Famous chimpanzees who changed human intelligence research met a tragic end

More than a century ago, a small group of chimpanzees helped revolutionise the way scientists understood intelligence. Through a series of pioneering experiments on the Spanish island of Tenerife, these apes demonstrated that they could solve problems using insight rather than relying solely on trial and error - a discovery that challenged long-held assumptions about the uniqueness of human reasoning.Yet, while their scientific achievements became famous, the fate of the chimpanzees themselves remained largely overlooked. According to Dr. Javier Virués-Ortega's study, "The Fate of Sultan's Clan," published in the journal European Psychologist, newly examined archival records reveal what happened to these famous chimpanzees after they were transferred to Berlin.The chimpanzees that changed psychologyThe Prussian Academy of Sciences established its anthropoid research station in Tenerife in 1913, and German psychologist Wolfgang Köhler served as its director from 1914 to 1920.