Deborah Fouts
Deborah Fouts was a very smart lady who loved animals, especially chimpanzees! She wanted to learn as much as she could about them and even taught them sign language so they could communicate with her.
Do you know what sign language is? It's a way that humans can communicate with their hands instead of just talking. For example, if you want to say "hello" in sign language, you wave your hand in a special way. Deborah taught the chimpanzees this language so they could tell her things like they were hungry or happy or sad.
Deborah spent many years studying these chimpanzees and helping people understand how smart they are. She even brought one named Washoe to live with her and they became best friends! They would play and cuddle together just like we do with our friends.
Deborah helped us see that chimpanzees are not so different from us! They have feelings and thoughts just like we do. She showed us that we should treat them with kindness and respect.
Do you know what sign language is? It's a way that humans can communicate with their hands instead of just talking. For example, if you want to say "hello" in sign language, you wave your hand in a special way. Deborah taught the chimpanzees this language so they could tell her things like they were hungry or happy or sad.
Deborah spent many years studying these chimpanzees and helping people understand how smart they are. She even brought one named Washoe to live with her and they became best friends! They would play and cuddle together just like we do with our friends.
Deborah helped us see that chimpanzees are not so different from us! They have feelings and thoughts just like we do. She showed us that we should treat them with kindness and respect.