Grooming, generally a very calm activity, is a really important part of chimpanzee culture. It establishes and strengthens friendships and alliances. Chimps part the hair and pick out any debris or dead skin. They also will groom scabs off of themselves and each other.
Left to right: Missy grooms Burrito’s head. Burrito grooms Foxie’s back. Foxie grooms Burrito’s arm.
Annie (right) grooms Missy’s face. Chimpanzees often use their lips as well as their fingers to groom themselves and others.
Jody (left) and Missy (right) groom Jamie (center, wearing scarf of trolls). This photo was taken shortly after Jamie had been ill for a few days and had been separated briefly from the group (though they could all still see each other). Grooming is very common when chimpanzees are reunited after even a short separation.
Love the “group grooming” and I’m glad Jamie’s feeling better.
QUESTIONS
1) I don’t know if you want to tell us, but what was wrong with Jamie?
2) How did you know she was sick? I imagine it would have to do with her activity level, because she’s always doing something?
3) Are you able to use regular vets for their treatment?
4) Is a “3 group grooming session” common, or could it be because they knew Jamie wasn’t feeling well?
Now maybe Jamie always sits like that, she looks a little subdued?
I love the top picture, what a team!
ahhh the trolls <3
Candy – thanks for the questions
Answers:
1) We’re not sure what caused it, but Jamie was very lethargic and not eating much. It lasted for a few days, then she recovered. Abdominal issues can be serious, so she was carefully monitored and we looked for all signs of an obstruction. Luckily that was not the problem.
2) Yes – activity level. It’s easy to tell when Jamie is not feeling well!
3) We work with three wonderful veterinarians – Dr. Fred is our local veterinarian and J.B. consults with two veterinarians at a distance who are on our board of Directors – Dr. Mel and Dr. Felicia Nutter. They are all extremely helpful and experienced in great ape care. We’re very lucky to have all of them!
4) Group grooming is very common. The chimps do sometimes give extra attention to someone who is ill.
I don’t think it’s an atypical Jamie posture, but she probably was a bit subdued
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Diana, thanks for answering the questions. I wonder if Dr. Fred ever though he’d have seven chimpanzees as patients. Way to go, Dr. Fred! I think we all know that Jamie’s on the way to feeling better, when she accessorizes with trolls.
It must be worrisome when one of the chimps is not feeling well. They have been subjected to so much in research I get very concerned when I hear one is not well. I am so glad Jamie is feeling better and hoping Negra feels better soon. Do you separate the one who isn’t feeling well just in case it’s something contagious, like a virus? I know chimps are often given human medication, especially antibiotics for infections. Does Dr. Fred prescribe these meds when they are needed? Has it been necessary to knock down any of the chimps for blood tests? Sorry for asking so many questions. I guess it’s the nurse in me…lol.
You mentioned in another post or on Facebook that Negra was feeling under the weather. Is it some kind of virus that spreads through the group? Can apes “catch” colds rom humans (and visa versa)?
Kat —
Yes — primates can catch bugs like colds and flu from humans. The problem is that what’s a simple cold for us can be very serious for primates. I follow the Virunga gorillas: tourists now have to wear masks and if any staff, such as the vets, are sick, they stay away until they’re well.
It can be pretty stressful when a chimpanzee is sick, especially if they are not eating – we all know how much the chimps enjoy food. We don’t always separate someone who is ill. Sometimes we will if we want to monitor the ill person more closely and/or get samples of urine or feces to test. As far as contagion goes, once we see symptoms, a virus has likely been exposed to the group as a whole. Dr. Fred does prescribe antibiotics, mainly when the chimps have a more serious injury and we are concerned about possible infection. We have not had to sedate any of the chimps for blood tests (knock on wood).
Negra has been under the weather for the last few days – also not eating much and sleeping more than usual. Her symptoms are similar to Jamie’s, though Jamie was sick a month ago, so it’s difficult to say if it’s the same thing or not. The chimps can certainly catch human viruses and we can catch viruses from them. So, if a staff member or volunteer feels at all ill, we tell them to stay away. And we use gloves for cleaning, we have a foot bath to disinfect our shoes, we wash our hands frequently, etc.