Welcome to the (high tech) monkey house

Welcome to the (high tech) monkey house

If bonobo chimpanzees are “the closest you can get to being human without being human,” as they’ve been called by researchers, then it’s only natural that they’ve got a little bit of gadget lust in them.

So, we’re pleased to hear that the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Iowa, has constructed a $10 million high-tech home for their bonobos (including star Kanzi, pictured, who makes stone knives and has performed with Peter Gabriel), which includes video intercoms, flush toilets and touch-screen communicators.

No word yet on whether they’ll have web access, but if we start seeing comments on the blog about “Shock the Monkey” being a big misunderstanding, we’ll know where they’re from.