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Nim was born in a primate research centre in Norman, Oklahoma. His mother, Caroline, was treated as a breeding machine - all her babies were taken from her for use in experiments. She knew the routine well enough to turn her back to humans as soon as her baby was born, presumably hoping that they would not notice him. But how can a chimpanzee hide her baby, when she lives in a bare cage? Nim was taken from her a few days after his birth, to be used in Terrace's experiment, testing whether sign language could be taught to a chimpanzee. (His full name, Nim Chimpsky, was a play on the name of the linguist Noam Chomsky, who had suggested that only humans have the ability to learn language.)

Terrace visited Nim there a year later for a pre-arranged photoshoot. Nim recognised him immediately and engaged him in play and signing, but when Terrace left, Nim just lay there and refused food. Terrace admits that the primate centre turned out to be "surprisingly more primitive" than he had remembered and confesses to feeling that what he had done was "not the right thing to do. I was definitely doing something that he would feel was unjust or wrong". Nevertheless, Terrace took no steps to get Nim transferred out of the facility.