`Animal lover answers call of the wild in Bali`

By Sherris Byers
Herald Writer

Erica Knauf of Transfer has a love for animals. But unlike the average person who owns a couple of pets or quits wearing fur, the 22-year-old has decided to devote her career to them.

Knauf, whose family owns Rob’s Pets in Hermitage, is in a special program at Central Washington University’s Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute in Ellensburg, Wash.

“She has always loved animals from a young age,” said her mother, Roberta Knauf. “Even when she was little, she could tell all our hamsters apart, which one they were and whether they were males or females.”

So it seemed natural for her, after graduating from Kennedy Christian High School in 1996, to gravitate toward an animal-related field.

She first enrolled at John Carroll University with a double major of biology and psychology. One of her classes was taught by Mark Bodamer, who told her about the chimps in Project Washoe. Project Washoe, named after the oldest of five chimpanzees, uses American Sign Language to learn about the animals on their terms, without entering their enclosure.

“This is not a biomedical lab,’’ Ms. Knauf stressed. “There is never any invasive research done on the chimpanzees.”

Once her interest was piqued, she went to Washington and knew it was where she belonged. But getting in was another story.

“Only 40 or 50 students can work in the institute,’’ she said, adding it’s the only one of its kind in the U.S. “There are very few in the world.”

Dr. Roger and Deborah Foutsfounded the Institute in 1992. To be accepted as a volunteer helper, a candidate should have public speaking and sign language skills; preference is given to C.W.U students. The final test is whether the chimps accept the volunteer.

Ms. Knauf was accepted after she transferred to C.W.U.

Docents conduct the tours and half-hour presentations for high school and college students and help in the institute gift shop, where the proceeds go to support the chimpanzees.

They may also work in the lab, which consists of one indoor and two outdoor play areas and houses five chimpanzees named Washoe, Moja, Tatu, Dar and Loulis.

“Washoe is the mom, though not biologically,’’ Ms. Knauf said. “But chimpanzees live in family groups, and since she is the oldest, she is the matriarch. She can also sign 240 different signs.”

“Tatu is a trickster, and Dar, a male, is real calm. Loulis was adopted by Washoe and learned all his signs from the other chimpanzees only. He’s a charmer. And Moja likes to dress up in shoes and clothes.” she said.

Shoes, clothes, toys and fun foods such as popcorn are called enrichment.

“Enrichment is a way of giving them something to do because they really aren’t in their natural environment,’’ she said. “It’s extremely important.”

A third-year senior, Ms. Knauf is also the president of C.W.U.’s Roots and Shoots organization, which was founded by Jane Goodall, a colleague of the couple.

“I’ll be presenting a paper in Washington, D.C. in front of her at a Roots and Shoots conference in the fall,” she said, admittedly nervous about the whole idea.

Ms. Knauf left last week for Bali where she, her primatology professor and other students will spend five weeks studying the macaque, a short-tailed monkey.

She said she has decided to become a lawyer, with an emphasis on environmental laws. “Right now, lawyers in our area call Dr. Fouts when they need more specific information,” she said.

But for now, she considers it a privilege to be involved with the chimpanzees. “I know I have to give other people a chance to work here, and I will, but I could stay in this lab forever.” For more information on ways to help or to see the chimps, e-mail: chimplab@cwu.edu

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Updated June 19, 1999
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