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5h ago

Bonobo Kanzi’s Tea-Party Trials Provide First Controlled Evidence of Ape Make-Believe

A Science paper finds a language-trained bonobo tracked imaginary items in child-style tasks, with authors urging caution given the single enculturated subject.

Kanzi, a 43-year-old bonobo living at Ape Initiative, who had been anecdotally reported to engage in pretense and could respond to verbal prompts by pointing. (Credit: Ape Initiative)
Kanzi passed away aged 44 in March 2025.
Kenzi the bonobo being groomed by anohter bonobo
Can Bonobos Play Pretend? Watch Kanzi's "Tea Parties" To See What They Reveal About Primate Imagination

Overview

  • Researchers pretended to pour juice into two transparent cups and to empty one, and Kanzi chose the cup that would still contain pretend juice 34 of 50 times (68%).
  • In control trials offering a real-juice cup versus a pretend one, he selected the real juice 14 of 18 times (about 78%), indicating he distinguished real from imaginary rewards.
  • A similar task with imaginary grapes showed comparable performance at roughly 69% correct, suggesting consistent tracking of pretend objects across displacements.
  • The study, published Feb. 5 in Science by Amalia Bastos and Christopher Krupenye, adapted child-development “tea party” paradigms for a nonhuman subject and included controls to rule out simple cue-following.
  • Experts praised the rigor but highlighted limits and next steps, calling for replication with less-enculturated apes and tests of self-generated pretense; Kanzi, a uniquely language-trained bonobo, died in 2025.