Jamie loves a project- pretty much any kind of project. It could be as simple as filing her nails, or stuffing a straw inside of another straw, or as complex as attempting to tear apart the building– she always has something going on. She’s often engaged in projects that are far from natural chimpanzee behavior, but as Diana mentioned in her post last week, captivity isn’t natural, and given her history, it’s not all that surprising that her interests are very human-oriented. Chimpanzees are smart, and they often mimic behavior to reach their desired end result, but Jamie is no doubt a step above the rest.
After seeing J.B.’s recent post about Jamie “sewing”, supporter Wanda Trotta found these great sewing cards for her. I took it out to demonstrate before giving them to her and she was definitely interested, as you’ll see below.
I love to watch Jamie sew! I call Jamie the “chimp genius.”
Jamie is quite the chimp genius!
I will never stop being amazed by this sweet girl. Maybe a couple of additional items here for the auction next month! Hmmmmm…………………..
Geez, I love her. She is one amazing chimp lady. xoxo
It is always so interesting and fun watching Jamie’s eyes as she tackles a new project. You can see the brain working as she figures out what to do. Jamie really is one amazing lady!!
Thanks Jackie.
Me too, Jeani! Her concentration when she is watching a demonstration of a new project is amazing. Then to watch her immediately doing the project is so impressive. She is certainly very very intelligent. I can’t imagine how she survived those years with nothing to do.
Margaret & Karen, I don’t know how she survived either and without losing her mind. Wanda, way to go on the sewing cards!
She certainly got the hang of it quickly and has many talents.
Soooo smart! I like how she put the “thread” in her mouth first just like we do sometimes. I think they could do anything. 🙂
Sometimes chimpanzees are successful in their projects even if humans try to prevent them. Jamie was successful in tearing the wood apart in the playroom for example. Or they even have unsuspected offspring, what happened at chimp haven now when “Flora” became mother recently…
Jamie – one impressive Girl!
These ladies and one guy are absolutely amazing beings!! I too noticed how she put the thread in her mouth just like we do. It’s so wonderful that they are now saved from the terrible lives they lead and also so incredible that they don’t look back but to each moment and enjoy them fully. Would that we could accomplish the same.
If all those in the labs would watch these videos I wonder if they could continue wanting to experiment on and keep these intelligent creatures in cages year after year where they can barely move!
Considering “natural and unnatural” for the chimpanzees, thinking of what they were and how they were treated before coming to the sanctuary, any type of enrichment is wonderful for them. They should never be allowed to become bored with life. It is obvious that everyone who cares about the chimps understands this fact.
I know it’s not natural behavior but I find myself most fascinated by their interpretation of human activity. I’m not so convinced this behavior is mimicking – you can see the curiosity and scrutiny while they’re watching how it’s done!
Did she nod when she asked if she’d like to try it? Unbelievable!
She did nod a little when I asked her if she wanted it. 🙂
How come the other chimps dont partake in any art and crafts activity?
Foxie always watches with great interest, but she does NOT partake, any ideas WHY?
We obviously can’t really say why the other chimps aren’t interested in arts or crafty activities, but Jamie is definitely more human oriented than most. She was raised as a pet (and probably an entertainer) for the first several years of her life, so I think that history still influences what she is interested in now.