Foxie and I just spent about a half hour going through her doll collection. I was doing some work in the kitchen when she started making raspberry sounds to get my attention. When I looked her way, she pointed towards the bin of dolls. I went through it to see if there were any obvious new favorites I could pass her way but since I was unsure, I decided to pull out the entire bin so that Foxie could help me pick which one she wanted. We often do this for the chimps so that they get the choice, especially with Jamie who so often knows exactly what she wants. When I walked into the chimp area with the bin of dolls, Foxie took off running, starting a game of chase. We ran around the chimp area for a little while, with me chasing Foxie with her bin of dolls and Foxie spinning and laughing hysterically. We then set up in front of one of the front rooms. I sifted through the bin, pulling out ones I thought she might especially love. Foxie made her choices known by pointing and head nodding and I passed a few select dolls her way. With each one that I passed her, she kissed them and held them to her chest for a moment before turning back to the bin to see what else she could choose. We played “pass the troll” for a while, where she tosses a smaller troll out to me and I tickle her with it or we play chase with it, and then I pass it back. All of this typical, every day Foxie stuff– at least for the last 4 years…
While in the biomedical lab, Foxie was used as a breeder and had five babies, all of whom were taken from her almost immediately after they were born. She was never given the chance to be a mother. A few months after arriving at CSNW, Foxie fell in love with troll dolls, often carrying them around on her back and cradling them like a baby, a love that recently branched out to Dora the Explorer. Her love is complex though, and sometimes we witness her beating her dolls on the floor or with a tool. But a few moments later, she is back to loving and kissing them. We will never know what is going through her head, so it’s hard to say if she truly thinks of them as some sort of surrogate child (though I’m certain Foxie understands they are not real), but after years and years of having her babies taken away from her, it’s such an amazing feeling to be able to not only give her a “baby”, but to have her trust us enough to give it back after a game of “baby” keep away. And it all brings her so much joy! Chimps are resilient– we say it all the time– but after all the Cle Elum Seven have been through, it just can’t be said enough.
Love seeing FOXIE with her dolls, Trolls and Dora alike! Thank you for the charming report!
I love the second pic down. 🙂 You both must’ve had a great time.
I wish there was a better way to understand what must go on in their minds, so we could actually know the trauma they endure, and maybe one day have them tell their stories for themselves.
Sign language is a huge advantage there, but even without it chimpanzees can get across what they want pretty well. All the basic gestures are there already.
Jackie — SO sweet!!
((I love you so much Foxie! You would make such a wonderful momma.)) I think she likes the Trolls & Dora dolls because they kind of look like round-eyed baby chimps. I SO enjoy reading the updates & seeing the photos. I have so much empathy and am in awe of this chimp ‘family’, that I rarely get to the end without a few tears – sometimes sad but mostly happy that they are finally safe from harm and in an enriching, active environment with people who love and respect them for who they are. Thanks, CSN.
I love this Blog. FOXIE just is amazing. I am sure she knows the Trolls are not Real Babies, but the COMFORT she gets from caring & playing with them must be wonderful for her Soul. What a shame she never was able to care for the Chimp Babies she had. That is tragic. We all love Foxie SO MUCH. We love ALL the Chimps!
My sentiments exactly Carolyn! Jackie, do you know the whereabouts of any of her babies? I know that the Sanctuary has mentioned some of the other chimp’s children and possibly some of Foxie’s too that are still in research facilities. I think I recall reading here about one of Missy’s babies….It makes me so sad that they are all still out there somewhere and not all in Sanctuary…But so thank-ful that the Cle-Elum 7 are safe and sound at CSNW!!
We know Angie now lives at Save the Chimps in Florida and David lives at the Alamogordo Primate Facility (https://chimpsnw.org/2011/08/chimpanzees-in-the-news/). Foxie also gave birth to Steve, who is deceased. We don’t know the exact whereabouts of the rest of her children.
That’s so sweet. All the caregivers are so wonderful with the chimps, and so generous in sharing with us. Thank you. I can’t help wondering, has anyone ever given Foxie a baby chimp doll or stuffed animal? Do you give the chimps stuffed animals?
We do give the chimps stuffed animals, though they aren’t always well received. Jody and Foxie often tear them up into thousands of pieces, though sometimes Jody will snuggle up with them first. We have given the chimps stuffed chimpanzees, which they don’t seem to like/care for any more or less than any other stuffed animal. Here’s a clip from the very early days of CSNW (possibly the first time they had ever seen a stuffed chimp) in which they treated it like a threat: https://chimpsnw.org/2008/06/stuffed-animal-video/
Wow they look so pale and thin in that video.
That was really interesting to see, thank you Jackie. Patti is right, they look much healthier now, and somehow seem to be very stressed in that video, just the way they hold their bodies and seem to move quickly and dart their eyes around. Is that a “fear grimace” Foxie (I think) gives near the end? Wow, what a difference today. They always seem so laid back and content now. All of you are incredible because you are the ones who have allowed them to feel that contentment instead of the horror their lives must have been.
You have the best job in the world (but if only it weren’t necessary!). Thank you for taking the time to share a little of it with us. Foxie is so loveable.
agreed. on all accounts! 🙂
Maria- Yes, Foxie does display a fear grimace towards Jody, just before Jody spit water at the stuffed chimp.
I wonder if Foxie slap and beats the trolls because she is frustrated that they don’t respond to her (because they are not real babies). Maybe she is expressing her feelings that she wishes they were alive.
In any case, I’m so glad she is experiencing happiness now, and I’m so sad for the suffering she endured.
It is interesting to see Foxie put the tiny little troll doll on her back like a baby. She is mimicking behavior of mother & baby (I think) and it is very sweet to see.