Jamie is a very active chimpanzee, but she’s generally pretty serious. She’s always working hard on a project of some sort, usually on her own. When she interacts with us, she plays tickle or chase, but until yesterday I had never seen her make a playface (the chimpanzee version of a smile, where they show their bottom teeth and cover their top teeth). Yesterday she made a playface, which was pretty cool to see. But today, it got even better. I heard laughing while Keith and I were cleaning, so I went to see who was having such fun. To my surprise, I saw Jamie and Foxie wrestling, playing tug of war with a broom and a robe, and laughing up a storm. Both had huge playfaces! This was new for Foxie too – we’ve never seen her play-wrestle with any of the other chimps. Here’s to happy chimps!
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Oh, wow, this makes ME so happy! I just played this video for everyone here in the student room at CHCI and we are all so pleased to see such amazing chimpanzees finally getting to have fun.
Hee!
I wonder what it feels like to have these innate, intuitive behaviors come bubbling to the surface that have been supressed for so long? Must be amazing!!
And, ummm, a perhaps indelicate question asked as delicately as possible: do chimps expand and contract the pale pink part of their bottoms intentionally? Is that a signal of something? Or am I imagining things?
Anna – you are a very astute observer! Indeed, the pink bottoms of the females expand and contract depending on their stage in their 36 day cycle (if they still ovulate). When they are at “full swell” they are ovulating. Jane Goodall referred to estrus female chimpanzees at Gombe as ‘pink ladies’.
Wow! It just keeps getting better! That is just amazing that they’re playing together now! I love it!!
It’s such a joy to see them coming out of their shells and enjoying themselves. Thanks for sharing the great footage!
Again it’s a process. These 7 have had to be under great stress undergoing such a drastic change of life style, a good life style change but none the less it’s got to be very traumatic for them. PTSD Chimp style.
I have to think that the changes we are seeing are just the start of what’s to come. They are now starting to becoming comfortable with their daily lives and are coming “into there own”.
You go “CE7”, you go.
I can sit back and watch the videos you post with a big bowl of popcorn and watch for hours, they are better then any movie I have seen an a long time. Diana, when you say you heard laughing, is it what we are hearing in the video, or do they have an actual laugh that is not captured in the video?
I have been keeping up with the posting of the videos and pictures on myspace and added a guestbook to the page so if anyone drops into the myspace page please be sure to sign the guestbook, the URL for csnw myspace once again is:
http://www.myspace.com/chimpsanctuarynw
I have been dropping into the blog daily, but I was very committed to the contest I entered Tank in, I had loads of determination to win, and do not know until tomorrow the results of the competition.
I probably sent out 3000 instant messages pver a 9 day period to promote votes on myspace and could not believe people that have never heard of me they supported us and voted daily, it was an overwhelming response. Then their are people I would do anything for , that I know that never even clicked on the link, it only took 10 seconds to cast your vote, I will never unterstand why some people take offense to something so small as to a request for a vote in a dog photo contest, I actually had one guy totally cuss me out, whatever, that is why I always question my giving nature!
Anyways, anyone in the CCC’s that voted for Tank , I thank you very much! I know Tamela, Jeanie and Audrey backed us and Shelly K when she was home, and Diana voted and I really appreciate your help with the contest, I am glad it is over though I spent 9 days from morning to night working on the contest and thats it!
Have a good one!
Shelly C.
Hi Shelly! Great question about the laugh. Yes, those breathy pants that you hear on the video are chimp laughs. They were both laughing up a storm. It’s a pretty cool thing to hear, huh? It’s one of my favorite sounds in the world! – Sarah
What a wonderful sound! I could listen to that forever. It’s proof that the chimps are feeling safe and comfortable and can do what they feel like doing. I know it touched everyone there deeply. CSNW is the reason these chimps are laughing. Kudos to you all!
Foxie will continue to act more like a chimp..she just needs a little more time. It shows us again how individual they are. Go Foxie girl!
Can you imagine ~ oh my gosh, they were laughing up a storm. There’s just nothing more pure or more healing than laughter. This is really something to celebrate to the utmost! When I’m telling people about the Sanctuary, you can bet that I’ll be telling them about the dismal decades of misery they came from – and how the love and care from the Sanctuary staff and support from those who care, are turning their lives to sheer joy. Folks, it just doesn’t get any better than that 🙂 Love to all, Shelly.
I have read all the comments and can hardly wait to get home after school so I can see what everyone is talking about. Right now I can only imagine. Long hard days with meeting after school and before school this week. I am sooooo looking forward to this weekend. My youngest that I nannyed is turning 16 on Saturday. She’s promised to come by and take me for a ride! I can’t believe she was not even born when I started working for her family!
such glee for them and us! just love it!
thank you for capturing these moments and sharing!
Go Jamie! Go Foxie!
Oh! It was so worth the wait. I just wished I could have seen it sooner. I can’t bring in the videos at work but I can get the photos. It is so good to see Foxie finally showing us the playful angel we knew was there somewhere. I agree with other CCCs I think we are in for a lot more as they are finally finding out that this is home and nothing they do will change that.
Thanks to you in Cle Elum for such good care and love you shower on the 7 without asking for anything in return. What love!
Hey everyone! What a treat to witness the blossoming characters of these ladies! They looked like they weren’t really sure how to continue, a little hesitant…to be expected. What I did notice is that they looked so shiny and healthy!! All that great food is really working magic both physically and mentally. Great job everyone!
I was reading , chapter one of “Eating Apes”, written by Dale Peterson, and I found this regarding laughter:
Once, during a resting period, I sat next to a bush that shook with what was undeniably laughter: gleeful and hoarse and breathy, with an edge of frantic, side-splitting desperation. It was entirely like human laughter minus the vocalized overlay, as if a person without a voice box had just thought of something impossibly hilarious. I heard gasping and panting with a hoarse kind of wood-sawing sound: whuuu, whuuu, whuuu. The bush opened, and I saw two juvenile chimps inside, wrestling, tumbling, chasing, teasing each other, and laughing their heads off.
I have observed chimpanzee laughter at other times, in other places. I once watched a grizzled old male chase a juvenile male around a tree, with the little one laughing in delight while the old guy pursued and caught him, playfully biting at his foot and tickling him. I have seen wild-born, orphaned bonobos and gorillas laugh, once again seemingly as a frantic expression of delight and mirth. And I have been told by experts that orangutans, too, sometimes laugh.