Monkey See

1931

IN THE STORY OF TARZAN, THE MYTHIC APE-MAN IS raised among a family
of primates. Swinging from trees and crawling on all fours, the legend
suggests that human babies nurtured in the wild adopt the traits of their
feral guardians. But what of an ape raised among men? In 1931,
comparative psychologist Winthrop Kellogg and his wife, Luella, attempted
to rear an ape. They plucked a seven-month-old female chimpanzee named
Gua from her mother and raised her alongside their 10-month-old son,
Donald. The two lived, learned and played together in their Florida
home.

Gua actually achieved certain developmental mile stones--like
walking upright and admiring herself in the mirror--earlier than Donald
did. And the chimp conveyed emotions such as fear, love and sadness
through actions, yelps and facial expressions. In effect, Gua acted like
a human child to the extent of her physical capabilities. She even taught
Donald how to peer under doors and bite walls and people. By the end of
the nine-month experiment, Gua could recognize and physically respond to
98 commands--an impressive repertoire, until one considers that we share
98.5 percent of our DNA with chimpanzees.

PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): The legend suggests that human babies
nurtured in the wild adopt the traits of their feral guardians.