Our genetic relationship with chimpanzees has been the subject of many studies throughout the years. In the ‘70s, a group of curious psychologists wanted to delve deeper into the similarities between humans and these animals. The question was: Was it possible for chimps to learn how to communicate just as we do or is language just a uniquely human ability? Nim Chimpsky, the subject of this experiment, was left with a broken heart — quite literally – and much more. Keep reading to find out more about the chimp that grew up to believe he was human, and his tragic end.

A Controversial Experiment

We alone among the animals on this earth can talk and articulate abstract thought. Even for chimpanzees – our closest relatives – it’s impossible to produce the sounds made by the human voice box. But we are nothing, if not determined to conquer the impossible. So when researchers tried to develop language skills in chimps, they chose to teach them American Sign Language (ALS) instead. A young, adorable chimpanzee called Nim Chimpsky was selected for the task, and thus began the dubious experiment that would prove to be disastrous. This is the tale of Nim Chimsky, a tale of woe, cruelty and the oldest companion of humankind: hubris.

Torn From His Mother’s Arms

Nim was born at the Institute for Primate Studies to a chimpanzee named Carolyn; he was her seventh baby. Nim, like all his siblings, was taken away from his mother, in the name of science. Carolyn always tried to protect her babies. Every time she fought to keep them, and every time researchers shot her with a tranquilizer gun. They then took her newborn away while she sank into oblivion. Carolyn would then wake up – her baby gone – desperately looking for her newborn to no avail. But for Nim, they had something special in store; he would be raised as a human.

Raised By Humans In The Name Of Science

The experiment kicked off with Nim Chimpsky getting placed in a home in the Upper West Side, New York with Stephanie LaFarge, her husband, and their family. Stephanie was a psychology graduate and had studied under Herbert Terrace, the director of Nim’s project. She picked up Nim when he was only 10 days old and took him to her home to raise him. There, she proceeded to breastfeed him just as she had done with her other seven children. They provided a loving home for Nim, and it is believed that he grew up thinking he was human, just like everyone else around him.

Hooked On Weed & Coffee

Though raised as a human child in the care of Stephanie LaFarge, Nim was often given psychoactive substances despite his young age (and, you know, being a chimp); namely coffee and marijuana. Nim clearly enjoyed smoking it, and he even learned how to use sign language to ask for his joint and his cup of coffee; which he did. A lot. Many would later argue that it was like peddling drugs to a child, but it was the ‘70s and there were no set rules for this kind of experiment at the time. Not surprisingly, this was identified later on as one of the major weaknesses of Terrace’s study.

The First Animal Ever On The Cover Of New York Magazine

Nim became the first animal to land on the cover of New York magazine, thanks to the uncharacteristic star quality of his case. The rarity of a chimpanzee who could communicate with humans really got the juices of the Press flowing. Nim was invited to many TV shows, where he would ask the hosts for a drink using ALS. He immediately became a sensation, but along with the fame, some eerie questions began to arise. How ethical was it to raise a chimpanzee as a human? And, what would happen when he reached adulthood? The answers would come soon and with them, Nim’s downfall.

The Beast Within Arises

When chimpanzees become adults, they tend to develop a very violent streak; this is a core part of their instincts of course. Nim was now a danger to his human family, and Stephanie couldn’t handle him anymore. He became aggressive towards them, and this started a path of instability for Nim, as his great strength became a serious concern. Nim had to go. They switched Nim’s residence to a University of Columbia property and the experiment went on. However, this only aggravated things. Nim would attack his caretakers there, going as far as biting one of them in the face.

Sold Off To Black Beauty Ranch

Given Nim’s condition, Terrace had to end the experiment soon after. He pulled the plug and sent Nim back to the Institute for Primate Studies (IPS), where Nim had been born. He had received human-like treatment for the entire first decade of his life, and now they threw him back to the life of a chimpanzee. Nim was used for experiments and was often heavily sedated. If that wasn’t enough, the IPS was running out of funds, so director William Lemmon decided to sell Nim alongside other chimps. Cleveland Amory of Black Beauty Ranch decided to buy him. Amory owned a ranch for horses but imagined that he could help the poor chimp. However, things wouldn’t play out quite so well…

His Only Two Treasured Possessions

At Black Beauty Ranch, they provided Nim with magazines and children’ books to keep him busy. Although he tended to destroy the magazines, he seemed to enjoy the books, with a specific two that held a special interest for him. The first one was about learning ASL, and it had Sesame Street drawings, and the second was much more personal. That one was actually about him. His history had been set in a book, and in its pages, there were photos of himself and the people that had been important in his life, including Terrace and Stephanie LaFarge.

Terrace Visits Nim Only To Crush His Last Hope

Like humans, chimps are naturally social animals and Nim – having been raised as a human – was especially so. When Herbert Terrace finally visited him at the Black Beauty Ranch, Nim jumped on him, hugged him, and showed many signs of relief and happiness. The poor chimp probably thought he was going back to his family in New York. He wasn’t. In reality, that would be the last time he would ever see Terrace in his life. Nim’s first months at the ranch were very rough, and his physical, mental and emotional well-being was at risk. Perhaps he wasn’t getting beaten by other chimps, like after the experiment, but he was utterly and completely alone.

The Innocent Abandoned

Nim suffered his first abandonment when they took him from his real mother. His second time was at the hands of the only mother he ever knew. It’s difficult to blame Stephanie though. She wasn’t equipped to deal with an adult chimpanzee. The last time – the one that broke him – was when the research got suspended, and he ended up losing Terrace too. Despite not being as hands-on as one would expect from the director of the project, Terrace was a constant in Nim’s life, a life that was torn asunder when they sold him to Black Beauty Ranch. Terrace and Stephanie only visited him once.

He Attacked His Adoptive Mother Viciously

When Stephanie went to visit Nim, it looked, for a second, as if a heartwarming reunion was about to happen. The illusion shattered abruptly, as Nim exploded in rage. He slammed Stephanie to the floor and tried to block her from exiting the cell. She had broken the rules by entering without any of the caretakers, and she got badly injured. Stephanie later said that she felt like she deserved it. After all, she had basically deserted her child. Not everyone agreed with her, but there were many who thought that was exactly the case. They had abandoned Nim to his fate, which loomed dark ever closer…

Like A Human, Nim Was Going Mad In Isolation

It is known that for humans, isolation is one of the worst tortures. The same holds true for chimpanzees. Nim’s behavior became more and more uncontrollable whenever they kept isolated for long periods of time. However, he faced difficulties when socializing with other chimpanzees too. Trapped between two worlds, a broken hybrid, he was too violent to live with humans and too docile to live with chimps. Nim would try to entertain himself and play games on his own, but this wasn’t enough to hold his descent into madness. His situation was deteriorating fast, but then, a sliver of light shone through the darkness, if only for a short while.

Sally, The Trembling Light Of Hope

As Nim was isolated at the ranch, he became deeply depressed. It was one of his closest friends, Bob Ingersoll from IPS,  who came to visit and realized what was going on. Thanks to Bob’s mediation, they found a partner for Nim. Sally was a chimpanzee that had been in a circus and she knew many cool tricks that she showed off for Nim. They seemed to have a great time together, and he became happy again. However, it wouldn’t last. Sally died of a stroke, and Nim’s heart was shuttered in a million pieces. His own life’s end wasn’t far now.

A Tiny Bit Of Solace Before The End

After Sally died of a stroke, the owners of Black Beauty Ranch decided to expand their area, in order to accommodate more chimpanzees who came from other institutions. Nim found new companions in Lulu, Midge, and Kitty, and they coexisted peacefully. Kitty and Nim even developed a close relationship, though never to the level of what he had with Sally. During the short time before his own demise, Nim had finally found love and acceptance among his kind, his long exile between the worlds of humans and chimpanzees finally over.

Snuffed Out At Only 26 Years

Nim Chimpskey, the most human of all chimpanzees, died at the young age of 26 after a life of abandonment and neglect. This is very unusual for chimpanzees who usually live until their sixth or seventh decade. Many of the people who knew him believed that the many sorrows he suffered were too much for him, and Sally’s death was the last straw that broke his heart. It’s a wonder that Nim survived as much as he did, after everything he had gone through. Nim left this world young, but in his short life, he touched the hearts of many people. Nim’s legacy, however, would reverberate across the human world for decades to come…

A Chimp After Everyone’s Heart

Despite all hardship, Nim succeeded in making lots of friends during his short life. Stephanie, who basically followed an adoption procedure and raised him as her own for his first years, was the first of many. Nim also developed a very close relationship with his caretaker named Bill Tyman. He also used to play pranks on one of his handlers Laura-Ann Pettito, but he would also help her with the dishes and even with cooking! And of course, he was best friend with Bob Ingersoll, who was there during his time of distress before the end. But, Herbert Terrace, his “father” of sorts, had a different tale to tell.

Eventually, The Experiment Was Written Off As A Failure

Throughout the ongoing years of Project Nim, Terrace often boasted about its immense success and groundbreaking headway. Then, everything changed. When the experiment was shut down, Terrace submitted his final reports condemning it as a failure. According to Terrace, Nim was only manipulating humans just to get treats. Nim’s use of sign language was described as mere imitation. Many people disagreed, citing the fact that Nim sometimes initiated conversation, which surely showed more than just imitation. But most of all, Terrace’s verdict meant that Nim had suffered for nothing and that he should have never been taken from his natural habitat in the first place.

The Next Step That Never Came

According to Terrace, if the study on Nim had shown success or even significant promise, he was planning to take it to the next level. He also wanted to teach sign language to a female chimpanzee and then have them mate. Theoretically, this would determine if Nim and his hypothetical partner could add education into their dynamic and teach their offspring ALS. However, this never came to pass. Terrace called off the experiment and published his controversial conclusions. He received heavy criticism as many considered the end of the experiment premature,  and his conclusions unreliable. Nonetheless, Terrace’s failure all but halted progress in the field.

He Almost Destroyed Chimp Language Research

Terrace claims that the project had been a failure had gone a step further. Not only did he say that the Nim project had failed, but he also condemned all other studies related to the subject. Despite the great efforts the university had put on the matter, he classified them as futile and senseless. This had grave consequences, and because of his conclusions, an entire generation’s work was set back. However, the research was fortunately resumed later on, asserting that certain fundamental flaws were present in the design of Terrace’s study.

Project Nim, The Documentary

Project Nim is a documentary directed by James Marsh. He managed to get hold of footage shot during the experiment, and he interviewed key participants as well. These included the director of the project, Herbert Terrace, along with Nim’s adoptive sister Jenny Lee, who has special insight on Nim’s first years. Nim’s good friend Bob Ingersoll also participated. He made it very clear that Nim’s time in isolation was nothing short of torture. The documentary was critically acclaimed. It also earned numerous awards and nominations which included a British Academy Film Award.