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by Steve Farrar | |
Science Correspondent |
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EVERY child remembers the |
day when they were given their |
first pocket money - and what |
they wasted it on. Now a group |
of orang-utans is about to have |
the same experience. |
The pocket-money apes are to |
be taught the rules of commerce |
in an experiment to find out how |
intelligent they really are. They |
will be paid a daily amount of |
metal coins in different values, |
which they can spend on buying |
bananas, popcorn and other |
items. |
Zoologists hope the orang- |
utans will prove capable of |
handling numbers, judging what |
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| | | an item is worth, and maybe | | | | | basic sentences before being | | | 75 | | for being groomed. My suspicion |
| 20 | | even of trading among | | | | | taught numbers and how to | | | | | is that they are selfish by |
| | | themselves. If they pass this test, | | | | | count. | | | | | nature and would not be inclined |
| | | the animals will have demon- | | 6 | 50 | | The apes will then be given a | | | | | to share anything at all,’ said |
| | | strated a level of intellectual | | | | | daily salary of large metal | | | | | Shumaker. |
| | | sophistication that pushes them | | | | | tokens with their numerical | | 8 | 80 | | ‘In the past 15 million years, |
| 25 | | still closer to their human | | | | | value written on them. The | | | | | that humans and orang-utans |
| | | cousins. | | | | | zoologists will charge them a fee | | | | | have evolved separately, |
4 | | | Dr Robert Shumaker, who is | | | 55 | | for food, e.g. one for a bag of | | | | | mankind has gained skills such |
| | | leading the project at the | | | | | popcorn or three for an apple. | | | | | as language - essential for |
| | | National Zoological Park in | | | | | They will have to juggle | | | 85 | | negotiating trade - that no other |
| 30 | | Washington DC, said: ‘Nobody | | | | | numbers to add up the different | | | | | animal possesses,’ said Dr |
| | | has ever asked an orang-utan to | | | | | values of their tokens to buy | | | | | Robert Barton of Durham |
| | | learn such sophisticated assign- | | | 60 | | treats, consider whether the | | | | | University. ‘Fifteen million |
| | | ments before - it will reveal a lot | | | | | prices the scientists are charging | | | | | years is a small gap in the broad |
| | | about what is going on inside | | | | | represent good value, and plan | | | 90 | | scale of evolution but in |
| 35 | | their minds.’ | | | | | ahead to save up enough for the | | | | | everyday life terms it’s |
5 | | | Two of Shumaker’s orangutans, | | | | | most expensive items. | | | | | immense,’ he said. |
| | | Indah and Azy, have | | 7 | 65 | | Anthropologists will watch | | 9 | | | Dr Cecilia Heyes, a psychologist |
| | | already learnt to recognise | | | | | how the commerce changes the | | | | | at University College |
| | | elements of a language where | | | | | social relationships between the | | | 95 | | London, warned: ‘We have a |
| 40 | | written symbols represent 10 | | | | | orang-utans, which could reveal | | | | | tendency to see animals as more |
| | | different foods, objects and | | | | | hints of how this process may | | | | | like us than they are likely to be. |
| | | verbs such as ‘grape’, ‘bag’ and | | | 70 | | have affected pre-historic | | | | | We almost see them as children, |
| | | ‘open’. In front of zoo visitors, | | | | | human society. ‘We are | | | | | and it is scientifically incorrect |
| | | in a test area called the Think | | | | | wondering whether they will | | | 100 | | to do so.’ |
| 45 | | Tank, they are learning to string | | | | | trade tokens with each other, | | | | | |
| | | these symbols together into | | | | | perhaps offering them in return | | | | | ‘The Sunday Times’ |
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