Foxie has an interesting relationship with her dolls. At times she beats them with wooden spoons or bites their limbs off, and at other times she snuggles them to her chest and kisses them. They serve multiple functions: they’re playthings, they provide comfort and companionship, and they’re there when she feels the urge to nurture.
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How interesting and complex. She is a chimp I could study. She is the reason we found CSNW. Without Foxie’s difficulties when she first arrived, I am not sure we would have felt our help was needed.
So glad you found us, Karen. You’ve made such an enormous difference in the chimps’ lives!
Poor Foxy. She would be lost without her dolls Do people send you dolls for her, you must need a lot to keep them constantly available.
Yes, supporters frequently send dolls! For Foxie’s birthday a couple of weeks ago, we received dozens of new ones. 🙂
I can understand your interpretation; you know chimpanzees better than most of we observers. But it struck me that she was just bored? But I suppose that if you seen this behavior before then your interpretation is correct.
Though I will say that the behavior that follows — obvious emotional need to comfort the doll — supports your interpretation?
Hi Francoise! Foxie does this often enough that it certainly appears that she’s seeking out the warm fuzzy feeling she gets from “comforting” the dolls after their exploits, but of course we can never be sure.