In Atlanta died orangutans first learn sign language
Zoo Atlanta at the age of 39 years died, orangutan Chantek that the first of their relatives learned human sign language.
Chantek learned sign language by anthropologist Lyn miles, who raised him from childhood, instilling a “human” habits and skills. In addition, miles has trained orangutan 150 expressions amslen — the main language of communication in the deaf communities in the United States.
In 2014 he released the film “the APE who went to College”. There, in particular, it was shown how Chantek removed in his room for a reward in the form of metal tokens, as well as shows the driver the vehicle the road to a nearby café.
Cause of death Santika is not known, but in recent years he was undergoing treatment of heart failure.
In a statement, the zoo says that Chantek often used human sign language to communicate with the caretakers, but “often shy to communicate with people who did not know, and in this case chose other, more typical for orangutans forms of communication — shouting and gestures.”
Santek was not the only APE that can communicate with man. The most famous of them is 46-year-old gorilla Koko. According to working with Coco specialist Francine Patterson, IQ gorilla reaches 95, which nearly corresponds to the average level of human IQ is 100 points.
Coco and Suntec participated in the project of musician Peter Gabriel The Interspecies Internet, in which attempts were made to establish communication between humans and animals capable of it via the Internet using music. The project ended in 2013.