We provide food to the chimps in a variety of ways. Sometimes we serve them individually, either hand to mouth or hand to hand through the caging. This ensures that everyone is getting their fair share and gives us a great opportunity to monitor and evaluate the chimps’ health up close. Other times we put food in puzzles like the termite mound or raisin boards, giving the chimps a chance to use tools and their incredible problem-solving abilities. But my (and Burrito’s) favorite method is the forage. For a forage, we cut the food into small pieces and spread it throughout the enclosure while the chimps are locked out. Then we let them back in and they proceed to search for their meal. Foraging encourages activity and usually discourages stress and aggression because it’s difficult to steal or hoard food when it is spread out over such a large area, though Jamie sometimes tries her best.
The GoPro camera provides an interesting glimpse into a forage on the hill and it also allows us to hear all the groans and food squeaks that we would otherwise miss.
LOVE the GoPro video. What did we ever do without it? 😉
JB — This is just crossed my mind — who of the chimps is strongest? Burrito? Jamie? ???
Burrito is certainly the most muscular, and it’s amazing to see how fast he can climb and how far he can jump when he is being chased by six angry girls.
Ah yes — the Six Angry Women Weight Loss and Fitness program lol.
I remember you recording another forage and Burrito let out the biggest groan when he got something he really liked. Kind of sounded like me when I get mashed potatoes and gravey! 🙂
Fantastic to be able to watch the forage, the food bits seem to be everywhere in the grass…do you just throw it up in the air and let in land, wherever and then hide the rest in the stuctures? …that last segment is great…who is that walking out on the perch? Jamie??
Yes, that’s exactly what we do! We typically put food on only the bottom half of the hill, because with all that space and tall grass, most of the food would not be found and would go to waste. But every once and a while we put food on and around the structures at the very top of the hill.
And you are correct, that is Jamie running along the beam in the last segment.
A couple of things i noticed watching this video – how green Young’s hill looks after the fires last summer; and how comfortable the chimps look on the hill. I don’t think I will ever get tired of watching them !