I just read the other review for this documentary and I am compelled to respond. The review implied that the chimpanzees (they are not monkeys, they are apes - get your facts straight before you complain) are all kept in cages and have "horrible psychological testing" done on them. The review further suggests that Washoe, the first non-human to acquire a human language, has been housed in a concrete and wire cage since 1966. I need to correct this information on behalf of Washoe and her chimp group. The images in the documentary of young chimps were taken when they lived with the Gardeners as a foster children. They were being cross-fostered which means that they were being treated as if they were a human child. They slept in a bed in the house, they ate meals at the table with their "parents", the Gardeners. They took baths on a daily basis. They were toilet trained and played outside in the yard just like other children. They went on outings just like other children. You see Washoe (or it might be Dar, I can't remember now) in the film dressed because she was in this cross-fostering environment. She chose her outfit every day. The "Hurry. Go out" moment was asking to go out and play. She was excited. It was the cross-fostering study that allowed the young chimps to learn sign language because they were being exposed to it the same way a deaf human child would be exposed to it - in every day life situations. The same way hearing children learn to speak by hearing the words spoken during everyday events.
Further, and this is very important, Washoe and her family did spend a few years in a not-so-great housing environment. Washoe was adopted by Dr. Roger Fouts (one of the graduate students she'd known since infancy)and he took her to the college where he was working at the time. For several years there was limited housing available for the non-humans and it broke the hearts of those working with the chimpanzees in this group (there were 5 chimps). But funds were raised and since 1993 Washoe and her family have been housed in a 1500 sq. foot 2-room indoor enclosure with separate sleeping quarters behind the 2 rooms and which is attached to an amazing 3000 sq. foot outdoor enclosure where they can hang out, climb 3 stories high and generally just play whenever they wish. You can view their living space and watch live web-cams at
http://tinyurl.com/2jbqrh
There were attempts to keep them inside when it was snowing out, but one of the chimps kept requesting to go out, and it was discovered that (at least this group) rather enjoys going out in the snow.
My point in all of this is that the other reviewer implies that there was no regard taken for the emotional well-being of the chimpanzees looked at in this documentary. Chimps in the wild are hard to follow and hard to study. Chimps in captivity can be followed quite easily. The "horrible psychological testing" consists of teaching them sign language, refusing to respond the first time a chimp makes a request, thus requiring the chimpanzee to find a different way of asking (showing they have a sense of your world being different from their own), looking to see if they play more with toys that are new to them vs. toys that have been in their enclosure for several days, etc. These chimpanzees are loved by their care givers as if they were members of the family. I had the honor of spending 2 weeks with them several years ago and I can say from a first-hand experience that the chimps are respected as individuals and as the amazing creatures that they are.
