Jamie likes projects. If you’ve been following us for awhile, you’ve probably heard us say something along the lines of “she’s always keeping busy.” It’s so true! Her mind is always working out some puzzle, I think even when she’s napping she’s still getting a plan together about what to do when she gets up!
The other day she and I were going through her boots and she pointed toward this high-heeled zippered boot. I took it to the chute where I could give it to her, but she didn’t move. I came back over to where she was and she gestured like she just wanted to groom it. I wore it for her while she picked at it, and then I took it off and let her hold it against the caging and groom at her leisure.
Very quickly she started to unzip it. At any time I could have tried to give it to her through the chute, but I think she preferred to work on it the hard way—through the caging.
One wishes they could just verbalize what their intentions.
I hope she doesn’t ask JB to try that one on!:)
I’m pretty sure she has, actually! He can’t really fit into it of course, but Jamie likes to have him try.
I was also thinking about the same thing
I am always impressed with her slow methodical way and her patience! Interesting how she prefers the challenge. She is beautiful and brainy!
And this brings me to another of my ongoing questions. ; )
For dogs they manufacture various puzzles for enrichment and for the challenge of solving with a treat reward as the basis — does anybody make ‘puzzles’ specifically designed for Chimpanzees living in sanctuaries? Seems as if they would be fun for the chimps and a good form of stimulation and mental exhaustion. Perhaps Jamie could be the “Test Marketing Head” for the creation of such toys!!
There are actually some puzzles specifically designed for primates—we have a few. They are PVC tubes with holes in them that are hung by a chain on the outside of the enclosure fencing, and the chimps have to maneuver something like a nut through the tube until it comes out at the end. Jamie loves them!
We also have boomer balls, which are designed as enrichment for all kinds of animals, and then we also use food puzzle toys designed for dogs. Kongs and food cubes are great enrichment for chimps and sturdy enough! There are a number of toys we can’t give our chimps because Annie has a habit of eating things that aren’t edible and could cause bowel obstruction (like soft plastic or rubber).
I am always keeping my eye open for possible puzzles designed for primates that meet our strict guidelines, and I’m sure Jamie would be more than happy to test them out! Feel free to shoot me an email if you ever see anything you think would be enriching ([email protected]). Thanks, Kathleen!
Thank you for the reply. With Genius Jamie in mind, I will keep my eyes peeled for super enrichment items! Seems like there should be a market for more Primate Enrichment toys! Maybe that’s what I’ll do in my ‘spare time’ — my husband can make them and I’ll design the packaging! : )