Jamie must have sensed that I was telling everyone how smart she is. Just as I was finishing the previous blog post, Elizabeth alerted me to this little project that Jamie was working on in the greenhouse.
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
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Wonderful! It was almost like she had no idea she was being taped and then *just like that* she caught you. 🙂
She must have seen the fringe on that blanket and associated it with sewing with thread and needle that you sometimes give her.
Give that girl some real thread. She’ll be making haute couture in no time.
Chimps do know how to pick up on things they like.. that Humans do. Has she ever knitted a sweater?
Just kidding. She sure looks like she wanted to. So sweet the way she looks at the camera, as if to say…were you watching me?
Has caregiveer Lisa been knitting in front of Jamie again??
The knitting video is 4-15-10, that was my first thought Denice, looks like she’s knitting. I wish I had her focus I sure could use it at 54.
Lol – she’s not sewing, she’s crocheting. They have big crochet needles that are the size of that pen. I don’t know if wool would be safe for them though. If you think it is, she might like some. Whoever she lived with before she went to the lab must have crocheted.
Perhaps she would like a crochet hook (plastic) which would be safer than knitting needles. I imagine she likes the bright colors of her project. She is wonderful!
Yes, Marcia that is the first thing I thought of too, that is, after I picked my jaw off the ground! The close attention she is giving to the “project” and the way she is trying to do what to me does look like crochet is beyond amazing. Wish I could go out to Cle Elum and have crochet lessons along with Jamie (sine I’ve never learned how) and I wouldn’t be surprised if she learned it before I did! 🙂 She is one special chimp lady!
I’m always just amazed at these guys! :o)
Yes, it’s very clear to me that Jamie is knitting some colorful socks to wear with her cowgirl boots!! If we only knew half of her intelligence! She is amazing!!
Now, that’s Talent, Jamie! Very impressive!
This is TOTALLY better than I could do! I could watch for hours!
I too was totally amazed by her thoughtful consideration of the threads and how they would weave into the fabric with a tool. I’m going to be on the lookout for some baby weaving toys that might be suitable for enrichment.
I know that Jamie’s upbringing with humans means she exhibits behaviors that might not be considered “normal” for chimpanzees (in the wild) but its for this very reason that I am so fascinated with her mind and what must be going through it.
Do the chimps value praise or react to excitement from the humans when they do certain things? Do they ever do things they know will elicit responses from their caregivers just to get a reaction from you?
None of the Cle Elum Seven chimps seem to desire praise or approval from their caregivers. In fact, Jamie will often stop what she is doing if she notices us paying too much attention to her. And when we ask the chimps for help, like when Jody removes a blanket from a doorway, she rarely engages us after she does what we are asking her to do. I always imagine her muttering to herself, “Fine, I’ll help, but now you owe me one.”
I have met other chimps that do seem more interested in being praised. Usually they are chimps that grew up with a trainer or in a human household, and for some reason they never grow out of that mentality completely. Different personalities, I guess.
My apologies to all the knitters and crocheters out there. Apparently, referring to this behavior as “sewing” is like someone calling Jamie a monkey 🙂
LOL JB 🙂 i loved that clip i especially loved the close ups of Jamie,s hands and watching her fingers work x