Washoe, a female chimpanzee believed to be the first non-human to acquire human language, has died of natural causes at the research institute where she was kept.
Washoe, who first learned a bit of American Sign Language in a research project in Nevada, had been living on Central Washington University’s Ellensburg campus since 1980. She had a vocabulary of about 250 words.
She died Tuesday night, according to Roger and Deborah Fouts, co-founders of The Chimpanzee and Human Communications Institute on the campus. She was born in Africa about 1965.
She was taken to the veterinary hospital at Washington State University on Wednesday for a necropsy. Her memorial will be Nov. 12.
Comment by cranky-d on 10/31 @ 4:46 pm #
Okay, it’s Halloween, but please don’t scare me with that picture again.
Comment by Stout Republican on 10/31 @ 4:47 pm #
Do you realize how many Jon Stewart fans you’re going to send into a tizzy with this one…the only chimp references they find humorous and non-bigoted are Bush ones.
Comment by BumperSticker.com on 10/31 @ 4:49 pm #
Washoe’s final communication: “jay good all slut”
Comment by The Thin Man on 10/31 @ 5:00 pm #
That photo is either one of the make-up tests Tony Curtis did for “The Boston Strangler” or it’s Elton John after the latest hairplugs.
Comment by The Ouroboros on 10/31 @ 6:13 pm #
I once read that Washoe’s teachers not only taught her to “talk” but also explained to her the concepts of death and mortality (her own).. I remember thinking that they’d committed a great sin in laying that whole burden on an animal.
Comment by SteveG on 10/31 @ 6:22 pm #
Primates 101: Learn to distinguish between chimpanzees and baboons
Comment by The Sanity Inspector on 10/31 @ 6:50 pm #
Why did you post a picture of Emperor Palpatine in drag? Other than it’s Halloween, I mean.
Comment by Phil K. on 10/31 @ 7:01 pm #
Washoe, who first learned a bit of American Sign Language in a research project in Nevada, had been living on Central Washington University’s Ellensburg campus since 1980.
Ellensburg campus? Has this chimp ever been to Brazil?
Comment by The Lost Dog on 10/31 @ 7:05 pm #
“I once read that Washoe’s teachers not only taught her to “talk†but also explained to her the concepts of death and mortality (her own).. I remember thinking that they’d committed a great sin in laying that whole burden on an animal.”
Yeah, yeah.
But the real burning question is: Were they “doing” her (him?).
Comment by maggie katzen on 10/31 @ 8:12 pm #
wow, there is just not enough soft focus in the world to help that.
Comment by JD on 10/31 @ 8:24 pm #
My fucking eyes are bleeding.
Comment by McGehee on 10/31 @ 8:37 pm #
Dan, the Chimpanzee Anti-Defamation League is on Line 2. You gonna take it, or should I just put “Riverdance” on the “on hold” channel?
Comment by Big Bang (pumping you up.) on 10/31 @ 8:42 pm #
- #10: Or Liz Taylor/Lucy Ball photo gauze…..
Comment by thor on 10/31 @ 8:52 pm #
Hey, my hiccups went away. She’s a healer.
Comment by Topsecretk9 on 10/31 @ 9:01 pm #
icky
Comment by The Ouroboros on 10/31 @ 9:52 pm #
That’s a horrible thing to say about a picture of a poor animal.. Sure she didn’t look too good in the end but, man, she lived a hard life.. cut her some slack.. Cool how they dressed her in people clothes and pearls though.. Kinda funny.. Like Lance Link or something..
Comment by The Ouroboros on 10/31 @ 9:55 pm #
Take a look at her picture again and you tell me.. Duh.. Does the phrase “Rode hard and put away wet” come to mind?
Comment by alppuccino on 10/31 @ 10:22 pm #
Okay Dan. Funny. Look at the hideous woman. Clearly, there was no need to make the Washoe connection. You could have put up her picture with the title “Still Working” or “Veteran Journalist Still Has Passion”, and the comments would still center around dentures and nose hair. But try to remember before you throw your sticks and stones: She could be somebody’s great uncle.
Comment by Merovign on 10/31 @ 10:56 pm #
Man, that’s cold.
I mean, it’s a cold thing to do to the poor chimp, it’s a cold thing to do to the Washington Press Corps Mummy, and it’s a cold thing to do to us.
It’s just cold.
Comment by N. O'Brain on 11/1 @ 4:27 am #
“Take a look at her picture again and you tell me.. Duh.. Does the phrase “Rode hard and put away wet†come to mind?”
Um…….no.
Comment by Mikey NTH on 11/1 @ 6:05 am #
Though “beaten with an ugly stick” does.
Comment by McGehee on 11/1 @ 6:51 am #
Hit that woman with an ugly stick and all you’ll do is make the stick uglier.
Comment by N. O'Brain on 11/1 @ 7:59 am #
“Comment by McGehee on 11/1 @ 6:51 am #
Hit that woman with an ugly stick and all you’ll do is make the stick uglier.”
Damn, now that is funny.
Comment by Mike on 11/1 @ 8:25 am #
I now completely understand what the word “rictus” means.
Comment by N. O'Brain on 11/1 @ 8:30 am #
There’s a lesson to learned here, boys and girls.
A fistful of oxycontin and a quart of cheap gin do not constitute a nutritious breakfast.
‘Mkay?
Comment by largenfirm on 11/1 @ 11:23 am #
I’m torn between:
“That chimp fell out of the ugly tree, and hit every branch on the way down.”
and
“Deb Frisch owns pearls?”
Comment by kelly on 11/1 @ 12:41 pm #
That’s some quality taxidermy.
Comment by Matt, Esq. on 11/1 @ 2:04 pm #
Its like “anti-viagra”.
My favorite Dice Clay joke- he was having trouble getting rid of erections. “Just think ‘Rosenne Bar naked- GONE !”
Comment by Matt, Esq. on 11/1 @ 2:06 pm #
*A fistful of oxycontin and a quart of cheap gin do not constitute a nutritious breakfast.*
Lies. It works for Brittney Spears.
Comment by The Lost Dog on 11/1 @ 3:43 pm #
Comment by McGehee on 11/1 @ 6:51 am #
“Hit that woman with an ugly stick and all you’ll do is make the stick uglier”
Ugly stick???
No one will ever convince me that she didn’t get hit with the whole fuckin’ free!
Comment by The Lost Dog on 11/1 @ 3:45 pm #
Or did I mean to say “tree”?
Yup. I think that’s what I meant. I hope my punishment is NOT staying at Helen’s house for the weekend…
Comment by Chairman Me on 11/1 @ 6:05 pm #
So that thing ate Washoe?
Comment by Rusty on 11/1 @ 6:15 pm #
That is one ugly monkey.
Comment by Mike on 11/2 @ 7:23 am #
“Lies. It works for Brittney Spears.”
Well, sure, for now. But wait’ll SHE hits a hundred and thirty.
Comment by JD on 11/2 @ 10:29 am #
My eyes are still fucking bleeding. Make it stop!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by McGehee on 11/2 @ 12:53 pm #
The stick, it does nothing!
Comment by JD on 11/2 @ 1:13 pm #
The stick is uglier, but never to the gut wrenching level of teh Thomas.
Comment by McGehee on 11/2 @ 2:37 pm #
That’s because teh Thomas has an infinite supply.
Comment by JD on 11/2 @ 2:39 pm #
McGehee – How true. That picture gets a little more repulsive every time I look at it. What it is missing is the speech bubble of “BusHitler is the worst president ever, warforoil, torture, stolen elections, Cheney shooting people, Chimperor…”
Comment by McGehee on 11/2 @ 6:21 pm #
Heh. I look at it and think the word bubble should say, “The Jedi have lied to you, Anakin.”
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