If you’re subscribed to our e-newsletter, you read about this rambunctious play between Annie and Foxie yesterday and what it says about how things have changed between these two in the last few years at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Subscribe here if you’re not already signed up to receive updates!
Archives for October 2013
Negra in the Sun
There’s nothing better than watching Negra sit outside and soak up the sun.
Undercover Annie
Annie is by nature a sweet and shy soul. Probably due in part to her personality, she is also lowest in the social hierarchy of her chimpanzee family. But don’t think this means that she can’t hold her own when she feels strongly enough about something or doesn’t find a way to get what she wants. We’ve even witnessed her stand face to face with Jamie during arguments! And the backing of her best friend, Missy, will often give her additional courage when needed.
At the same time Annie does a great job at her role of being a subordinate chimpanzee. For example, when taking food she cautiously looks around to make sure it’s OK with everyone else (this usually means Jamie and Missy). This is completely normal behavior in chimpanzee society and there is typically more political savvy exercised than physical force. And while by nature she is less interested in interacting with the humans and prefers the company of her chimpanzee friends, if she wants to interact with us she finds a way to do so without getting into trouble.
When I went in to greet the chimpanzees this morning, much to my delight, Annie ran over to say good morning to me. But then she turned her back to me, looked around, and quickly turned her head to the side to offer me a quick kiss on the back of my hand. Then she looked around again to make sure the coast was clear and reached out to tickle my hand. And off she ran to start the rest of her day. These moments with Annie are such a treat. It makes my heart smile to see her becoming more courageous and comfortable in her own skin. She may be quiet but she’s sly!
Burrito’s attempts at gymnastics
Chimpanzees are excellent climbers, which you may have figured out from some of the blogs we’ve shared. Foxie and Missy stand out to me as particularly acrobatic, with Foxie’s pirouettes and Missy’s firehose sledding. Just check out some of their amazing skills:
Some of the other chimps are not as graceful. You might remember that time Negra awkwardly climbed up to the shaky bridge:
And the other day, Burrito had a less-than-ideal dismount:
Although he doesn’t seem to be a pro gymnast, I give him 10/10 score for cuteness.
Community
Chimpanzees are not primarily, by nature, solitary but rather highly social creatures. Free-living chimpanzees in Africa are part of communities, groups that can range from few individuals to many and are subject to a hierarchical social structure. Captive chimpanzees do not always exhibit behaviors identical to those of their free-living relatives, however, the characteristics of group living are shared if modified by their unique experience. The benefits of group living vary, of course, depending on the individual, the position they might occupy within the social structure of a given group, and the particular circumstances of each group but, overall, the value of community cannot be overstated.
Community provides security and safety (as Debbie pointed out recently) by giving you backup in uncertain situations:
Community provides a structure that helps maintain equilibrium by setting limits on socially acceptable behavior:
Community provides family and friendship, a safe and supportive environment in which to live and grow: 
In a culture that values individuality so highly there is, I think, much we can learn from chimpanzee culture. By embracing community we become invested and it is possible to accomplish so much more within a strongly motivated group than alone. Community can be large or small, inclusive or exclusive but I choose to value it for the positive potential it lends. Thank you for being a part of the community that provides care to these chimpanzees, we cannot provide sanctuary alone.
I leave you today with these words of wisdom from Dr. Seuss: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Chimp ID: Jody
We’re continuing our series of blog posts on chimpanzee identification today with Jody. (If you missed the posts about Annie, Burrito, Foxie, or Jamie, click on their names.)
Jody is one of the larger females in the group, though not as muscular as Jamie. She has a very sweet face, with her eyes a little closer together than those of the other chimpanzees.
She’s missing parts of some of her toes due to old injuries. On her left foot, she’s missing the tips of her three middle toes (I couldn’t find a good photo). And here you can see that the second toe on her right foot is shorter than the rest.
Jody has distinctly pink nipples:
Her bottom lip is often droopy:
If there’s one thing Jody is known for, it’s her love of comfort. She spends a lot of time reclining. When she’s eating, she likes to lie on her belly:
an unfortunate privilege
We were fortunate to have spent a bit of time with Dr. Sheri Speede and some volunteers for IDA Africa when they were in the area the last few days as part of Dr. Speede’s book signing tour for her new book Kindred Beings. She relayed something that we all had in common. It’s related to Debbie’s post from the other day. Here it is: working with chimpanzees is an incredible privilege. It’s not something a lot of people get to do. When I’m walking with Jamie, playing with Burrito, passing a troll to Foxie, taking a photo of Jody, having a quiet interaction with Annie, admiring Missy as she runs on the hill, or simply looking at Negra with my heart swelling with love, I often think about this. But here’s the thing – this is a privilege that we shouldn’t have. I know we’ve expressed this on the blog in direct and indirect ways before. It’s one of those thoughts that you carry with you everyday as a caregiver in a sanctuary. No matter how great the moment is, no matter what amazing and wonderful thing has happened – there shouldn’t be a need for us to have jobs like this, and the chimpanzees we care about so much shouldn’t be here.
But they are here, and so are we. So we do have this privilege, and we are able to pass along this privilege vicariously to you through this blog – to tell their stories and explain what’s it is like to care for chimpanzees. The greatest aspect of working at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is that we all feel this way, really without even thinking about it. We all understand that we are here for chimpanzees who deserved better. They are not here for us. And we will continue to be here for them and make their lives in captivity as good as they possibly can be.
Jody lying down:
Jamie walking on Young’s Hill:
