Jenny Heintz @jennyheintz - Tumblr Blog

Washoe was a common chimpanzee and the first ever non-human to learn how to communicate with sign language. She was raised as close to a human child as possible. One of her care workers, Kat, suffered a miscarriage and took a few weeks off work. When she returned, Washoe seemed upset that she had left her for a prolonged period of time. Kat signed that she was sorry and signed “my baby died,” to which Washoe responded by signing the word “cry” before running her finger down Kat’s cheek, mimicking a tear. She then asked Kat for a hug. Washoe, who had lost her own babies, appeared to be sympathetic and understanding toward Kat’s own pain and loss.