A bonobo named Kanzi has demonstrated the ability to engage in pretend play, a skill once thought to be unique to humans. In a study, Kanzi successfully identified which glass contained imaginary juice during a make-believe tea party, showing he could track imaginary objects. Researchers confirmed Kanzi’s understanding by having him choose between real and pretend juice, with Kanzi consistently picking the real juice. This suggests that apes like Kanzi can imagine things that aren’t there, challenging the belief that only humans possess this ability. The findings highlight the cognitive abilities of apes and suggest they might share more similarities with humans than previously thought.
QUESTION: How might understanding the imaginative abilities of apes like Kanzi change the way we view and interact with other primates?
A bonobo’s imaginary tea party hints that apes can pretend
