By Pam Doyle, Alabama Public Radio
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wual/local-wual-552697.mp3
Ellensburg, WA – Chimpanzees are 98.76% genetically similar to humans. That means humans and chimpanzees are closer to each other on the genetic tree than Asian and African elephants. But for anyone who has read the popular book Next of Kin by Roger Fouts, that gap likely seems even smaller. The book describes a group of chimpanzees that were raised in a home environment just as if they were deaf American children. They learned American Sign Language during the process, giving humans a glimpse into their lives and their minds.
The chimps are now in the care of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. They live in a sanctuary designed to focus on their privacy, but administrators of the program still use the chimps' uniquely developed communication skills to do non-invasive research to understand chimpanzees both as individuals and as a social group.
Pam Doyle reports that one of the most interesting learning experiences at the institute may be its apprentice program. Each year, after an extensive application process, about a dozen people are chosen to stay at the university and work with the research sanctuary program for about ten weeks.