When was ham the chimp born

Ham not only survived the flight, but performed his tasks correctly, despite the rigors of space flight and the fear he must have experienced. His courage and heroism paved the way for Alan Shepard, Jr. But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this story is often lost in all of the writings about Ham: he was a baby. Humans are often considered more intelligent than chimpanzees, yet it is hard to imagine a human toddler performing as well as Ham in this challenging task.

We honor and remember Ham and all of the young chimpanzees who suffered through the tragic deaths of their mothers and the transatlantic journey to the United States to become test subjects for space flight.

Although Ham had no children, Save the Chimps is proud to have provided a peaceful retirement for other survivors and descendants of the space chimp program. As cameras rolled, four adult men could not get Ham to reenter his space capsule, even though he had been trained that his refusal would result in painful electric shocks. The famed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall noted that he was the most terrified chimpanzee she had ever seen.

In addition to Ham, five-year-old Enos also went into space. Enos was given an electric shock for every correct maneuver he made due to a malfunction inside the capsule, a reward-punishment system that contradicted over a year of training. Rather than alter his behavior, Enos endured the shocks and performed the flight tasks he knew were right.

Read more about Ham, Enos and other chimpanzees in the space program. It should be there right? Am I missing something? If there is a zoological specimen with a great story that you would like to see profiled, please contact Henry Nicholls WayOfThePanda.

Ham the astrochimp: hero or victim? Spare a thought for Ham the Chimp, an object and victim in the human race for space. A terrified Ham reaches out for an apple after his space flight in Reuse this content.