Friends of Washoe

05/10/2026

Happy Birthday Loulis.

04/09/2026

The archive of data recorded on Washoe and her family while at Central Washington University's CHCI is housed on campus. The Give Central Campaign this year is raising funds to curate this incredible record, written and video, of the sign language project and more.

Support relocating the Washoe chimpanzee archive to preserve this unique research legacy!

04/06/2026

As humans reach their furthest trip from Earth, we remember that Ham and Enos went before them. This video recounts the strides in the space program on the backs of chimpanzee children.

Ham, a chimpanzee also known as Ham the Chimp and Ham the Astrochimp, was the first great ape launched into space. On January 31, 1961, Ham flew a suborbital flight on the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission, part of the U.S. space program's Project Mercury.

03/28/2026

This study provides further evidence for the harms of invasive research on monkeys.

Pacing and hair pulling may develop after multiple experiments, years of relative isolation, and more

03/26/2026

03/04/2026

This fascinating study showed chimpanzees had a clear attraction and preference for crystals versus other types of stones. Caregivers had to use big bribes to get the crystals back from the chimps!

Crystals have repeatedly been found at archaeological sites alongside Homo remains. Evidence shows that hominins have been collecting these stones for as long as 780,000 years. Yet, we know that our ancestors did not use them as weapons, tools, or even jewelry. So why did they collect them at all?

02/20/2026

A story about the sign language project and the lessons it teaches us.

In the 1960s and '70s, a group of chimpanzees astonished the world by learning sign language. Only two remain, and one question still lingers: Was it worth it?

02/05/2026

Chimpanzees and gorillas are top species in wildlife trade says a recent report.

12/30/2025

Happy 50th birthday to Tatu! This blog post has links to archival images and stories from her life. https://faunafoundation.org/news-events/blog-pages/chimps/tatus-50th.html

12/28/2025

Materials from the Gardner cross-fostering project are archived at the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology. Here is a fascinating letter from Dr. Jane Goodall to the Gardners with discussion of chimpanzee gestures and more.