Great apes are imperiled in the wild by poaching and loss of habitat. It has been proven that primates can learn and teach sign language. One baby gorilla, whose mother was killed by poachers, was taught sign language by another gorilla. The first words he said in sign language were about seeing his mother killed. These primates gifted with language deserve the opportunity to share this knowledge with other primates in the wild, and these apes in the wild should have legal rights, including the right to communicate with human liaisons to express their concerns, communicate their experiences, and protect their habitat and their families. There is precedent for this, as India has declared dolphins as "persons" whom it is illegal to capture or kill. Let us follow their lead and work for a more humane world for ourselves and our primate cousins in the wild.
Dear Researchers,
We believe that great apes, having the capacity to learn and teach language, deserve the chance to teach ASL to wild apes of their species. We support the proposal to bring them to camps close to wild populations where, in controlled conditions, they can teach ASL or another form of sign language to their wild relations, who will then be free to return to their homes. The apes who have learned sign language also deserve the right to choose whether they wish to live with humans or to live with their wild relations. We furthermore believe that great apes deserve the right of personhood, and the right to communicare through human liaisons their wishes and preferences regarding their treatment, their safety, and their territories.
We support any and all actions you can take to empower our endangered primates.
