Historic UNR chimp Washoe dies
Professors taught monkey sign language in 1960s
Washoe, the first non-human primate to learn sign language and one of the University of Nevada, Reno’s most famous projects, died Oct. 30 of natural causes. She was 42.
The project to teach Washoe sign language, called “Project Washoe,” was started at the University of Nevada, Reno in 1966 by Allen and Beatrix Gardner.
Washoe was born in 1965 in Africa and later bought by the Air Force and placed in the NASA space program.
According to “Next of Kin” by Roger Fouts, one of Washoe’s caretakers, Washoe was originally slated for medical research at the Holloman Aeromedical Laboratory in N.M. She was rescued by Allen and Beatrix Gardner and brought to the University of Nevada, Reno.
Once at UNR, the Gardners, with the help of various graduate students including Roger Fouts, began teaching Washoe American Sign Language.
“The purpose of the research was to treat Washoe like a child, teach her the way you would teach a child,” Allen Gardner said.
The reason Washoe was taught ASL was to give her a way to communicate with the researchers, Gardner said.
The first sign Washoe learned was “more” and eventually her vocabulary grew to around 250 words.
In 1970 Project Washoe moved with the Fouts family to the Institute of Primate Studies in Norman, Okla.
In 1980 Washoe moved with the Fouts again to Central Washington University.
At CWU, Washoe became the matriarch of a small family group. She was an integral part in teaching the other chimpanzees in her group ASL.
Project Washoe was truly a groundbreaking project, bringing international researchers to Reno and CWU, Gardner said.
“Project Washoe was and still is a very big part of the psychology department and research is still going on,” said Gardner.
A memorial service for Washoe will be held on Nov. 12 in Ellensburg, Wash.
Mary Lee Jensvold, assistant director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute at CWU, said in a release, “Washoe was an emissary, bringing us a message of respect for nature. She was a dear friend to so many; we will miss her.”
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