The Great Ape Project

Have you ever heard of the great ape project? It's the name of an international organization formed to advocate the declaration of the rights of the non-human great apes. Primatologists, psychologists, ethicists, and other experts take part in it and suggest that three basic interests are established for the great apes: the right to life, the protection of individual liberty, and the prohibition of torture. The Great Ape Project was founded by Italian philosopher Paola Cavalieri and Australian philosopher Peter Singer and has many famous supporters as the British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular scientist writer ("The Selfish Gene", "The God Delusion" etc) Richard Dawkins and Jane Goodall. The great apes are: chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. It's scientifically indisputable that these animals not only share more than 99% of our DNA but they also experience emotions such as fear, anxiety and happiness. They share the intellectual capacity to create and use tools, learn and teach other languages. They remember their past and plan for their future. Recent research revealed that chimps are smarter than humans when it comes to short memory tests. Interesting findings that make us doubt our so called superiority...

Here's the video from The Great Ape Project (GAP) official website:



To find out more info check the following links: 1, 2, 3