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NEXT OF KIN

Next Of Kin
The next of kin a documentation of mind matter and love. This book was very inspirational
it gives you a whole new outlook on the experience and the feelings of animals. Trying to
relate with how much Roger Fouts has accomplished in his life is unbearable he has had so
many experiences that have been recorded in this book. It was the type of book that was
hard to put down from the beginning. In the next few pages I will discuss parts of the
book that really moved me and left an impression on me. There are so many great parts it
was hard to pick just a few to look into. I read this book in the first few weeks of
school and re-read in the last two weeks, also I have bought a copy for my sister who is
very interested in primate psychology and it has so much information and personal
experience in it that it is in a way a textbook for primate psychology.
Washoe was an extraordinary animal saved out of NASA by very patient and brilliant
people, it was very exciting to see the advancements that she had made throughout the
book. Not only her but also the few people that had have been working with her. The
Gardner's the first care takers of Washoe was saved by the Gardner's had put a lot of
trust into Roger and he proved to be able to accept and work with Washoe from the
beginning on. 
Fouts, started off as a little kid knowing his only monkey to be curious George, never
realizing that George was not a monkey but a chimp. Growing up on a farm Fouts was always
around many animals tending and working with them. Realizing the importance of the entire
animal Fouts than realized the loyalty when his dog brownie had died jumping in front of
the tractor to save his fallen brother. The care for animal was in all of the family even
the mother who had many old time stories to tell about animal intelligences. A life and
environment changing situation had happened when Fouts was about twelve years old and the
only ones still in the house out of nine children was him and another brother. Fouts
parents packed up the kids and stuff and move to Los Angeles, California.
Around this time in his life he was dreaming of becoming a psychologist. Fouts family had
a way of not finishing school but become loyal workers, and Fouts was devoted to
finishing college, the only one in his family with the intention of getting more
schooling was his mother who at age 52 decided to go back to high school and finish, she
to was very interest in the healing of the mind which, also was a inspiration for Fouts
to pursue this career. When Fouts started his college career at Compton, his intention
was to study human psychology but it was required to take animal psychology as well. The
very first animal behavior he was thought that they were mindless creatures who rigid
behavior, unlike that of 
Humans, is controlled by instinct. After much schooling Fouts applied to many clinical
schools. After time and time again Fouts was denied and was pushed towards a second-tier
school in experimental psychology-or rat psych, as it is affectionately known studies of
animal in cages. The University of Nevada accepted Fouts in to their experimental
psychology program. Time goes on and Fouts get the cal to change the rest of his life,
the call was from a Dr. Paul Secord, telling Fouts "Teaching a chimpanzee to talk," with
disbelief roger replied back "what", and the Dr. repeated himself. Fouts went on to take
it in with full stride just trying to get his foot in the door, with his main intention
of working with kids this entire time. 
Ready for the job Fouts had one more task into getting the job, and that task was getting
through to a very strict man called Allen Gardner. Fouts had taken many courses in animal
psychology and statistics. To Garner this was just garbage he didn't believe that
everything was to be solved in a laboratory that animal had to watched and worked with?
The interview was going terrible, Fouts pulled out all the tricks telling him how he was
excited to take courses with two well-known philosophers of science. Garner shot back
with "Science doesn't need philosophy." Fouts was very disappointed feeling that it was
all over, the interview was over and Gardner asked Fouts if he would like to go see
Washoe, Fouts did and as they approached the gated area Fouts noticed two adults playing
with a child under a tree. Than a beginning point of a life long friendship began, Washoe
noticed them looking and began running at Gardner and Fouts and it 
Leaped up over the fence right into Fouts arms giving him a big hug right when Fouts
really need one amazed that it jumped to him Fouts noticed himself hugging her back.
Garner knew that Washoe had like him. Garner called a few day's later telling Fouts that
he had the research assistant's job. Fouts knew who exactly had chosen him for that job,
it came out of Garners mouth but Washoe had found herself a really good playmate.
I went into so much detail in the first few chapters because I believe that, it is the
most essential it shows the importance of your personal thought and beliefs. It shows me
that perspectives of one professional are totally different from another. That life's
little differences may take a good turn and push you towards the time of your life, and
you might just find what you have been looking for. It just takes time and patience. 
Time and time went on Fouts and Washoe grew closer together Fouts was never looked upon
by Washoe as parental figure but just an older brother, that like to be around all the
time. Greg Gaustaud another graduate student who entered Washoe's life about the same
time, he to was also looked at as an older brother. Being with Washoe was not as much as
a job as it was having a good time. Washoe looked out for each student if one was mad at
another it would stick up for the other guy. Sometimes they would take advantage o that
at sign to Washoe that the other guy hurt him and Washoe would chase after the other guy
until he signed that he was sorry, but there was always sweet revenge that the same thing
would be done to him when he lasts expects it. There was never any doubt that Susan
Nichols one of the women in the graduate class which made it much more paternal if she
acted to cry and tell Washoe that it was me that Fouts was the one that did it, Washoe
would chase him around till he apologized and kneeled before her to show submission and
my apology. Fouts struggle with the relationship between him and his first dog Brownie.
That his first dog never evoked the deep and tangled emotions of friendship,
competiveness, and anger and love that he had felt for that little chimp. He sometime
would have to make a self-recollection that Washoe was not a human and could not be
compared to as one of his brothers, but after a while that distinction was meaningless.
Time and time went on Washoe was learning more and more signs by just watching each
other, she would have child like tendencies of signing wrong but would later on figure it
out just like a child corrects its talking when it get older and more experience.
The Garners had left Washoe and Fouts had taken the responsibility. In 1973 Fouts was
flown to Yale's University to go higher up the ladder in his career. Yale's experience
was a bad one it was not like he wanted it to be, he had came to a conclusion that he
needed to fulfill his fantasy and find something for the chimps in a good and clean way
of teaching like back at the Gardner's back yard. With that he declined Yale's teaching
opportunities and moved on. By the mid 70's Fouts seemed to have everything his wife,
children, living in a little country home just like he grew up on and remembered. He was
also doing very well with a riding wave of ape language research that had brought him
professional acclaim and research funding. Working out of the University of Oklahoma,
which was the center of the universe when it came to chimpanzee signings. His work was
being published regularly in the most respected journals, and doctoral candidates were
flocking to Oklahoma to work with the chimps and Fouts.
1974, Fouts was invited to give a presentation on chimpanzee's language acquisition at
the world's first Conference on the Behavior of Great Apes, in Austria. The meeting was
consisted of some of the finest primentologist such as Junichiro Itani, Diane Fosey,
Toshida Nishida, Birut Galdikas, and Jane Goudall. Looking back Fouts was living a dream
working with what he want and having a good life, but it was hard for him to grasp the
science of chimpanzees which in fact meant life time imprisonment far from there native
African homes. Fouts was starting to see that all his work was made possible only by the
interactions of his chimpanzee's research subjects. He thought he had become a jailer.
His day-to-day action includes, cages, locks, keys, leads, cattle prods, and guns, and
they were totally routine. He had fought and won small battles. The juveniles got their
rundevaal shelter on the island. He got permission to take them on walks to forage in the
woods. Burris another chimp, got the right to live alone. He carried blanks instead of
live ammo. But still in his mind he was a jailer, but a nice one. He knew that every
morning he would let them out of their cells, put on their leads, and lead them into the
island. 
By now project Washoe was fir and foremost a cross-fostering experiment, in which a
chimpanzee socially and emotionally attached to a human family. The feeling was mutual.
Fouts, college Sellmon was getting a little overboard with the control factor of the
chimps and was asking too much with so little. He thought of idiotic ideas to keep chimps
from escaping such as changing Doberman pinchers up to fences for the element of
surprise. Fouts was very upset and was looking more into the future and what he had done
in the past. Fouts, to him had broken the first commandment of behavioral science. "Thou
shall not love thy research project," he was being paid to love his research project to
teach it language in a natural family setting. By the time he had realized that when the
experiment was over, just like other scientist that he noticed were not so emotionally
attached to their research subject, the attachment was suppose to be gone. For Fouts it
was not gone the attachment, family like, and loving feeling is still there and will
always be there.
Washoe know in has been pregnant, and is going to be giving birth she was very excited
and proud to be a mother. But tragedy would strike when Washoe's baby had died. With that
Fouts was starting to realize that he turning into something he despised, Lemmon he
thought in a few years he would take over the institute and be making the rules and doing
other research to pay the bill and it wouldn't be like what it was. Something, that he
loved and had so much enjoyed to do, something that when he got up in the morning he
looked forward to go, not feeling poisoned and his soul was dying every day he went to
see the chimps in "prison." 
Late 1977, Fouts had submitted his grant proposal to the National Science Foundation to
study "the possibility that infants chimps will acquire sign language from its signing
chimps mothers." He had also been looking for a chimp sanctuary, and as little time went
on the search was more and more urgent. A few scientists looking to conduct a study that
was of hepatitis B apprehended Lemmon; they wanted to test the vaccines. They had said
that it would not kill the chimps that were true. But, damage later could happen to
liver, and kidneys. Luckily the contract did not go through for Lemmon. The search for
the sanctuary was still going strong. 
1978, Washoe was pregnant again, by fellow chimp Ally; from here pregnancy he had
received his grant of 187,000 dollars. The money would nor only finance the study, but
would also give some independence from Lemmon and protect Washoe's baby from plans of
Lemmon might have for him or her, and protection for Washoe's partner Ally.
A man called Robert Towne, had heard of Fouts and wanted him to help the actors act more
and more lie chimps, because the movie he was working on was Tarzan. Fouts insisted
instead of going half way around the world they could just go to Oklahoma, to watch and
film the movie. With Warner Brothers backing up Towne, they could easily come up with
more money to help out the place and to make it accessible for them to film, while making
it a better place. After all of this and the excitement of Fouts, Towne and the agreement
of Warner Brothers it was all suddenly ruined. By the one man spited the most by Fouts,
Lemmon, he reportedly was seen beating and kicking his horse because it was to old to
rude, Towne seen this and wanted nothing to do with Lemmon and since Lemmon owned the
chimps there was nothing for Towne to do but take his movie elsewhere. With this huge
disappointment Fouts dreams felt crushed, months later Washoe gave birth to a ailing boy,
named Sequoyah it was not doing to good, illness would take over at time making Sequoyah
deathly ill. After two months death rang it bell over Sequoyah. Lemmon thought this
matter was somewhat humorous, and Fouts was ready to leave. Fouts worried about Washoes
depression found another baby called Loulis, when introduced to Washoe it was something
they did not expect Washoe would only look down at it not picking it up as expected. When
Washoe was give Loulis to hold, Loulis was anxious to get out of her arms, Washoe tried
games to get the baby to come and play but it was not working. The next morning a
dramatic change had happened, Washoe stood up on two feet, and vigorously signed "come
baby come baby" with a loud slapping noise. Loulis was jolted awake and jumped into
Washoes arms, and fell back asleep. From that day on they slept together and Loulis was
dependent on Washoe. Months later Fouts moved Washoe, Loulis, and Ally to a air base
field with out permission of Lemmon hoping he would just write it off. But it would not
end up that way Lemmon wanted him back immediately, to sell. 
With the loss of Ally was the arrival of Moja, which was part of the Gardners second
experiment. Moja was kind of a pain in the ass biting and refusing to eat the Gardners
where beside themselves, either the arrival of Moja the main teacher was Washoe, see Moja
was never around any older chimps and Washoe put her right in line.
His final destination, in 1980 the most unlikely place opened up in a small college town
in Ellensburg Washington, called Central Washington University. A professor calling the
next day to tell him about the rooms available was persisting upon Fouts unknown. Fouts
was off to Ellensburg, with the chimps and his family looking back thinking of only a
decade before that Washoe was just a baby and know the chimps and his human family are
more of a kin. Time and Time went on with the addition of other chimps, and wonderful
environment, Fouts had found what he had been looking for and enjoying once more.
The Next Of Kin, this book was a great book it moved me very much just hearing the
struggles and the persistence of Fouts for the love of the animal is awesome. What I
respect most that he is not one of those scientists that pluck them out of Africa and
begin working with them but is taking in other peoples mishaps and screwups. He takes
them in and tries to give them the best help and love possible. I would recommend this
book to anyone who loves a good true story. From the beginning to the end Washoes and
Fouts love was like the love a brother and sister, from the first day when she leaped
into his arms, but why he had discovered that she had the uncanny knack for seeking out
and comforting those who were sad and hurt, but he never did see her do that again. Maybe
she just knew he was the one.
Bibliography
Fouts, Roger, 1997