Kanzi the Bonobo

What would it be like to converse with a bonobo? According to primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a lead scientist at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa, these apes cannot only understand language, but some of them can convey their thoughts and feelings to humans and to each other by pointing to any of hundreds of symbols on lexigram keyboards. In this audio slide show, meet Kanzi, the Trust's alpha male, who has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to communicate on our terms.—Rima Chaddha

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