Who was Lucy The Human Chimp? Sabrina Aulak Updated: Apr 19 2021, 11:56 ET Lucy the Human Chimp was a primate adopted by scientists at two days old and raised as a human child. Learn about the tragic tale of the famous chimpanzee brought up as a human in a nature vs nurture experiment. 3 Who was Lucy The Human Chimp? Lucy was born in 1964 in a small zoo in Florida. Just two days after her birth, the chimpanzee was taken from her mother, who was sedated with a tranquillizer-laced cola. The unsuspecting chimp was handed to scientist Maurice Temerlin and his wife, Jane, who raised the primate as their own daughter.