Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative

Scientific research facility

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (May 2024)

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Ape Cognition and Conservation InitiativeFormation| September 28, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-09-28)

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Type| Sanctuary
Legal status| 501(c)(3)
Purpose| understanding the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence
Headquarters| USA
Location|

* Des Moines

Website| http://apeinitiative.org/

Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative is a great ape sanctuary and scientific research facility in Des Moines, Iowa. The facility was announced in 2002 and received its first ape residents in 2004, conceived of as the Great Ape Trust,[1] or Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary,[2] launched in part by the primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and Des Moines businessman Ted Townsend.[3][4] Renamed in 2013, it is currently home to a colony of six bonobos involved in non-invasive interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities. Ape Initiative is now supported by Kennesaw State University.[5]

## Research

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Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative is situated on 230 acres and houses a family of six bonobos, named Elikya, Maisha, Nyota, Teco, Clara, and Mali. It housed Kanzi up to his 2025 death.[6] Three of the bonobos learned important elements of human culture during their crucial first year of life. As a youngster, Kanzi acquired language competency by simply watching humans attempt to teach language to Matata, the wild-caught grandmother of the family. Nyota is the first ape reared both by humans and a language-competent ape mother. The youngest, Teco, provides a unique look into the epigenetic effects of language acquisition. All three of these bonobos communicate with humans using a collection of over 400 "lexigram" symbols printed on paper or appearing on computer touch screens.

It has been repeatedly claimed that these bonobos can think, make plans and understand simple spoken English. Kanzi was filmed making music, building a fire, and crafting simple stone tools. More than 400 scientific papers and many books document the capabilities of the bonobos, and films portraying their achievements have been broadcast worldwide. Television coverage includes features with Oprah, Anderson Cooper, 60 Minutes (in Australia), BBC, Paul McCartney and Peter Gabriel.

## References

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1. ^ Hu, Jane C. (August 20, 2014). "What Do Talking Apes Really Tell Us?". Slate.com. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
2. ^ "Our History". Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative. Accessed September 2024.
3. ^ Stern, Lindsay (July 2020). "What Can Bonobos Teach Us About the Nature of Language?" Smithsonian Magazine: Science.
4. ^ Beeman, Perry. 'Ape scientist placed on leave after mental health is questioned' Archived 2014-02-06 at archive.today, Des Moines Register, September 12, 2012
5. ^ "Our History". Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative. Accessed September 2024.
6. ^ "Remembering Kanzi". Ape Initiative. Retrieved May 23, 2025.

## External links

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* Official site

* v
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Apes

Extant
ape species|

* Homo
* Human (H. sapiens)
* Pan
* Bonobo (P. paniscus)
* Chimpanzee (P. troglodytes)
* Gorilla
* Eastern gorilla (G. beringei)
* Western gorilla (G. gorilla)
* Orangutan
* Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii)
* Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus)
* Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis)
* Gibbon (family: Hylobatidae)

Study of apes|

* Great ape language
* Dian Fossey
* Birutė Galdikas
* Jane Goodall
* Chimpanzee genome project
* Human Genome Project
* Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
* Neanderthal genome project
* Willie Smits
* Lone Drøscher Nielsen
* Ian Redmond
* Elgin Center
* Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary
* Borneo Orangutan Survival
* Primate archaeology

Legal and
social status|

* Personhood
* Research ban
* Kinshasa Declaration on Great Apes
* Great Ape Project
* Great Apes Survival Partnership
* International Primate Day
* Nonhuman Rights Project

Related|

* Primate
* List of individual apes (non-human)
* Apes in space (non-human)
* Bigfoot
* Bushmeat
* Chimpanzee–human last common ancestor
* Gorilla–human last common ancestor
* Orangutan–human last common ancestor
* Gibbon–human last common ancestor
* List of fictional primates (non-human)
* Great apes
* Human evolution
* Monkey Day
* Mythic humanoids
* Yeren
* Yeti
* Yowie

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Great ape language

Languages taught
to non-human apes|

* American Sign Language
* Yerkish

Non-human apes
taught
simple languages|

| Bonobos|

* Kanzi
* Nyota
* Panbanisha

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Chimpanzees|

* Lana
* Loulis
* Lucy
* Nim Chimpsky
* Sarah
* Viki
* Washoe

Gorillas|

* Koko
* Michael
* Ndume

Orangutans|

* Azy
* Chantek

Researchers|

* Francine Patterson
* Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
* Maurice K. Temerlin
* Roger Fouts
* Tetsuro Matsuzawa
* William M. Fields

Research centers|

* Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute
* Elgin Center
* Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary
* The Gorilla Foundation

Media|

* Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978 film)
* The Mind of an Ape (1983 book)
* Next of Kin (1997 book)
* Project Nim (2011 film)

Related|

* Animal language
* Animal communication
* Primate cognition
* Animal cognition
* Human–animal communication

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