The narrator shares three stories about chimpanzees with impressive abilities. The first is Azalea, a 13-year-old chimp from North Korea's Pyongyang Central Zoo, who smokes over a pack of cigarettes a day. The second is Congo, a chimp who was taught to paint and created beautiful pieces that sold for over $25,000. The third story is about Washoe, who became the first non-human to learn American Sign Language (ASL) and could communicate through over 350 signs.
Additionally, the narrator shares the story of Lucy, a chimp raised by a couple like a human child, who learned to communicate through ASL and exhibited human-like behaviors, but ultimately became violent when introduced to a male chimp. The couple eventually took Lucy to a primate rehabilitation center in The Gambia, where she eventually adjusted to her new surroundings with the help of a graduate student. However, her story ends in tragedy when she was poached.
The narrator also reflects on the importance of immersion in learning and promotes audiobooks as a way to integrate new knowledge into daily life.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Azalea, a 13-year-old chimp at Pyongyang Central Zoo, smokes over a pack of cigarettes a day.
2. Pyongyang Central Zoo was initially started with just 50 badgers in a fenced area.
3. A parrot at Pyongyang Central Zoo was taught to recite poetry praising Kim Il-sung.
4. In North Korea, dogs are not commonly kept as pets, and the zoo is one of the few places where people can see dogs.
5. Congo, a chimp born in 1954 at London Zoo, was given a pencil and cardboard by zookeeper Desmond Morris and began drawing.
6. Congo's artwork was sold at an auction in 2005 for over $25,000.
7. Congo's paintings showed a blend of realism and self-expression.
8. Congo had a basic sense of composition and symmetry in his artwork.
9. Washoe, a chimp, was the first non-human to learn American Sign Language (ASL).
10. Washoe learned over 350 individual signs in ASL.
11. Washoe used her knowledge of ASL to formulate novel phrases for new objects.
12. Lucy, a chimp, was raised by a couple, Maurice and Jane Temerlin, like a human child.
13. Lucy learned to use tools, dress herself, and make tea.
14. Lucy was exposed to Playgirl magazine and became fond of it.
15. Lucy was known to sculpt crude human heads out of her own feces.
16. Lucy was eventually taken to a primate rehabilitation center in The Gambia.
17. Lucy struggled to adapt to life with other chimps but eventually made friends with the help of a graduate student named Janice.
18. Lucy was poached from the rehabilitation center.