I will never forget the first time the Cle Elum Seven chimps saw rain.
Central Washington is very dry in the summer, and a couple of months had gone by after their arrival without any significant precipitation. Every day was hot and sunny. Imagine this from their perspective. They had lived for decades in windowless rooms. Some hadn’t been outside since they were infants; others may have never seen the outdoors in their entire lives. As far as they knew, this is how the outside world was and always would be.
Then one day, the skies opened up and it poured.
The chimps were in the playroom at the time, and they ran to the doors and windows to see what was happening. Missy and Jamie started to alarm call, alerting the others to this frightening and confusing turn of events. Jamie was brave enough to go outside, but she immediately turned around and dried herself off head to toe with a towel. When it was over, they cautiously ventured out to inspect the aftermath.
It’s both heartbreaking and awe inspiring to watch a 35-year-old learn about basic things like rain. As the years went by, the chimps grew accustomed to the sight and sound of rain, but they still didn’t like to go outside in it. They’d spend rainy days indoors in their nests, and if they were unfortunate enough to get caught outside in the rain, they’d run as fast as they could to get back inside.
But this year, Jamie decided that a little rain wasn’t going to keep her from walking around Young’s Hill. And as I watch her walk, drenched from the rain but determined to carry on, I can’t help but admire her.
It looked like she got to take a short cut on the way down.
Jamie is awesome!
Love the drying off!!! How much do they have access to outdoors… how long are they allowed to go in and out on their own?
They have access to Young’s Hill throughout the day and they can come and go as they please. At night, when the chimps go to bed, we close off the hill, but they still have access to the playroom, the front rooms, and the indoor/outdoor greenhouse.
Thanks for the info! Do any of the others wander out there? When I visited this summer, I noticed Burrito came out a second time to be sure no food was left, but few were out there more than it took to collect some food. Is that typical?
The chimps treat Young’s Hill like a playground. They don’t stay out all day, but they do go in and out regularly. In the summer, early mornings and late afternoons are the most popular times to go outside, when it’s not too hot. When we put lunch outside, they tend to collect all they can and bring it back inside where it is cooler.
Jamie is still the only one that goes outside regularly in the rain, but the others are starting to get used to it too. This morning, Burrito joined Jamie for a small breakfast forage in the rain.
JB — As always, your writing is heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. 🙂
I agree with Amy…there was something almost primeval watching her walk quite slowly actually, in the rain. And so amazing that she knows to use a towel for drying off…well not really amazing because we all know how incredibly intelligent Jamie is!!
It looks as if you mow the perimeter of the enclosure? If you didn’t, would they have worn a path around it and speaking of paths, do the chimps make and follow them at all or do they just roam about all through the Hill?
Yes, we do mow around and under the fences to keep the grass off the wires. There are a few places where the chimps have worn trails in the grass. In the spring, before we started mowing, we noticed that Jamie was wearing a path in the grass around the perimeter from her daily walks.
We also mow paths in the grass with the tractor, but the chimps do blaze their own paths through the tall grass when they feel like it.
Trail blazers! I knew it! 🙂
I guess learning about the joy of being outside includes a little rain now and then.
What a beautiful thing!!