Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Archives for January 2014

The Annie bird

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This afternoon has been warm enough that most of the chimpanzees have spent their time relaxing in the greenhouse. But I caught Annie inside the play room enjoying a peaceful nesting spot next to the window, in the sun.

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It’s always a joy to see Annie (and all of the chimpanzees) so relaxed and content.

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And this is usually the time when we see (and hear) her endearing “Annie-isms” such as clapping her feet together and making her patented “bird noises.” She makes these sounds by blowing against her hands (seen below) in a manner that is similar to what humans do to whistle. Hearing the elusive “Annie bird” always brings a smile to our faces because we know it means she is happy and relaxed.

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But then the warmth of the winter sun just felt too good…

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Reassurance

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You might have picked up on this by now since we’ve mentioned it a few times, but it is unseasonably warm these days in central Washington. So on this spring-like January afternoon, we decided to put out a lunch forage for the chimps. Negra, who often chooses to stay inside even on a day like today, also went out for the forage!

She spotted a chunk of chow, but knew Jamie was headed for it, so she asked if it was okay to have it. Jamie is the boss, so it’s wise to ask her permission for things like this, however Negra is respected as the eldest and so she sometimes has the prerogative to just take what she would like without argument. In this case, Jamie was gunning for this particular high-prized item, so Negra was smart enough to ask for it.

Chimpanzees have a very complex way of asking if it’s all right to take something like this. They will reach out for reassurance from other members of the group, usually directed to a higher-ranking individual, making sure everyone is on board with their plan. Reassurance also happens during and after conflicts, as a way to ask for someone to back them up or make sure everything is okay. Today, Negra asked Jamie and Missy for reassurance before taking the chunk of chow. I’ll explain what is going on in each of the following photos:

Negra spotted the chow. She starts to whimper, as you can see by her trumpeted lips. A whimper is exactly what it sounds like, a sound of distress and in this case, she beginning to ask for reassurance.

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Then Negra fear grimaced. Chimpanzees make this expression in times of distress or overwhelming excitement. This is a very clear communication to follow up her whimper that she really needs to know it’s all right for her to take the chow.

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Jamie approaches, bipedal, which is an intimating gesture for chimpanzees—maybe to assert her position as the most dominant member in the group. Once she gets closer to Negra, she turns around and offers her back for Negra to touch and give her an open mouth kiss and breathy pant. This is basically where Jamie is giving Negra the okay to go ahead.

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However, Missy came running down right in the middle of Jamie giving Negra permission to see what was so exciting, so Negra had to run it past Missy as well. Here she’s giving Missy an open mouth kiss, and then reaches for the chow while Missy looks on.

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Success! Negra got this high-prized item and had no problem getting permission from the other chimpanzees. She also gathered some carrots on her way back to the chimp house. Just look at how proud she is with her mouthful of food!

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This entire communication of reassurance between Negra, Jamie, and Missy happened in about 15 seconds. Chimp language is very intricate and complex!

Greenhouse mornings

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As JB mentioned in the video of his recent blog post, “Lending a hand,” the days at the sanctuary revolve around a routine that relies on chimpanzee participation. For example, the chimpanzees are asked to shift into different areas throughout the day so that we can have access other areas to clean while they are not present. The majority of enclosure cleaning happens in the morning (provided everyone is in the mood, of course). On warm, sunny, summer days this often means that the chimpanzees spend an hour or so exploring Young’s Hill. During the winter, however, this is sometimes not the most appealing way to spend time! This morning, with windy gusts up to 40 miles an hour, the chimpanzees opted to spend their morning in the greenhouse while we cleaned in the playroom.

Missy:
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Annie in the foreground, Missy in the background:
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Missy catches me taking pictures from the loft in the playroom:
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Annie rests after a quick wrestling game with Missy:
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Burrito catches the paparazzi:
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Burrito and Jamie inspect the boxes:
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And, finally, Jamie comes over to see what I’m up to:
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Fun for Everyone

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We received some fun toys for the chimpanzees recently and it appears as though the advertisements were correct, “slinky” (or the magic spring as ours are called) is apparently fun for everyone, including chimpanzees! Here is Missy enjoying the new enrichment and thank you for donating these wonderfully entertaining toys!

Missy discovering the box:
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Missy opening the box:
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Missy playing with her “magic spring:”
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Today is for human Annie!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Elizabeth Cromer in honor of Annie Norris! Elizabeth shared this lovely message for Annie:

“We would like to sponsor this day to you, Annie. You are so very special to us and God knew we needed you in our lives. Thanks for loving us. We know you are a blessing to all the chimps and everyone you come in contact with. Love, the Cromer clan and your Daddy-O.”

Annie is not only a dedicated chimp house volunteer, but she helps us out in countless other ways, including playing an instrumental role in the planning, coordination, and success of our events. Annie has a beautiful, big heart and we humans and chimpanzees are all so fortunate to have her as part of the CSNW family. Elizabeth, thank you so much for sponsoring today for the chimpanzees in Annie’s honor!

Human Annie’s Pals, Missy and Annie Chimpanzee, sharing a relaxing moment together:

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