Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute

Dr. Mary Lee Jensvold, Director
CHCI
Central Washington University
400 E University Way
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7573

http://www.cwu.edu/~cwuchci/
jensvold@cwu.edu

The Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI)’s family of two chimpanzees—Tatu and Loulis—enjoy space, attention, and an exceptional standard of care. Originally, the group consisted of five chimpanzees, but Moja died in 2002, Washoe (the first nonhuman to acquire human sign language) died in 2007, and Dar died in November 2012. These chimpanzees are all proficient in American Sign Language (ASL). CHCI follows the basic tenets of dedication to the chimpanzees: no breeding, no transfer to other facilities, and a lifetime commitment to their residents’ care and well-being. The institution’s main focus is on enrichment for the chimpanzees, and its policy is that non-invasive observational studies come second to the needs of the primates.

Roger S. Fouts, PhD, and Deborah H. Fouts, MS (Project R&R Advisory Board members) and their staff are staunch defenders of chimpanzees. They argue strenuously against the captivity of chimpanzees and are committed to ending the use of chimpanzees in all forms of entertainment and research. Experts in the area of chimpanzee and human communication, the Fouts’s educate audiences about the harm done to chimpanzees in all areas of research, including cognitive, language, and other behavioral studies.

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