It’s amazing how much Burrito has changed in his time here at the sanctuary. When Burrito arrived, he was afraid of everything. And who could blame him…he was taken from his mother shortly after birth, put into a biomedical research study as an infant, then raised as a pet in someone’s home, and then sent off to perform in a circus. After all that, he was forced to spend 20 years in a lab cage as a hepatitis vaccine research subject. He never learned to be a chimp, and that left him with an extreme lack of confidence in social situations. But he has grown so much over the past four years.
This morning, the chimps rushed out onto Young’s Hill to face off with a dangerous intruder. OK…it wasn’t so much a dangerous intruder as it was a couple of puppies barking from our neighbor’s property. But the chimps were on high alert! In the past, Burrito might have hung back and let Jamie and some of the other girls take care of things. But this morning, Burrito was determined to be part of the team.
For Burrito, this was not the most comfortable situation. First, he had to venture to the very top of Young’s Hill, an area he has only been to a couple of times. Second, he had to do this with everyone else in a state of high arousal. When chimps are in a state of high arousal, group dynamics can be fluid and unpredictable. Aggression towards someone else can easily be directed back at you if you aren’t careful.
Burrito seemed determined not to let that stop him. But before he went up the hill, he needed some reassurance, which Missy was happy to provide.
This is a typical reassurance interaction. Burrito stands bipedal and waits for Missy to approach. The two hug, and then quickly extend their arms over each other and groom each others backsides.
After the barking stopped, Burrito continued to walk around the top of the hill. When he needed more reassurance, Foxie was there to give him a hug.
It’s important to note that reassurance like this is not just hugs and kisses between friends. When Burrito is in a state of high arousal, he is a loose cannon. In addition to lending their friend a helping hand, the girls are trying to diffuse a potentially dangerous situation.
A calm Burrito is in everyone’s best interest.
rita stevenson says
As I read this, the prouder I am of Burrito,, not only is he learning to be a chimpanzee, but with EVERY new experience in doing so ,,Burrito also becomes more confident. As he becomes more confident, his self esteem also continues to develop. Burrito also continues to HEAL. The ever so willing Missy,Annie and Foxie are also fostering the continues development of chimp alliances,, which is ever so imporatant in chimp culture, Im sure within time Burrito just may turn out to be a fine alpha male, Being that he is the only male , this makes his chances far far greater,.I feel this is such a PERFECT match for Burrito to be within this fine group of Chimpanzees, We all love love ,love you Burrito, I know I certainly do and I really want for you to continue finding yourself Burrito, Seems to me, Burrito our little man,, is com ing in to his own,,and in HIS OWN TIME.. Im so sorry, you suffered neelessly, Burrito,.May you continue to find what you need Burrito in order to live the best possible life at CSNW. Good boy Burrito,, you sweet,handsome darling little man ,,love you so much,,XXxx,
christine sumner says
Y’all provide such perfectly simple and nuanced descriptions of your chimps’ experiences. I love it and look forward to it. Thanks for being so willing to provide such thoughtful and insightful depictions of your chimps lives.
Christine
rita stevenson says
I still read this story of Burrito and I love it..Im so so very happy,Burrito is displayng his manliness and his bravado as every male chimps should, He is continuing to become a well ajusted happy chimapanzee, who we all love.
Time heals,, and time certainly is treating the seven so well,
rita stevenson says
These pics of Burrito and his Foxie ,Missy and Annie only makes me so so jolly,,it look sso good seeing Burrito all excited and happy and so proud to Burrito, he’s been through so much in his life, but this is heaven for him.. once the shy,little baby boy is what seems to be man strutting his stuff and his Hey,Ill protect you, but give me some huggin and loving Missy, you too Foxie, Burrito loves his ladies.They seem to be only too happy to oblige.
kim forwood (tiki kim) says
great play by play! the family unit seems wonderful between these chimps. … I noticed burrito’s hair stood on end at the height of excitement. I have noticed this in the male at our zoo, but never in the females. does this happen to the females as well?
J.B. says
Yes, this is what we refer to as “pilo erection” (literally “hair standing on end”…I guess it sounds more scientific than “puffy”). It is more common in males. Pilo erection in chimpanzees is similar to a dog raising his hackles or a cat arching her back. The idea is to make yourself look bigger than you are, so that the individual that is threatening you might think twice about it. Because male chimps engage in physical altercations more often, they are more likely to exhibit pilo erection, but females have the ability as well (among the females in our group, Jody is the most likely to be pilo erect).
On a related note – have you even noticed that when you are scared (say, by some mysterious noise in the dark), you get goosebumps? This is your body making your hair stand on end. It is yet another trait that we share with chimps, but for us it is an evolutionary holdover, since we don’t have enough hair anymore to intimidate anyone with.
diane says
Does this reaction to the barking dogs. mean the Chimps consider The Hill their territory and view any intruder has a threat? Will we see them patrolling the hill on a regular basis to ensure that no intruders enter their space?
J.B. says
Diane – Sometimes they will react to an unusual sound out of curiosity, but this was at least partly territorial behavior. I don’t know that we’ll ever see regular patrols from this group, but you never know. The only patrolling behavior I have seen in captivity was in groups that lived in close proximity to other groups of chimps, i.e. they could see and hear other chimps that could potentially be a threat. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, but it would certainly make sense to me if it occurred more often in groups of chimps that lived amongst neighboring groups of chimps.
Jordan & Lucy says
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “do something everyday that scares you”……..when your life is filled entirely with fear – you have no choice in the matter ~ now that the amazing people at the Sanctuary provide a safe, secure and loving environment for the Seven, they have the daily opportunity to make that decision for themselves. Bravo Mr. B! We Love You…Lucy & Jordan Bower
Sara Lissabet, Fairfax says
Grooming each others backsides…this one goes in my “you learn something new everyday” book.
Not content just to store this away however…does any know or have a theory as to why or how this developed? I know (from CSNW!) how important grooming is as a social interaction…do they do this on a regular basis? Or is the grooming of such a sensitive area reserved for more serious reassurance?
J.B. says
It’s pretty common for chimpanzees to groom the ano-genital region of another chimpanzee. They don’t share our taboos when it comes to personal boundaries.
I don’t know why this hug-and-groom-the-backside type of reassurance is so common in our group, but I can tell you that there is a lot of variety, both personal and cultural, when it comes to this type of behavior. I think that the Missy/Burrito and Negra/Burrito interactions are most likely to involve this behavior. I can’t remember seeing it with Foxie and Burrito.
I think there’s just something about the symmetry of it all. There is a famous example of a grooming position in chimps – one chimp holds a hand over his/her head, and the other reaches up and clasps that hand while they use their free hands to groom each other. It almost looks like a chimp in a mirror. I think these positions just encourage reciprocity….like “I’ll just groom your backside, and…hey look! My own backside is conveniently located by your face if you’d care to return the favor.” 🙂
Sara L., Fairfax, VA says
So fascinating! Thank you for being our chimpanzee encyclopedias (with a little humor thrown in 🙂