It’s a beautiful spring day here at the sanctuary, not to mention a rare one without wind. It was already quite warm early this morning so we decided to do a chow forage on the hill for the chimpanzees after they were served their breakfast. Foxie and her troll friend were first out the door and they spent quite a bit of time traversing Young’s Hill in search of the chow. At first she held fast to her troll in her hand (I love her tongue sticking out here):
But then she decided she had some ground to cover and the troll went on her back:
It’s a good day for a stroll with one’s troll:
Katelyn, I’ve seen this behavior in other chimps. Is there a reason/theory behind carrying things on the back of the head or neck? Is it just a convenient way to carry things?
Hi Carrie, thanks for your question and sorry for the delay in responding! Chimpanzees naturally carry their infants on their back. Chimps are very invested in raising their children and infants will stay in almost constant contact with their mothers until approximately age 5 (when allowed the opportunity). After that they become more independent but still stay close to their mothers for several more years. Chimpanzee infants are born with a very strong cling reflex and this allows them to cling to mom (or other family members) for protection and easier/faster mobility when foraging, climbing, and generally being on the move. This makes Foxie’s behavior of carrying her trolls and Doras on her back even more interesting and endearing.
I love her. Did she ever get her Dora?
Hi Stephanie,
There is a lot to love about Foxie! And yes, she did receive the Dora you sent, thank you so much for making her day! 🙂
She sure is sweet – love to send her Dora’s and trolls:)
And she loves to receive them, Wanda! Thank you for always thinking of her! 🙂