Chicago Tribune: We must think of the primates

In conjunction with the recent "Mind of the Chimpanzee" conference held in Chicago, the Tribune ran a nice article about the mental and emotional lives of our closest great ape cousins. I wrote this Letter to the Editor (scroll down the page view) in response, noting:

Given everything we know about chimpanzees, is there any basis for assuming that involuntary confinement, social isolation, painful procedures and other violations of their interests imposed by people don’t register? The answer is "No."

One of the heart-warming stories in the original Tribune article ("Empathy for one's fellow chimp" 3/23/2007) was about Knuckles, a chimpanzee who has cerebral palsy. Despite the fact that he does not follow chimpanzee norms, Knuckles is accepted and shown an unusual kindness by others. Such behavior suggests empathy and a sophisticated understanding of the mind of "the other" on the part of fellow group members. To my way of thinking, their behavior indicates they understand clearly that Kunckles' needs and abilities differ from others.