Des Moines, Iowa - January 19, 2011 - He's less than eight months old and weighs only nine pounds. He talks back to his elders and one of his favorite playmates is a big old dog. Say hello to Teco, the wunderkind of bonobos at Great Ape Trust. Thanks to the quality rearing of his bonobo and human caregivers, Teco, the future of bonobo language research at Great Ape Trust is growing up healthy, happy and active. Very active.
"Teco wakes up early and is ready to go - using a hand-to-mouth gesture to signal that he wants to play," said Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, scientist with special standing at Great Ape Trust. "He has a very, very happy disposition but isn't afraid to speak back to the adult bonobos if they do something he doesn't like - particularly when it comes to grooming."
Some of Teco's likes: Hugs and kisses from both bonobos and humans, buttons on clothing, his toys, an iPad and playing with Sammy, an American bull terrier that lives at The Trust .
His dislikes? Bathing - even with a washcloth.
The son of Kanzi and Elikya, Teco was born June 1, 2010. Two months after his birth, Elikya stopped nursing and Teco was placed on human baby formula. Now that he has nearly a dozen teeth, his diet is more varied and he enjoys grapes, bananas, dry cereals and baby food.
WIth each week, Teco gains strength, mobility and confidence in his movements. He does, though, exhibit one unique characteristic. Teco does not cling to the other bonobos or his human caretakers, preferring instead to be held. It was that inability to grasp and cling to his mother Elikya that necessitated in early August co-rearing responsibilities for Dr. Sue and Great Ape Trust caretakers. The bonobos, however, remain very much an integral part of his daily life and Teco particularly enjoys spending time with his father, Kanzi, as well as aunt Panbanisha and cousin, Nyota.
A third-generation bonobo to be reared in Great Ape Trust’s hallmark Pan/Homo (Pan paniscus/Homo sapiens) environment, scientists at Great Ape Trust are confident that he could play an important role in ape language studies at the Des Moines-based research facility.
CHECK OUT THE NEW SLIDESHOW OF TECO PHOTOS FOUND IN THE SLIDESHOW/VIDEO BOX IN THE LEFT MARGIN OF THIS WEB PAGE.
Background Information
Great Ape Trust is a scientific research facility in Des Moines, Iowa, dedicated to understanding the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence, and to the preservation of endangered great apes in their natural habitats. Announced in 2002 and receiving its first ape residents in 2004, Great Ape Trust is home to a colony of seven bonobos involved in noninvasive interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities, and to two orangutans. To learn more about Great Ape Trust, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, go to GreatApeTrust.org
