Danny goes to the National Zoo here in Washington to examine efforts to teach orangutans how to communicate with humans. The zoo has developed an exhibit called "The Think Tank". We meet with Rob Shumaker, one of the key researchers at The Think Tank who shows us how he's teaching the orangutans a new, specially developed language of symbols. The hope, Shumaker says, is that one day the orangs will learn enough of this symbolic language that communication between humans and primates would be possible, at least on a limited basis.
Copyright 1996 NPR
