Foxie is excellent at distracting people from what they are doing. She chooses the moment we’re getting ready to lock up the chimp area at night to drop her troll doll outside of the caging and then beg for us to give it back to her. And then, she just can’t seem to catch it when we toss it back to her (even though she is a fantastic catcher). Today, she was all about distracting both me (from cleaning) and Jamie (from nesting).
Archives for March 2012
Contact
Chimpanzees engage in close physical contact for a variety of reasons. They might be seeking reassurance, playfully tickling one another, or quietly grooming. If two chimpanzees haven’t seen each other in a while, they often embrace each other just as we would. But what I love most is seeing chimpanzees hug, kiss, or hold hands out of sheer joy or celebration. For the Cle Elum Seven, just being on Young’s Hill is still reason enough to celebrate
Jamie encounters Foxie on the hill and puts her arm around her friend:
Foxie responds by giving Jamie a “soft bite” on her back (this is a friendly behavior):
Foxie and Jamie run off with big smiles on their faces:
Later, Jamie walked by Jody, who was eating grass near the bamboo. Jamie stops and gives Jody and quick kiss:
Chimpanzee kisses are slightly different than human kisses. A chimp kiss usually involves a soft bite, often with the lips covering the teeth, and some breathy panting. When Jody moved to a different bamboo grove, she received a kiss on the arm from Foxie:
A dominant male chimpanzee usually accepts submissive greetings from subordinates like a king is greeted by a commoner. The subordinates are made (or choose?) to grovel, and the dominant male acts like he is being generous by allowing the subordinate to be in his presence. Burrito, however, is not dominant, and he lacks some rudimentary chimpanzee social skills. Rather than submit to the females or accept their submission, he usually closes his eyes and acts like he doesn’t even see them when they approach him. But sometimes Jamie won’t let him get away with that, and in this case she ran after him and grabbed his feet. While foot-grabbing is usually an invitation to play, in this case Jamie seemed to be forcing Burrito to simply acknowledge her friendly greeting.
Sometimes greetings are preceded by a lengthy introduction. Jody often greets Burrito in this manner – there is a lot of pant grunting and bobbing (bouncing up and down on all fours), and in Jody’s case even some soft pant-hooting, before the two ever make contact. In this clip, Annie waits for Foxie to approach and gives her an extended greeting:
Negra Inspires Us All
Art Month Musings #2
Many artists and creative-types have a muse – that source of inspiration that seems to come from outside of them. I often wonder what it is that inspires Jamie, who is one of the most creative chimpanzees I know.
Yesterday Jamie made this composition:
I am not going to claim that Negra is Jamie’s inspiration, but I will submit that Negra has been the muse for several human artists (and crafters). Case in point – four of the pieces in the Biddin’ for the Seven online art auction.
The Great Outdoors
Sally-Anne Ryan’s 12×12 acrylic on canvas was inspired by Negra and the newfound outdoor life that all of the chimps have been able to experience on Young’s Hill. Negra’s history is bleak. She was stolen from her family in Africa as a infant and brought to the United States to be used in biomedical research for nearly three decades, including more than a year of complete isolation. Knowing this history, the sparkle and hope in Negra’s eyes that Sally-Anne captured in this painting is full of meaning.
Everyone at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is lucky to have Sally-Anne as part of our expanding circle of friends “across the pond.” She works with many animal rescue organizations, in particular chimpanzee sanctuaries. She has donated her original paintings to past auctions and even traveled to the United States and attended the sanctuary’s 2010 Out of the Box auction in Seattle. Check out her website and blog written for people who love animals: www.GretaLovesMabel.com
The next two art pieces are photographs chosen by volunteer and supporter Jeani Goodrich (we’re not related, as far as we know – she’s the first Goodrich outside of my family that I’ve met).
Jeani has folded many a blanket, washed many a dish, and prepared many a meal for the Cle Elum Seven. In addition to volunteering in the chimp house, she has helped with several of our events.
For the Biddin’ for the Seven auction, Jeani wanted to donate the cost of printing photos on canvas and selected two Negra photos.
Feet Holding Hands Holding Feet
These are Negra’s hands and feet clasped in comfort, with Jody’s finger reaching in to groom Negra’s toe. The photo was printed on an 18″ x 24″ canvas and it can be yours! Just register for the Biddin’ for the Seven art auction and start bidding on March 24th.
Negra is Beautiful
Nothing really needs to be said about the above photo on canvas, except perhaps that it is simply stunning in person. Imagine being able to see that photo on your wall every day knowing that you’ve helped give Negra so much by supporting the sanctuary.
Sock Chimpanzee: Negra
At last year’s Sippin’ for the Seven, we had some silly sock monkeys that were made to go over a bottle of wine. Since then, I’ve noticed that sock monkeys are everywhere, but I have yet to see a sock chimpanzee. Not one to be dissuaded, I took matters into my own hands. I found a suitable pair of socks and hand stitched my very first sock chimpanzee. The body of the plush chimp reminded me of Negra (she is my muse, after all), so I found a piece of cloth to serve as Negra’s often-present blanket worn over her head and shoulders.
Don’t forget that you’ll be able to see all of the art donations in person at Sippin’ for the Seven in Roslyn on March 24th, so get your tickets for this awesome event today (fill out the quick registration form or login when purchasing tickets).
Foxie, the closet nester?
When Foxie arrived at CSNW almost 4 years ago, she wanted nothing to do with toys and especially blankets. While in the lab, the chimps weren’t given much, if any enrichment so it would make sense that after 30 years of living in barren cages, a toy or a blanket would seem a bit foreign to her. When we discovered her love of troll dolls, her distaste for other toys faded some, but she would still toss aside a blanket that was in her way and preferred to sleep on the concrete floor. It’s only been in the last year that we have witnessed her making rudimentary signs of nesting behavior with blankets. I haven’t seen her nest too much lately, but last night, after locking up the chimp area, Elizabeth and I were on our way out the door when we happened to look up and see Foxie laying in the loft playing and nesting with a small blanket. Perhaps she’s a closet nester?
Primates are Creative
I’m declaring March “Art Month!”
If you received the March E-News sent out today, then you may have taken a peak at the art that could soon be yours through Biddin’ for the Seven.
We’ll be adding more art to the online auction site as the month rolls on, including art made by Jamie Chimpanzee.
Watching Jamie create and knowing how incredibly artistic many Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest supporters are inspired me to put together this auction.
You can see the pieces added so far on the Biddin’ for the Seven online auction site. Below are two featured pieces.
Chimp Ring by Tamela
Tamela is a multi-talented artist who has been following the chimpanzees since before their arrival to the sanctuary in 2008. In addition to her contributions of several original art pieces for past fundraisers, she’s donated money to help us throw many fun and food-filled parties for the chimps and has donated items that the chimps still use everyday (like the big rubber maid tub that we sometimes fill with snow).
The ring is adjustable from a size seven to a size nine. It is 99.9% pure solid silver and the band is sterling silver. Tamela formed the chimp in fine silver clay, then kiln fired it and finished with a hand polish and a hard jeweler’s wax to protect the antique-like finish. What all of this detail boils down to is this: the ring is gorgeous andunique, and you need to bid on it. Register today on the auction site. Bidding for all items begins on March 24th.
Missy on a Mission by Margaret
Margaret H. Parkinson has a gift. She sees a photo that she’s drawn to and she brings it to life 100-fold with vibrant colors. The photo that Margaret’s 20″ x 16″ oil painting shown above was inspired by was posted on the blog on the third day the chimpanzees had access to Young’s Hill. See the photo and read the blog post – it will give even more meaning to the painting.
Margaret and her partner Karen visited the sanctuary before the chimpanzees arrived in 2008. In addition to donating several original paintings and prints, Margaret has been a generous financial supporter, volunteer, and writer for the sanctuary’s annual book (limited edition Year Three books are in print now and will also be available in the online auction).
The image of Missy on a Mission above is good, but the painting in person is breathtaking. Come see it displayed at the Sippin’ for the Seven event in Roslyn on March 24th and you’ll see what I mean.
*Next up for Art Month musings – Negra Inspires Us All
Wine, beer, cider. And chimps
I want to meet you at our annual Sippin’ for the Seven event on March 24th in Roslyn, WA! What can be better than tasting a huge array of wine, beer and cider while helping the chimps? I say it’s win-win. Get your tickets now! If you’re far away, you can still participate through Biddin’ for the Seven, our online art auction (new this year). Find out more here.
And just for good measure, here’s a picture of Foxie enjoying some wine vines in the greenhouse.
Foxie and Negra groom
Here’s some really sweet photos of Foxie and Negra grooming in the warm greenhouse yesterday. I especially like the one where Foxie is poking Negra’s ear!
