This Christmas Eve was sponsored for the Cle Elum 7 by friends and advocates of not only the chimps, but all our fellow animals, Kery Shaw and Terran Baylor! Kery and Terran give so much of their time and hearts to advocating for the well-being of animals and creating a compassionate world community. We are thrilled to start off almost a full week of sponsorships and celebration with their generous gift for the chimpanzees.
Kery and Terran, thank you so much for all you do to make the world a kinder, gentler, safer sanctuary for us all, especially for those who are most in need of it. Thank you for always holding the chimpanzees in your hearts:
Annie (bottom) and Missy (top):
Burrito:
Foxie and Dora:
Master Forager, Jody:
Negra picking wild lettuce:
And Jamie, Queen of her world:
Staff and volunteers have been like elves in the chimps’ workshop these last weeks processing all the incredibly generous and compassionate gifts pouring in for the chimpanzees, not only for the holidays, but for an even brighter future. From our hearts, thank you. Thank you. You have all given the gift of sanctuary and we are profoundly grateful to you.
However, you choose or don’t choose to celebrate this time of year, all of us here at CSNW wish you holidays and a season full of joy, hope, comfort, kindness, beauty and gratitude. Be sure to check in for the chimpanzees’ Christmas extravaganza tomorrow and have a magical Christmas Eve!
I always look forward to their Christmas celebrations, and you did an amazing job at Thanksgiving, shooting a longer-than-normal video, AND it was nothing but their chomping sounds. LOVED. IT! I hope you do something similar tomorrow! I always love watching how they react and behave whilst you are getting the party stuff ready.
Question, since you’ve posted so much today about Jamie’s dominance. I know it is nearly impossible to predict how the new group coming in will behave, but does Diana/Jeeb have a plan of action already for how they will set up those introductions? What will happen if a male comes in and rises up against Jamie for her kingdom? In all liklihood that *will* happen; I’ve seen ugly video of how new females in a group were literally beat down to submit, and these chimps coming in will already be damaged from their past histories, too.
I also know you pretty much have to let these power plays just play themselves out, but I’m just curious if there’s actually a way you can help her remain the Alpha of the group. (I know–I ask the impossible querstions. 🙂 )
Thank-you, and have a wonderful holiday.
Frohe Weihnachten und Glückliches neues Jahr! <3
Hi Carla – Yes, we have a general plan for the introductions, and we also plan to have a colleague/friend who has done hundreds of intros on hand throughout the initial stages of the process. Our goal is to take in juvenile chimps at this point so it’s unlikely that they will assert their dominance over any members of the established group, at least initially. As they age, the dynamics of the group will almost certainly change.
We try our best to let the chimps’ social dynamics play out without our interference. Obviously, we directly interfere when we put groups together, but we do so with an eye toward creating stable social groups and not necessarily dictating the status of any individual member. Who knows…maybe Jamie would enjoy submitting to a male that she respects? Or maybe she will challenge any up and coming males and maintain her dominance as she continues to do with Burrito? We always begin social introductions with a plan, but you can’t know how things will turn out until you go through with them.
I would keep in mind, too, that some of the other members of the Cle Elum Seven would probably rejoice if Jamie lost her status 🙂 I think Jody was born to be a high-ranking female in a male-dominanted group. And if only Burrito could one day be a beta to a socially-experienced alpha male…