For Foxie, passing a troll to a caregiver is usually an invitation to play. But sometimes it can be an invitation to sit down and have some “quiet time”. Foxie will gently rub the troll on her belly, or place it in her pelvic pocket, and then pass it back to us. After a minute or so, she’ll extend her hand and ask for the troll back again. This back-and-forth can go on for quite some time, during which Foxie seems content as can be. This morning’s exchange involved two trolls:
As soon as I left, Foxie started to make a nest. Not a real nest, mind you, but a Foxie-style nest: a couple of trolls and a piece of fire hose. Better than nothing!
These are amazing photos of Foxie, thank you for posting these, the expression on her face as she looks at the dolls…….
What rewarding pictures. You can feel the peace, love, and contentment coming from her eyes and movements. Foxie you are one very special lady!
Thanks JB.
Foxie is such a beautiful girl! It’s so heartwarming to see her sharing her “babies” with you all. Now that’s trust! Wonderful pictures J.B., thanks. Of course I have yet to see a picture of the CE 7 that isn’t wonderful….LOL. I’ve got it bad!
These are both sweet and heartbreaking. What a beautiful chimp.
Stunning photos. Just stunning.
It just makes me sad that Foxie will never be able to have a baby to love and raise and the CE7 will never have that social experience. I agree with your philosophy, but I still feel for Foxie and all of the other chimp moms……
So – Koko the gorilla raised a kitten (more than one as I recall). Do you think it would be at all safe to offer the chimps a baby to raise that required a somewhat shorter commitment than 40 – 60 years? Or are gorillas inherently less rambunctious than chimps?
Hi Anna – Unfortunately, I don’t think a kitten (or any other small mammal) would last two seconds with the Cle Elum Seven. I’ve seen the way they go after birds and field mice that happen to enter their enclosure, and its not pretty. Chimps, of course, are known to hunt smaller mammals in the wild, whereas gorillas stick to plants, fruits and insects. Koko’s relationship with her kittens was fascinating, but I’d say her personality, her unusual circumstances, and the inherent differences between chimps and gorillas all play a part in making it possible for her but not for the chimps.
Thanks, JB. My more practical self sort of expected this was the case. At Save the Chimps, they have a fabulous story of two adult chimps adopting an abandoned baby chimp, and they were so incredibly gentle … my more romantic self was wistfully thinking that it would be nice if the CE7 could nurture something *alive.* But of course, adopting a baby chimp is a wholly different scenario than adopting some other small mammal.
No – we would not want to offer up kittens as a menu selection at the CSNW Delicatessen!!!
As JB said, it would not be pretty if the chimps got hold of a small mammal as they do kill and eat them. It is interesting that these chimps do that either from instinct or learning.