On This American Life this week, one of the pieces covered the life of Lucy, a Chimpanzee who was raised by human parents from WNYC’s Radio Lab.
Lucy was only two years old when she was adopted by Dr. Maurice K. Temerlin and his wife Jane so he could conduct a psychological study on how close to human Lucy could become. But Lucy got caught between humans and chimps in a way that she could never overcome. Learning to live without humans after she grew up is an even more interesting story than the one of her years with the Temerlins. It’s a sad, compelling story and one that makes for some fascinating radio.