpanzeeshave excel- mind, a mental image of the object it rep- nated and excited by the Gardners' lent memories surprised no one. Every- resented.If, for example, she was asked, findings, there were many more who de- one, after all, has been brought up to 'an in sign language, to fetch an apple, she nounced the whole project, holding that believe that elephant never forgets' would go and locate an apple that was the data was suspect, the methodology so why should a chimpanzee be any dif- out of sight in another room. sloppy, and the conclusions not only ferent? The fact that Washoe spontane- . misleading, but quite preposterous. The ously gave the name-sign of Beatrice Other chimps entered the project, controversy inspired all sorts of other Gardner, her surrogatemother, when she some starting their lives in deaf signing language projects. And, whether the in- saw her after a separationof eleven years families before joining Washoe. And fi- vestigators were sceptical to start with was no greater an accomplishment than nally Washoe adopted an infant, . and hoped to disprove the Gardners' the amazing memory shown by dogs He came from a lab where no thought of work, or whether they were attempting to who recognize their owners after separa- teaching signs had ever penetrated. demonstrate the same thing in a new tions of almost as long-and the chim- When he was with Washoe he was given way, their research provided additional panzeehas a much longer life span than no lessons in language acquisition-not information about the chimpanzee's a dog. Chimpanzeescan plan ahead,too, by humans, anyway. Yet by the time he mind. at least as regards the immediate future. was eight years old he had made fifty- And so, with new incentive, psychol- This, in fact, is wellillustrated at Gombe, eight signs in their correct contexts. How ogists began to test the mental abilities of during the termiting season:often an in- did he learn them? Mostly, it seems, by chimpanzees in a variety of different dividual preparesa tool for use on a ter- imitating the behaviour of Washoe and ways; again and again the results con- mite mound that is several hundred yards the other three signing chimps, Dar, firmed that their minds are uncannily away and absolutely out of sight. and Tatu. Sometimes, though, he like our own. It had long been held that This is not the place to describe in de- received tuition from Washoe herself. only humans were capable of what is tail the other cognitive abilities that have 'cross-modal One day, for example, she began to called transfer of informa- been studied in laboratory chimpanzees. swagger about bipedally, hair bristling, tion'-in other words, if you shut your Among other accomplishments chim- signingfood! food! food! in great excite- eyes and someone allows you to feel a panzeespossess pre-mathematical skills: ment. She had seena human approaching strangely shaped potato, you will subse- they can, for example, readily differenti- with a bar of chocolate. Loulis, only quently be able to pick it out from other ate between more and less. They can eighteen months old, watched passively. differently shaped potatoes simply by classify things into specific categories Suddenly Washoe stopped her swagger- looking at them. And vice versa. It according to a given criterion-thus they 'know' ing, went over to him, took his hand, and turned out that chimpanzees can have no difficulty in separating a pile of 'feel' moulded the sign for food (fingers point- with their eyes what they with their food intofruits andv e g etable s on one oc- ing towards mouth). Another time, in a fingers in just the same way. In fact, we casion, and, on another, dividing the similar context, she made the sign for now know that some other non-human same pile of food into large versus small chewing gum-but with her hand on hls primates can do the same thing. I expect items, even though this requires putting body. On a third occasion Washoe, apro- all kinds of creatureshave the same abil- some vegetableswith some fruits. Chim- pos of nothing, picked up a small chair, ity. panzees who have been taught a lan- took it oyer to Loulis, set it down in front Then it was proved, experimentally guage can combine signs creatively in of him, and very distinctly made the and beyond doubt, that chimpanzees order to describe objects for which they chair sign three times, watching him could recognize themselves in minors- have no symbol. Washoe, for example, closely as shedid so.The two food signs that they had, therefore, some kind of ptzzled her caretakersby asking, repeat- became incorporated into Loulis's vo- self-concept. In fact, Washoe, some edly, for arockberry. Eventually ittran- cabulary but the sign fbr chair did not. years previously, had already demon- spired that she was referring to Brazil Obviously the priorities of a young strated the ability when she spontane- nuts which she had encountered for the

54 Article10. The Mindof the Chimpanzee

a while first time before. Another lan- their mental skills during normal day-to- harder. It is more meaningful becausewe guage-trainedchimp described a cucum- day life in their complex society. They can better understand the environmental ber as a Sreen banana, and another are always having to make choices- pressuresthat led to the evolution of in- refened to an Alka-Seltzer as a listen where to go, or with whom to travel. tellectualskills in chimpanzeesocieties. drink.They can even invent signs.Lucy, They need highly developed social It is harder because,in the wild, almost as she got older, had to be put on a leash skills-particularly those males who all behaviours are confounded by count- for her outings. One day, eager to set off are ambitious to attain high positions in less variables; years of observing, re- no but having sign for leash, she sig- the dominance hierarchy. Low-ranking cording and analysing take the place of nalled her wishes by holding a crooked chimpanzees must learn deception-to contrived testing; sample size can often index finger to the ring on her collar. conceal their intentions or to do things in be counted on the fingers of one hand; This sign became part ofher vocabulary. secret-if they are to get their way in the the only experiments are nature's own, Somechimpanzees love to draw, and es- presence of their superiors. Indeed, the and only time- eventually-may repli- pecially to paint. Those who have study of chimpanzees in the wild sug- cate them. learnedsign languagesomet"imes spon- gests that their intellecrual abilities In the wild a single observation may label 'This taneously their works, [is] evolved, over the millennia, to help them prove of utmost significance, providing a apple'-or bird, or sweetcorn,or what- cope with daily life. And now, the solid clue to some hitherto puzzling aspect of ever. The fact that the paintings often core of data concerning chimpanzee in- behaviour, a key to the understanding of, look, to our eyes,remarkably unlike the tellect collected so carefully in the lab for example, a changed relationship. Ob- objects depicted by the artists either setting provides a background against viously it is crucial (o seeas many inci- means that the chimpanzees are poor which to evaluate the many examples of dents of this sort as possible. During the draughtsmenor that we have much to intelligent, rational behaviour that we early years of my study at Gombe it be- learn regarding ape-style representa- seein the wild. came apparent that one person alone tional art! It is easier to study intellectual prow- could never learn more than a fraction of People sometimes ask why chimpan- ess in the lab where, through caref'ully what was going on in a chimpanzeecom- zeeshave evolved such complex intel- devised tests and judicious use of re- munity at any given time. And so, from lectual powers when their lives in the wards, the chimpanzees can be encour- 1964 onwards, I gradually built up a re- so wild are simple. The answer is, of aged to exert themselves,to stretch their search tearn to help in the gathering of course,that their lives in the wild are not minds to the limit. It is more meaningful information about the behaviour of our so simple! They use-and need-all to study the subject in the wild, but much closestliving relatives.

Excerptfrom Thg-.yeh a windowby JaneCoodall, Chapter 2 , pp. 12J3 . o 1990 by SokoPublications, Ltd. All rightsreserved. Reprinted by permission of HoughtonMifflin Cornpany.

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