Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cindy says

    I remember that video from years ago and your comments to JoJo were also just about exactly the same as her helpful response….some things do never change!!

  5. Denice says

    The first time I asked Jody to move blankets from the door and she did it I was amazed. Now it happens quite frequently and I am still amazed. I, however always have to say please before she will accommodate my wishes, which proves that J.B. is higher on the social structure to the chimpanzees then I am. Never underestimate what a chimpanzee understands.

    I also enjoy watching her “round up” others who may be lolly gagging when asked to move into other areas. JoJo is truly quite helpful in the day to day happenings at the sanctuary.

  7. Marie cross says

    I love Jody has the choice to take her bed with her , choices is my most faveourite and most precious gift the chimps can have :-)))

  8. Lynn says

    I agree with Denice about not underestimating chimpanzees in all respects. I am more likely to believe we overestimate the understanding of humans these days!

    I heart Jo Jo.

  10. Kathleen says

    What a sweet girl and oh so smart. Love that she carries her big nest with her. Thank you Denice for you input in the heir achy of things from the chimps perspective! Very interesting.

    • Denice says

      Kathleen: I was being a being a little “tongue and cheek” about the hierarchy of the humans with the chimpanzees. J.B. having a considerable more experience than I and being around the “7” on a daily basis, I think the “7” consider him more of a member of the group than I, or at least a more constant member of the group than I am as I am only there twice a week. This is just my perceptive, who knows what is going through these magnificent beings mind.

      • Sara says

        Or, it could just be that JB is more handsome and therefore Jody would do it for him without the please. 😉 LOL

  12. Benjamin Pavsner says

    I noticed she complied when you told her to move the blankets from the door. Do the chimps understand any English or other spoken languages?

    • J.B. says

      Academics have been arguing for decades about the extent to which chimpanzees understand human languages. The problem is that people like to get hung up on the term “language.” So in the most conservative terms, I would say that they understand that certain words are labels for certain things, they understand attention-getting behavior, and they read body language very well. They also understand routines (e.g., the humans must close the doors now) and mechanics (e.g., the door cannot fully close when obstructed by an object). Add all of that up, and it’s easy for some chimps to know what to do when a human is asking something of them. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they will comply, though…

      But there are studies that indicate that at least some chimpanzees reared in enriched human environments understand the more complex elements of language like syntax (e.g., how sentence structure affects meaning).

      In our daily interactions with the chimps at CSNW, we assume that the chimps understand a good deal of what we say. We’d rather err on the side of overestimating their abilities, because, historically, nonhuman animals have consistently proved to be smarter than we give them credit for. Plus, no one likes to be talked down to.

      • Sara says

        I think the chimpanzees also have a good relationship with you all, recognize that you are “giving” humans and choose to give back. I’d like to think that Jody understood that you thanked her.

        I’m glad to hear you say that we should overestimate their abilities. I think we should all come to the realization that there are many smarter nonhuman animals than there are some humans in this world.