https://rtd.rt.com/stories/the-story-of-humanzee-crossbreeding-chimpanzee-humans/

The Soviet biologist Ilya Ivanov became the inspiration for Professor Preobrazhensky in Mikhail Bulgakov’s science fiction novel Heart of a Dog. In the book, the genius doctor accidentally produces a man out of a stray dog when a rejuvenating experiment goes wrong. In real life, Professor Ivanov tried to create a hybrid of a human and chimpanzee, or ‘humanzee’. But he was not the only one to go along that path. How successful were these experiments?

Ilya Ivanov specialised in the field of artificial insemination and the breeding of different animal species. His method of artificial insemination of farm animals is used today. Most of all, however, the Soviet scientist was inspired by the idea of breeding a human-ape hybrid. Ivanov was sure his experiments could significantly advance science. Moreover, he supported his theoretical knowledge with practical results: he produced hybrids of donkey and zebra, domestic cow and bison, interbred a cow with an antelope, and significantly improved horse-breeding. He openly announced his intention to interbreed a man with an ape at the International Congress of Zoologists in Graz in 1910.

Experiments in Africa and first failures

In the 1920s, the newly formed Soviet Union tried to undermine religious thinking and justify its deliberately technocratic society’s superiority. Ivanov decided his time had come as the country began to recover from the devastation of the civil war. In September 1924, he applied to the People’s Commissariat for Education to sponsor his daring experiments at the research station in Africa. The French agreed to provide him with a station in French Guinea. The Soviet authorities supported the project, and the money was allocated.