Tue Sep 18 2001 at 15:27:43 Nim Chimpsky was, perhaps, the most qualified linguist of his race. The fact that he was one of the only linguists of his race detracts very little from the significance of his accomplishments. Nim Chimpsky, named jokingly after linguist and anarchistNoam Chomsky, was born in 1973 to chimpanzees Pan and Carolyn, and died March 10, 2000 (of natural causes). In the interim of those two periods, he participated in Project Nim, a scientific attempt to teach a chimpanzee to use language in the same fashion as humans. Though, obviously, chimpanzees cannot vocalize human speech, Nim was taught American Sign Language in a controlled setting where he was raised with a human family as would be a child. Nim was, after four years, able to use sign language with a large degreee of ease and clarity. When funding for the project ceased in 1977, he was sent to a research facility to aid in testing of a hepatitis vaccine, but the efforts of the late Cleveland Amory
Noelle Almrud, senior director of Black Beauty, said, “Eve has settled beautifully into her new home here and no longer shows any signs of being unsure about her surroundings. She has become curious with appropriate bear instincts and behaviors, playing with vines while climbing her favorite trees, lounging in piles of leaves and grass, and enjoying the new pool and waterfall we just installed for her. She is very busy swatting at and stepping on the waterspout. She loves to eat and literally runs when it’s mealtime and particularly enjoys fresh melons. Her story truly has a fairytale ending for a once very sick little bear who never has to worry again about finding food or feeling safe.”