Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Food is serious business to Burrito Chimpanzee and today he was seeing green. It’s been an unseasonably warm day today, so the greenhouse was a luxurious 60 degrees or so. We set up a huge lunch forage out there– I think Burrito was very happy with this decision.
It’s always fun to catch one of the chimpanzees doing something he or she doesn’t usually do. Burrito doesn’t engage in much self-directed play with toys or objects. He’ll pick up a wooden block to chew on, or pass a scarf to a caregiver for a game of tug of war, but he doesn’t seem much interested in toys for their own sake. Today, though, he found a toy he couldn’t get enough of. I had to stop filming eventually, but he entertained himself for quite awhile.
Diana and Elizabeth have both noted on this blog that Annie seems to be getting more confident. She’s taking food in front of the more dominant chimps – sometimes from more the dominant chimps. And she has begun interacting with chimps other than Missy.
What really amazes me is her newest choice of playmates. In the past, Annie would occasionally attempt to join in on games that other chimps were playing, and it almost always ended badly. It’s like she didn’t know how to read the cues that playmates trade throughout a game. The other chimps would be playing a quiet game of tickle, and Annie would come running in with a slap to the head or a full-on tackle. Someone would get upset and a fight would break out, ending with Annie splayed on the ground in a full-blown, chimp style panic attack. This was especially true when she tried to play with Foxie.
That was the old Annie. The new Annie has realized that there is a world out there beyond Missy. And she seems to be figuring out how to get along with everyone else. Her newest playmate? Foxie. Go figure.
Burrito, Foxie, and a whole lot of tickling…
Here’s the video I promised in yesterday’s blog post. My favorite part is when Annie joins in the play (using her favorite blanket-swinging method of play initiation), something she’s doing more and more as her confidence continues to grow (read Diana’s thoughts on the changes we’ve seen in Annie here.)
Today is a sponsor-a-day in honor of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest supporter Debbie Redwine.
Happy Birthday from the Sutter Coast Conglomerate Chimps, Debbie!
Here’s a photo of another chimpanzee conglomerate (Jody, Negra and Missy) to wish you a happy and relaxing day with friends:
