ANCORA IMPARO

RICK RADER, MD ■ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

One Exceptional Parent Swinging from the Trees

While there is no evidence that XT (the devoted mother) ever belonged to a support group, received any training, or read EP Magazine, she perhaps redefined the term"exceptional parent."

Ten chimpanzees are standing in a line. The 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th chimps are asked to step forward. They are the prime apes (I couldn't resist).

And indeed, they are. There is no doubt that humans have been intrigued, fascinated, and attracted to chimps since they were first encountered in Angola in the 17th century by the Portuguese explorer Duarte Pacheco. His diary is possibly the first document written by a European that acknowledges the ability of the chimpanzees to make basic tools.

And how could humans not feel some kinship to the chimpanzees? They share nearly 99% of our DNA. According to Anna Muir of the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada (research and advocacy group for chimpanzees), "Chimps are more closely related to humans than they are to gorillas. Like humans they laugh when tickled. Like us, the first five years of a chimp's life are spent playing, socializing and developing a strong infant-mother bond. The human brain is structurally identical to a chimpanzee's. This means that chimpanzees are capable of reasoned thought, abstraction and generalization. They can even recognize themselves in a mirror – most other animals cannot! The human body is very similar to that of a chimp. We share the same bones, muscles, nervous system and the same number of fingers and toes. They share the same senses that we see and experience the world with. And to clinch the deal that they are human-like, we know they share things with one another (like tools and food) and use body language to communicate. They kiss, hug, pat each other on the back, hold hands and shake their fists. But above all else that "connects" us is that they demonstrate a range of emotions including joy, sadness, fear and even empathy."

For me personally, it is their ability to exhibit and express empathy that begs the question, "Who learned it from whom?" The Turkish novelist Mehmet Murat Ildan suggests, "Watching our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, is reading the first chapter of human beings' adventures in this universe!"

GREAT APES : Above all else that "connects" us is that chimpanzees demonstrate a range of emotions including joy, sadness, fear and even empathy."

A team of Japanese scientists have observed a mother chimpanzee taking care of her severely disabled baby! The baby, nicknamed XT11, was born in Tanzania's Mahale Mountains National Park and was studied for about two years. An account of the mother-baby interaction, believed to be the first detailed report of its kind, was published in the journal Primates. The disabled baby was born to Christina, a 36-year-old mother.

XT11 had disabilities that were similar to those of Down syndrome seen in a chimpanzee born in captivity. She was described as having her eyes look empty and her mouth was often half open. She had an extra finger on her left hand, and a bald patch on her back. Shreya Dasgupa, a writer for Mongabay Reports, describes the chimp's behavior, "XT11 was less active than typical infants of her age. While healthy infants can sit up by six months, she could do so only after her twentieth month. She was never observed walking or feeding on plants on her own. She remained dependent on her mother's milk for much longer than chimps of her age typically are."

Given these severe abnormalities, XT11 managed to survive until she was nearly two years old. This was largely due to her mother's care. And while there is no evidence that XT (the devoted mother) ever belonged to a support group, received any training, or read EP Magazine, she apparently defined, or perhaps redefined the "exceptional parent." XT carried XT11 all day long, both while walking and while climbing trees. And like most parents of children with special healthcare needs, this regimen interfered with her own feeding. The researchers reported, "XT had to carry XT11 ventrally all the time, support her with a hand and walk tripedally, support her posture on trees, place her on her breast before suckling, and put her on the ground while grooming. Without this kind of unusual and flexible maternal care, XT11 might not have survived for her entire 23 months in the wild." Of particular interest is that chimpanzees have been known to allow non-relatives to help to care for their babies. XT did not allow non-relatives to take care of XT11. The authors concluded that, "As there was no evidence that other individuals showed any aversion to, or fear of the disabled infant, XT's intolerance might have been due to understanding that her infant required unusual extra care and that letting others carry the infant was unsafe."

Dr. Michio Nakamura, one of the lead researchers: "It is the first time it was observed in the wild that a disabled chimpanzee was receiving social care. We believe the study offers a fresh clue as to how human society, which socially cares for disabled members, has evolved."

And while this study demonstrates how our close relatives can show empathy, we are reminded that chimpanzees have also ripped the faces off of caretakers, tracked, assaulted and killed humans, and killed and eaten gorillas.

Learned behavior, evolution or survival tactics; or perhaps most depressing, is that it is a reflection of just how close to humans the chimpanzees have evolved. The term chimpanzee is derived from the word "kivili-chimpenze" – a Tsiluba language which means "mockman". The idea that both their empathy and aggressiveness are behaviors that they are "mocking" should remind us of how lessons are learned. With mothers like XT, perhaps there is hope.•

ANCORA IMPARO

In his 87th year, the artist Michelangelo (1475 -1564) is believed to have said "Ancora imparo" (I am still learning). Hence, the name for my monthly observations and comments. – Rick Rader, MD, Editor-in-Chief, EP Magazine Director, Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center Orange Grove Center, Chattanooga, TN