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Who was Kanzi, the famous bonobo?

On March 18, 2025, the famous bonobo Kanzi died at age 44. But who was Kanzi? Dive into his fascinating life story and hear about our researchers’ encounter with him! 

Kanzi the bonobo and his lexigram keyboard. Photo by Conrad Schmidt (Barcroft USA/Cordon Press) (2014)

Kanzi the bonobo and his lexigram keyboard. Photo by Conrad Schmidt (Barcroft USA/Cordon Press) (2014)

The genius ape 

Kanzi was born in Yerkes Field Station at Emory University in 1980. As an infant bonobo, he accompanied his foster mother Matata to sessions where she was taught language through keyboard lexigrams. 

In a very short time, he was able to master the lexigrams, being the first ape to have learned aspects of language naturally rather than through intensive human training. At some point he was believed to understand 3000 words. 

Kanzi is regarded as the first ape to demonstrate an understanding of spoken English as well. Also, he could comprehend novel sentences and combine lexigrams symbols to describe new things! 

A rare subject of study 

During his life, Kanzi participated in hundreds of studies. Because of his extraordinary faculties, he allowed researchers to have an insight into the minds of bonobos. In 2024, NCCR researchers Melissa Berthet and Sarah Brocard had the chance to have him as a participant in their study. They tested his perception of events with touchscreen and eyetracking devices, as they previously did with humans and apes from the Zoo Basel. 

Sarah Brocard’s recounts her experience with Kanzi

“From the very start, I was struck by how easily he was communicating with us, combining gestures with lexigram pointing. He never tired of making his desires known – especially when it came to requesting his favorite foods, grapes and salad. But food wasn’t his only priority. He also loved acting as a mischievous puppet master, orchestrating games where Mélissa and I would chase or tickle each other at his command. On a more studious note, his enthusiasm for work was just undeniable. With loud vocalizations and gestures, he made it abundantly clear that he always wanted to do more. In doing so, he provided us with invaluable and incomparable insights into the minds of primates.” 

Mélissa Berthet shares her story with Kanzi

“Kanzi loved making requests—whether for food or play—and he made sure his expectations were crystal clear. He often combined his lexigram use with gestures, requesting a specific food and then pointing toward the area where caretakers were feeding him. He would then start walking there, glancing at us over his shoulder and beckoning. He would sit there and wait, glancing at us. If no food appeared, his expression would shift to pure disdain, as if judging our incompetence. Kanzi was, without a doubt, the smartest and endearing ape I’ve ever met.” 

Kanzi’s legacy 

Kanzi was the last language-trained ape to be alive. His death marks the end of an era of fascinating work on the linguistic capacities of great apes, but also the end of a research trend stained by many ethical issues. 

Now, more ethical alternatives exist to teaching animals a language, including investigating pets at home. Maybe the next Kanzi is awaiting among one of the keyboard-trained dogs that are currently being studied by Frederico Rossano and his team in UC San Diego! 

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