Jamie has always been the most human-like of the Cle Elum Seven. She often does human-like things (files her nails, ties shoelaces, sews); she’s always very interested in any cleaning, maintenance, or construction the humans around her might be doing; and sometimes she even seems to prefer the company of her human caregivers to that of the other chimpanzees. None of this is unusual for a chimpanzee who has grown up in a captive situation.
But on Young’s Hill, Jamie is all chimpanzee. Something about the wide open spaces or the natural surroundings seems to bring out a different side of her.
Chasing deer:
Hunting squirrels:
.
Fishing for treats on the treat rock:
Leading her friends on a walk:
Thank-you so much for the wonderful pictures – it’s great to see Jamie so active and inquisitive using all of her chimp skills – I could watch them by the hour! I am so happy for them all.
Good thing there is a 12 foot electric fence between Jamie and the deer….. Now the squirrel on the other hand is in Jamie’s territory and my money is in Jamie Chimpanzee.
Just wondering if Jamie still plucks her belly hair now that Young’s Hill allows for more exercise and activities for entertainment?
We were just noticing the other day that the hair on her belly seems to have filled in a bit recently. It’s probably a safe assumption that access to Young’s Hill has played a role. However, it’s possible that Jamie will continue to pluck her belly on and off for the rest of her life even though she’s now in a spacious, enriching environment. Overgrooming is a common behavior among captive chimpanzees, and may just be a hard habit to break.
What was Jamie’s response to seeing the deer?
If I recall correctly, she proceeded up to the top of the hill (where the deer was grazing just outside the fence) at a pretty casual pace, then sprinted the last 50 feet or so until the deer got the idea to back off a little.
We can all learn to unabashedly embrace our many sides from Jamie Chimpanzee. 😉 I heart her. xoxo
Thank you, Elizabeth! I miss them so much…..I hope to be in the chimp house soon!
me too Julie! Seems like a long ways off with the weather of the past couple of days. Wondering if the chimpsters have been out on the hill the past week what with the heavy snow….
The chimps haven’t been out the last few days. We’re still accumulating snow here. Our dog Honey B doesn’t even want to walk out in it 🙂 Once we get a break from the accumulation and if the fence voltage isn’t affected by snow drifts, we’ll make some paths out on the hill so they can at least walk out a bit and forage for the cold stuff on their own. In the meantime, we’ve been filling the kiddie pool in the playroom with snow for them to snack on.
Good for Jamie—she is doing what she loves and you can’t beat that. I have wondered if they watch the birds above and the clouds. I am amazed they will tolerate the cold weather there—the trip out must be worth it. Thank you Elizabeth, the photos are winners.
It’s wonderful to see Jamie return to the natural behavior of a wild Chimpanzee. Can’t wait to see them on Young’s Hill next Summer when the weather is warm.
Oh thank you Elizabeth. Those pictures are wonderful!! And I love hearing about Jamie embracing her chimpness! The pictures are wonderful!!!! I especially like her leading her friends out for a walk.
I have to say you just blew my mind. I have been following the 7 for quite awhile now and just found out that Jamie Sews! What doesn’t she do? If she could speak, she’d be answering the phones and ordering you around : ) The girl continues to amaze me. A natural born leader in cowboy boots xoxo
Here’s an old video of Jamie “sewing” with a child’s plastic sewing kit: https://chimpsnw.org/2009/08/jamie-sews/
Thank you so much for posting this video Elizabeth! It touched me to see how much healthier Jamie looks now. She’s just beautiful.