Page 64 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

AGENDA ANALYSIS

Dr Irene Pepperberg with Alex
the grey parrot – he could
understand the meaning of the
words he used, but Pepperberg
said he didn't have language.

CAN WE TALK

TO THE ANIMALS?

WHETHER IT’S TARZAN OR DR DOOLITTLE, WE ROMANTICISE THE
IDEA OF HUMANS WHO CAN COMMUNICATE FREELY WITH OTHER
ANIMALS. BUT IS THE IDEA OF CONVERSING WITH A KILLER WHALE
OR KANGAROO ANYTHING MORE THAN A PIPE DREAM, AND EVEN
IF IT’S NOT, WHAT COULD IT ACHIEVE? JAMES FAIR REPORTS.

ome 20 years ago, while scheme of her work with Alex may be more prosaic – he “But I would never argue he
being interviewed by is nothing but a footnote. “I’d just knew this was something had language,” she tells BBC
a journalist from the had a bad faculty meeting, and that was said in response to Wildlife. “I’d call it symbolic
SNew York Times, the he could tell I was agitated,” she perceived agitation without representation.” On the other
animal cognition expert Dr recalls. “When he was agitated, understanding what it meant. hand, Alex was clearly doing
Irene Pepperberg found herself we would tell him to calm down, Pepperberg worked with Alex more than just parroting what
holding a conversation with so he had made the association (until his death in 2007) for 30 he’d been taught.
Dr Irene Pepperberg: Anacleto Rapping/Getty Pepperberg came into the room. what his intention was. I was understood the concept of zero Pepperberg chose to work with
years, and made some startling
that this was an appropriate
her research subject, Alex – an
vocalisation. But we don’t know
discoveries – she proved he
African grey parrot.
BIRD BRAINS
“Calm down!” Alex said when
African grey parrots partly
so annoyed, I didn’t even think
and could do basic probabilistic
reasoning. He even invented his
about it until later.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!”
because of their ability to mimic
she retorted.
human speech and partly
own words – he coined the term
Though it may seem to an
Pepperberg laughs a little
because they are renowned for
‘banerry’ for apple, because
outsider as if Alex was offering
when reminded of this
exchange, which in the grand
banana and cherry.
function much like primate
advice to Pepperberg, the reality
Spring 2018
64 BBC Wildlife some (potentially irritating) he saw it as a cross between a their intelligence. “Bird brains