Jamie and Burrito have a complicated relationship. Burrito is the man of the group, but Jamie is the boss. She often treats him like an annoying little brother. Sometimes she takes his food.
Early on, I’d say for the first year the Cle Elum Seven were at the sanctuary, Jamie would use Burrito during fights – I like to describe this and Jamie using Burrito as a henchman – Burrito would be all worked up and displaying, intimidating everyone, and Jamie would follow him as though she was saying to the rest of the group, “better watch out, he’s under my control.” But Burrito has wised up since then and tends to stay out of the fray more these days.
Though Jamie and Burrito do groom each other, they don’t really play together, and I wouldn’t describe them as friends (“frenemies” might be an appropriate term to use). This seems very personal to bring up, but we do get asked about it a lot, so here goes – I did see Burrito and Jamie in an intimate encounter once. Only once. And it was a long time ago. In fact, it is one of the only times we’ve seen that type of encounter between the chimps. It could be that Burrito just doesn’t see the ladies that way, or it could be that, like many captive chimpanzees, he is not sure what to do.
This fall, much to our surprise, these two frenemies would sometimes patrol the perimeter of Young’s Hill together (as seen at the end of this video). Maybe their relationship is evolving.
Today the sun was streaming into the windows upstairs and all seven chimps were on the catwalk. Burrito and Jamie sat next to each other:
Rita Stevenson says
Diana,,
I’ve often wondered,,if or how et,c etc,,Burrito deals with his maleness ? ,,ah, well, he is a maturing boy,.. he must have urges or desires, its only natural for him or any other non altered male to have such urges, etc,
Considering that the chimps are becoming more, and more , chimp like, or as close to, as they will ever be to the wild, I guess, their natural instincts occur more so, vs being captive in labs,
Every so often sanctuary chimps … DO have babies, so, its possible Burrito could oblige,,right?? Even though , he is has a vasectomy, he can still feel the urge, right?
btw, at what age, do female chimps stop being fertile ?
do female chimps go through menopause ?
I’m just very interested in chimps, and I like to learn , especially from all of you .
I’ve been a fan and supporter for one year now,
I have learned so much from CSNW staff bloggers
Thank you, for teaching us all, so much
.CHIMPANZEES have become another of my passions, and advocacy causes.
I truly appreciate such generosity of your knowledge, and expertise.
Its what makes CSNW UNIQUE..
Diana says
You’re correct that Burrito’s vasectomy, just like in humans, doesn’t remove any urges. Burrito knows what to do on his own with his urges… just not so much with the ladies. This situation is strangely common with captive male chimpanzees.
There doesn’t really seem to be a female menopause in chimpanzees, at least not one that’s been recorded / studied that I know of, and most females can have babies into their “old age.” Negra does not cycle, but we don’t know why. Missy and Foxie also do not cycle because they had ovariohysterectomies shortly before they came to the sanctuary because of (benign) tumors. It’s possible Negra had a hysterectomy at some point during her years in laboratories and we just don’t have a record of it. Or maybe she stopped cycling for some other reason.
Thanks for all of your support and your dedication to the Cle Elum Seven, Rita! We really appreciate every person who follows along with the daily lives of the Cle Elum Seven, and we’re so happy that you found the blog!
Rita Stevenson says
Diana, Thank you for answering my questions, Your most welcome.. It’s always a great pleasure to support the CE-7. The make learning about chimps so interesting and fun.
Gregg Biggs says
Sometimes the social dynamic of the Che Elum Seven reminds me of bonobos. Or is it just that Jamie assumes the alpha role usually taken by the dominate male? My understanding of bonobos is that although the eldest female has the highest status, they are much more horizontal in the power sharing.
Perhaps Burrito doesn’t assume the alpha role since he has never been around a dominate male to model that behavior or to threaten his status?
Diana says
Jamie is the youngest female among the Cle Elum Seven. Frankly, I think she just has a bossy personality – she knows she should be in charge. Chimpanzees tend to have more of a hierarchy than bonobos. With chimpanzees in the wild, there is an obvious alpha male and then often a male that consistently backs him up, and high ranking females who have special privileges.
I think you’re right about Burrito’s lack of a male model and his background of not growing up with chimpanzees when he was young that probably has an influence on his lack of dominance within the group.
Gregg Biggs says
Thanks for that clarification. The social structure of all great apes is fascinating and so complex. The more I learn about them I can understand why “aping” as a verb often means immitating behvaior of others. The updates, photos and videos of the Che Elum 7 are a wonderful treat for amateur primate followers like me and certainly inspire me to provide what modest support I can.