Washoe (chimpanzee)

Washoe is a chimpanzee at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI) at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. She was the first non-human to acquire American Sign Language (ASL). She was named for Washoe County, Nevada, where she was raised.

In 1967, Deborah Fouts set out to teach Washoe ASL as part of a graduate studies program. When she succeeded, everyone was astonished. Washoe had broken the myth that only humans had language. Later, Washoe taught another chimp, Loulis, to use ASL, breaking the myth that humans were the only creatures with culture, that is, the ability to transmit information to each other. Since that time, chimpanzee culture has become an active area of research.

There is some controversy over teaching chimpanzees sign language. While it is clear that they do learn signs, and use signs, critics claim that it is not used like a language. The claim is that it is simply operant conditioning, where they learn some gestures cause something to happen, but not the mechanisms behind why.