http://www.greatapetrust.org Insight Through Collaborations with Apes yancy@trilixgroup.com Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:45:00 CST http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_40a07.php Officials from Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Iowa State University today signed a memorandum of agreement to establish the world’s pre-eminent collaboration for primate studies. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_42a07.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa scientist Dr. Serge Wich has been appointed to the Scientific Commission of GRASP, or Great Apes Survival Project, a United Nations-backed effort to help move great apes away from the edge of extinction. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_41a07.php After a months-long collaboration with scientific researchers, the bonobos of Great Ape Trust of Iowa have named a pair of trumpeter swans nesting on their 230-acre campus in southeast Des Moines. The bonobo Panbanisha made the final selection, choosing the names Morgan and Olivia from an array of possibilities displayed as abstract symbols known as lexigrams. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_43a07.php The recipients of a Great Ape Trust of Iowa conservation grant are teaching Ugandans living near the Kibale National Park more sustainable practices to lessen their dependency on the rain forest for cooking fuel. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_44a07.php The question of what it means to be human is one that Liz Garst of Coon Rapids expects to ponder for some time to come. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_35a07.php James Brooks is typical of most 10-year-old boys. He plays baseball, hangs out with his friends and is concerned about the same things as his peers, with one notable distinction: There’s not much the youth from London, Ontario, Canada, wouldn’t do to help out great apes. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_36a07.php Though encouraging, the decrease in the number of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) used for invasive biomedical research and testing is hardly a sanguine moment for the backers of a Humane Society of the United States campaign to end the practice. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_33a07.php Jim Aipperspach’s "aha! moment" came over a period of several weeks in the summer of 2005. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_39a07.php I am ever grateful for the kindness and the privilege of receiving this award. First, I wish to thank the bonobo people: Kanzi, Panbanisha, Nyota, Nathan, Matata, Elykia, Maisha and the late P-Suke, for without them, nothing would have been possible. Secondly, I wish to thank all of my wonderful friends and colleagues at Great Ape Trust who work tirelessly and selflessly each and every day to help The Trust fulfill its role on the world stage. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_34a07.php Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a scientist in the bonobo research program at Great Ape Trust of Iowa, will be honored by a Des Moines media company on Aug. 14. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_38a07.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa’s 2nd Annual Bowlathon for Great Apes raised nearly $20,000 in donations and pledges, nearly triple the amount raised at last year’s inaugural event. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the bowlathon will go to direct conservation aid to Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia, where great apes in the wild face an uncertain future. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_37a07.php A seasonal public visitation program at Great Ape Trust of Iowa increased annual memberships to record levels at the world-class scientific research facility in southeast Des Moines. Since this spring when Great Ape Trust made tours available to Trust members and their guests, memberships have increased more than 2 1/2 times to nearly 600 memberships. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_32a07.php More than 1,000 Des Moines middle school students will have the opportunity to learn more about great apes and related topics through Great Ape Academy, an interdisciplinary education program headed by a respected educator who developed an innovative learning program at Des Moines Public Schools’ Downtown School. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_29a07.php If it had been suggested that she might one day become a scientist studying the linguistic abilities of great apes, Ashley Young says she would have laughed at the notion. But a future in primatology or a related field of scientific inquiry became a distinct possibility for the Des Moines East High School junior on June 15 when she visited Great Ape Trust of Iowa. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_30a07.php Imagine the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, half full on the biggest football day of the year. Now, imagine that instead of human beings, orangutans have filed through the turnstiles for a seat in the stands. The point? If every orangutan remaining in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, the only places on Earth where those great apes are found in the wild, were brought to the stadium, they’d fill only about half of its 100,000 seats. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_31a07.php Officials with Great Ape Trust of Iowa announced today that William M. Fields, one of only two scientists in the world to conduct language research with bonobos, has been named director of bonobo research. Great Ape Trust is a scientific research center in Des Moines dedicated to the study of the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_28a07.php Best-selling author Sara Gruen visited Great Ape Trust of Iowa in early June to gather background information for her upcoming novel Ape House, a story about a family of bonobos that will be released by Spiegel and Grau, a division of Random House Inc., next year. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_30a07.php Imagine the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, half full on the biggest football day of the year. Now, imagine that instead of human beings, orangutans have filed through the turnstiles for a seat in the stands. The point? If every orangutan remaining in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, the only places on Earth where those great apes are found in the wild, were brought to the stadium, they’d fill only about half of its 100,000 seats. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_29a07.php If it had been suggested that she might one day become a scientist studying the linguistic abilities of great apes, Ashley Young says she would have laughed at the notion. But a future in primatology or a related field of scientific inquiry became a distinct possibility for the Des Moines East High School junior on June 15 when she visited Great Ape Trust of Iowa. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_27a07.php Organizers of Great Ape Trust of Iowa’s 2nd Annual Bowlathon for Great Apes on July 28 hope to improve on the $7,600 raised at last year’s inaugural event and be able to give substantially more in direct conservation aid to Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia, where great apes in the wild face an uncertain future. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_21a07.php By summer's end, the three orangutans at Great Ape Trust of Iowa will be able to explore their back yard. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_23a07.php "What a treasure we have here," Lisa Speiser of West Des Moines said after visiting the bonobos and orangutans at Great Ape Trust of Iowa as a participant in the twice-weekly public tours that began May 15 and will continue through August. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_22a07.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa visiting scientist Dr. Serge Wich is headed for the island of Sumatra in Indonesia for a 3 1/2-week study to more closely measure the orangutan population in a 700,000-hectare forest in Aceh, Sumatra’s northern-most province. Aceh is also the province where most of the island’s estimated 7,300 remaining Sumatran orangutans are found. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_25a07.php Presidential candidates campaigning across Iowa don’t have a thing on great apes when it comes to attracting world-class media to Des Moines. In the past few months, some of the most respected media outlets in the world have visited or contacted Great Ape Trust of Iowa to tell the story about the scientific work into great ape culture, language, tools and intelligence. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_24a07.php Bill Fields, a senior research scientist and program director of Ape Language Research at Great Ape Trust of Iowa, learned most of what he needed to know about research associate Takashi Yoshida by watching an innovative game of chase he worked out with the bonobo P-Suke not long after joining the Language Research Center (LRC) at Georgia State University in 1999. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_20a07.php FDes Moines businessman and philanthropist Ted Townsend today challenged 2007 Central College graduates to "lead the birth of a new American idealism" and confront alarming national and world problems "from right here in Iowa." http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_17a07.php Five years ago, the world first heard about a great ape research center proposed for Des Moines, Iowa. Today, Great Ape Trust of Iowa stands as a world-class scientific research facility committed to the study of ape culture, language, tools and intelligence. https://members.greatapetrust.org/tours/ Great Ape Trust has announced Internet registrations are underway for the 2007 public visitation program. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_18a07.php Great Ape Trust's staff veterinarian says the overall health status is 'very good' for the 27-year-old female orangutan. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_09a07.php In a newly published scientific article, Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh urges change in the care and welfare of captive apes. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_16a07.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa has announced its Web site has been recognized as an Official Honoree by The Webby Awards, the leading international honor for the Internet. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_13a07.php Two trumpeter swans have a new home at Great Ape Trust of Iowa and after they’ve had a chance to settle in, they’ll soon have new names, thanks to their bonobo neighbors. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_12a07.php Officials with Great Ape Trust of Iowa announced today the 2007 public visitation program for the world-class research facility in southeast Des Moines. The program begins May 15 and runs through October 30. From May through August, tours will be available to Great Ape Trust members and their guests on a first-come, first-served basis through reservations at www.GreatApeTrust.org. Great Ape Trust has set aside September and October for free educational tours to schools and students. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_07a07.php Two researchers from Great Ape Trust were among a field of distinguished scientists lecturing at The Mind of the Chimpanzee conference, an international multidisciplinary symposium on chimpanzee cognition and conservation that concluded earlier this week in Chicago. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_08a07.php An international panel of distinguished scientists has been formed to serve as an advisory board for Great Ape Trust of Iowa and advance the field of primate cognitive research. The Scientific Advisory Board of Great Ape Trust is comprised of nine scholars from the United States, Canada and Japan who will provide counsel on issues of science and conservation to Great Ape Trust’s resident faculty. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_11a07.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa has announced Beth Dalbey will join the primate scientific research center in Des Moines as communications editor. Dalbey is currently editorial director of Business Publications Corporation in Des Moines, publisher of Des Moines Business Record and dsm social magazine. Dalbey begins her duties May 1. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_06a07.php Chimpanzees in Senegal are regularly making and using spears to hunt other primates – without human assistance – according to research led by an Iowa State University anthropologist. That study, funded by the National Geographic Society, is the first to report habitual tool use by non-humans while hunting other vertebrates. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_05a07.php Congolese rebels accused of killing and eating at least two of the world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas in recent weeks have agreed to stop killing the rare primates, a conservation group said. Wildlife Direct accuses rebel fighters loyal to renegade Congolese army General Laurent Nkunda of butchering two silverback gorilla adult males, so called for their grey coloring, within the last month. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_02a07.php Two scientists with Great Ape Trust of Iowa are commending the efforts by CareerBuilder.com to discontinue its television advertising campaign with chimpanzees. Last week, the Chicago Tribune reported the Internet job-search company would retire its chimpanzee ad campaign beginning with a series of TV spots during Super Bowl XLI. The CareerBuilder commercials made their debut during the Super Bowl two years ago. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_01a07.php More than a quarter million Internet visitors got an online experience of Great Ape Trust of Iowa in 2006. Great Ape Trust’s nationally award-winning Web site, www.GreatApeTrust.org, recorded 263,424 visits last year and more than 6.4 million online hits. A spokesman for The Trust says Web site visits in 2006 increased 46 percent over the previous year while online hits improved 23 percent. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2007/nr_03a07.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa has named Brian Eldridge building and grounds superintendent of the scientific research facility in southeast Des Moines. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_56a06.php ow Kanzi and other bonobos became dialogue partners with Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. The central role of English language in the GATI bonobo research project. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_56a06.php Liz Pugh is someone with a very special gift. It is a profound ability to communicate with nonhuman primates – something she does these days through a unique collaboration with seven bonobos living at Great Ape Trust of Iowa. While Liz modestly deflects the praise, her ability to interact and communicate with bonobos has played a most important, and often overlooked, role in science. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_56a06.php After the exciting time at the Ketambe research site, we headed to Medan to prepare for the second portion of our visit. This trip would lead to the Batang Toru area, which is located southwest of Lake Toba. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_55a06.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa has received a $25,000 technology grant from the David Bohnett Foundation for the support of vocalization studies of bonobos and research with orangutans involving numerical competency and counting. The funds will be used to purchase a high-speed, high-capacity, central processing unit (CPU) for the analysis and storage of bonobo vocalizations; software development for numerical competency research, initial development of a vending machine that will be incorporated into the number and counting studies, and a Toughbook portable computer for Allie, an adolescent orangutan. http://www.kdur.org/rim%20shots.html Nancy spoke with Dr. Duane Rumbaugh, lead scientist emeritus of the Great Ape Trust of Iowa, comparative psychologist and innovator in the world of human/animal communication and author of Intelligence of Apes and Other Rational Beings, shares tales and grooming with Rim Shots host, Nancy Stoffer. Listen and learn. http://www.greatapetrust.org/save/conservation.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa has announced the Des Moines-based scientific research facility provided $86,656 this year for nearly a dozen primate conservation efforts on three continents. Dr. Benjamin Beck, director of conservation at Great Ape Trust said the funding – the most ever provided by the organization – will support conservation initiatives for bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas in Africa; orangutans in Asia and golden lion tamarins in South America. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_54a06.php A fundraiser sponsored by Great Ape Trust of Iowa will mean thousands of dollars for an orangutan conservation project in Indonesia. The 1st Annual Bowlathon for Great Apes in Des Moines raised $7,600 for conservation efforts in the Ketambe research area in northern Sumatra. Nearly 100 bowlers took part in the first-ever fundraising event last summer in Des Moines. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_52a06.php An official with Great Ape Trust of Iowa says a successful first season of public tours at the scientific research center will result in a continuation of the program in spring 2007. The Trust provided free orientations and tours of the facility to approximately 1,400 visitors from early June to mid-November. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_51a06.php On the autumn day we left Iowa for Sumatra it was strange to realize I was returning to a location where I spent much of my life but had not seen for several years. Many thoughts crossed my mind while taking off from the airport in Des Moines. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/issues/2006/november/index.php Bonobos have an impressive vocabulary, especially when it comes to snacks. http://www.merlinnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=332989&cp=11003 n the film classic "Planet of the Apes," chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans speak English. Scientists are now exploring the abilities of orangs using symbols and syntax to express their thoughts. The public can learn more about this research and conservation issues facing orangutans during the Orangutan Symposium, Saturday, Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Oregon Zoo. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6036281.stm In a private facility just outside Des Moine, Iowa , primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh is conducting an experiment that has lasted 26 years. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_48a06.php October 31, 2006 – A scientist with Great Ape Trust of Iowa is in Indonesia this week collaborating with researchers at one of the longest running orangutan field study sites in Sumatra. Dr. Serge Wich will spend several weeks at a field site in Ketambe National Park in northern Sumatra. Orangutan research began at the Ketambe site in 1971. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_49a06.php his is the story of a brave little ape named Allie. The 11-year-old orangutan with a tuft of auburn hair atop her head had some tough breaks in her short life. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_47a06.php Two weeks ago, most Americans couldn’t even pronounce bonobo let alone heard of one named Panbanisha. That all changed recently when a simple act at Great Ape Trust of Iowa thrust a 20-year-old female bonobo chimpanzee into the national spotlight and taught millions of people a simple lesson about ape intelligence. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/arts.php The science of Great Ape cognition inspires awe, respect, and creativity. It generates personal reflection on the meaning of life and our relationships to those other lives with whom we share our tiny planet. Apes reveal the beauty, soul, and spirituality within us all and help us remember the obligation we carry to protect our fragile earthly existence. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_46a06.php Additional free tours are being offered by Great Ape Trust of Iowa. A Trust spokesman announced today the free public visits will be extended through November 16 at the world-class scientific research facility in southeast Des Moines dedicated to the study of ape intelligence and behavior. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_44a06.php A leading expert on great ape intelligence and behavior is urging significant change in the care and welfare of captive apes. In a scientific article to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (JAAWS), Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh of Great Ape Trust of Iowa cites a need to address great ape welfare well beyond accommodations, physical needs and enrichment. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_45a06.php The Earthpark board of directors voted today to negotiate exclusively with the community of Pella and developers of the planned Point at Red Rock resort to build the 21st century national environmental center along the shore of Iowa’s largest lake. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_42a06.php In honor of a primate research pioneer Dr. Duane Rumbaugh (pictured), Great Ape Trust of Iowa has announced $1.5 million will be committed to education efforts thorughout Iowa and around the world. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_44a06.php A leading expert on great ape intelligence and behavior is urging significant change in the care and welfare of captive apes. In a scientific article to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (JAAWS), Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh of Great Ape Trust of Iowa cites a need to address great ape welfare well beyond accommodations, physical needs and enrichment. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_46a06.php Officials with Great Ape Trust have announced free public visits will be extended through November 16. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/arts.php In its brief history, Great Ape Trust of Iowa has become a leading center for great ape scientific research, conservation and education. It’s also developing, however, into a home for world-class art. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_45a06.php Earthpark, a partner-project of Great Ape Trust and a national environmental learning center will be built along the shore of Iowa's largest lake. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_34a06.php Almost a year in the making, an impressive limestone sculpture of Great Ape Trust's most well-known orangutan has been placed in a specially designed plaza next to his home. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_37a06.php Autopsy results indicate cardiac fibrosis contributed to the death in July of P-Suke, an adult male bonobo at Great Ape Trust. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_36a06.php Scientists at Great Ape Trust say a recent fact-finding mission in Uganda will likely result in the Des Moines-based research facility developing new collaborative partnerships for primate conservation initiatives in the African nation. http://www.greatapetrust.orghttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5503685 Great Ape Trust and the bonobo scientific research program were featured recently on National Public Radio. Jon Hamilton’s special report, A Voluble Visit with Two Talking Apes focused on the scientific studies of Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and William Fields. http://www.greatapetrust.org/visitation/index.php Thanks to an outpouring of requests - 1,237 totaling nearly 5,600 people - Great Ape Trust's summer tours are now booked through September 7. We are considering additional dates this summer or fall - watch this Web site for details. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_35a06.php A great loss has been felt by the scientists, staff and bonobos of Great Ape Trust. P-Suke, a bonobo whose name meant ‘little gentleman’ in Japanese, died July 7 at The Trust while under anesthesia in preparation for surgery for an inguinal hernia - autopy results are pending. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_28a06.php For the members of the RaySociety, it was sort of like winning a great ape lottery. Out of nearly 900 Internet requests totaling more than 4,000 people, the senior citizens from Des Moines earned the distinction of being the first official public visitors to Great Ape Trust of Iowa. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_30a06.php Great Ape Trust will host its 1st Annual Bowlathon for Great Apes next month in Des Moines. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_29a06.php Scientists from Great Ape Trust of Iowa are traveling throughout Uganda on a fact-finding mission of great ape research and conservation initiatives in the wild. The delegation is searching for projects in which the Des Moines-based scientific research facility can develop collaborative partnerships and provide financial support. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_33a06.php P-Suke, a 27-year-old male bonobo at Great Ape Trust of Iowa died today while under anesthesia in preparation for surgery for an inguinal hernia. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_28a06.php TRUST VISITORS EXPERIENCE A NEW REALITY For the members of the RaySociety, it was sort of like winning a great ape lottery. Out of nearly 900 Internet requests totaling more than 4,000 people, the senior citizens from Des Moines earned the distinction of being the first official public visitors to Great Ape Trust of Iowa. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_31a06.php Five acres of outdoor yards for the bonobos is more than just a playground. It's also a proving ground for scientific research. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_29a06.php Scientists from Great Ape Trust of Iowa are traveling throughout Uganda on a fact-finding mission of great ape research and conservation initiatives in the wild. The delegation is searching for projects in which the Des Moines-based scientific research facility can develop collaborative partnerships and provide financial support. http://www.greatapetrust.orghttp://www.leakeyfoundation.org/newsandevents/n2_x_x.jsp?id=4602 Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh has been selected to address the prestigious Leakey Foundation as part of its 2006 Speaker Series on Human Origins. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_30a06.php Great Ape Trust will host its 1st Annual Bowlathon for Great Apes next month in Des Moines. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_30a06.php Great Ape Trust will host its 1st Annual Bowlathon for Great Apes next month in Des Moines. http://www.greatapetrust.orghttp://www.leakeyfoundation.org/newsandevents/n2_x_x.jsp?id=4602 Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh has been selected to address the prestigious Leakey Foundation as part of its 2006 Speaker Series on Human Origins. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_22a06.php Summer tours provide opportunity to experience a new reality A world of great apes, breakthrough scientific research and global conservation is about to open to the public. Officials with Great Ape Trust of Iowa have announced the world-class research facility in southeast Des Moines will provide free tours to small groups throughout the summer. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_27a06.php A U.S. Senate committee compromise to preserve the funding of social science research by the National Science Foundation (NSF) has been lauded by the founder and scientists at Great Ape Trust of Iowa. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_25a06.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa and its orangutan scientific research project will be featured in an upcoming segment of the Living in Iowa program on statewide Iowa Public Television. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_03a06.php It serves as home to three orangutans and is a center for world-class scientific research, yet very few people have ever had a peek inside - until now. For the first time, you can get a 'personal' tour of the orangutan home at Great Ape Trust thanks to a remarkable new animated video. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_04a06.php Qualified candidates are being sought for six volunteer positions in the bonobo scientific research facility. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_05a06.php From bonobos and orangutans to small monkeys and wood ducks, Great Ape Trust of Iowa is assisting a variety of local conservation efforts on four continents. Over the past year, Great Ape Trust has committed more than $56,000 to conservation programs and projects in countries around the world. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_06a06.php The Blank Foundation of Des Moines hsa presented Great Ape Trust of Iowa a gift of $250,000. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_08a06.php The past century of research with primates led us to formulate a Rational Behaviorism that relates the first appearances of creative, seemingly insightful behavioral patterns and capabilities to conditioned and unlearned behaviors. We call these creative behaviors emergents and propose that they be juxtaposed with respondents and operants of classical and operant conditioning procedures. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_09a06.php One of the world’s leading experts on wild orangutans visited colleagues this month at Great Ape Trust of Iowa. Dr. Anne E. Russon, professor of psychology at Glendon College of York University in Toronto, Canada met with the scientists and staff of Great Ape Trust and discussed her work on orangutan rehabilitation and reintroduction, cultural variation, social learning and conservation. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_10a06.php Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a lead scientist with Great Ape Trust of Iowa, has been appointed as an affiliate professor in the Department of Anthropology Department at Iowa State University. The three year appointment is effective April 1. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_11a06.php A conservation project for wood ducks has opened the eyes of three dozen middle school kids to the world of great apes. http://www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2006/nr_12a06.php Great Ape Trust of Iowa was recently honored with two ADDY® Awards by the Advertising Professionals of Des Moines.