Jamie loves to patrol her 2-acre enclosure in the company of her caregivers. But before the walk begins, she has to select the right boot for us to wear.
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Josays
Fabulous footage!! TY so much!! What a character she is!! Hugs and love to you all!
Kathleensays
The girl knows her boots! Love the way Jamie shakes her hand to show approval, it almost looks like the ASL sign for “Yes!”. ; ) What a beautiful day to take a walk — and in Missy’s instance, a good run!
Silly question for you J.B., when people and dogs run for a spell we breath heavily or with dogs they pant. Do chimpanzees do this too? I mainly ask because I often see Missy zooming about in videos but she never appears to breathing heavily afterwards.
J.B.says
Hi Kathleen – Yes, they do breathe heavily after a good run. Like us, they do it to speed up the exchange of O2 and CO2, whereas dogs also pant to cool off, so it doesn’t take as long for their respiratory rate to return to normal.
I have a vivid memory of watching Missy’s breathing after one of her first runs on Young’s Hill. I had never cared for chimps in a large, multi-acre enclosure before, so I had never had the chance to see them run long distances. And I was struck by the fact that I had never really seen a chimp out of breath like that before. It reminded me that we can easily fall into the trap of thinking animals in captivity are fine because they aren’t showing abnormal behavior, while we ignore the fact that they aren’t able to show the full range of “normal” behavior.
You’re right about Jamie’s gesturing – she uses that hand/arm shake to mean something like “do it” or “keep going”, and in some cases, “yes”.
Francoisesays
And I expect you’ve seen their physical stamina improve as they become more mobile over time, climbing hills and structures and such. That must be rewarding too.
Kathleensays
Thank you for the reply! I totally agree with you when it comes to your comment on animals in captivity and ignoring the fact that they aren’t able to show the full range of “normal” behavior. This applies to animals in shelter environments too.
Can’t imagine what it would have felt like to have witnessed Missy running on Young’s Hill for the very first time! I bet she was winded since she wasn’t in rock solid form back then. What a thrill, I think seeing her run would have taken my breath away. Can’t get over thinking about that first time, makes be reflect on Diana’s post “The Reason Why”. Can’t thank you enough for all you do for these deserving, wonderful, chimp people.
Chrissays
I loved this, of course! Just wondering…does Jamie ever put on her custom made boots anymore or are they shredded beyond memory? 🙂
J.B.says
Hi Chris – They lasted a really long time, but I believe they finally succumbed to the wear and tear of repeated washing and disinfecting, with a bit of chimp abuse thrown in for good measure 🙂
Paulinesays
She is just amazing.
Kathy Bsays
Hi J.B. Does Jamie pace herself depending on which care giver is walking with her. Or does she
set the pace and you guys have to keep up with her.
J.B.says
Hi Kathy – She usually forges ahead at her own speed, but she will sometimes stop to let her caregivers catch up if they are lagging behind. She gets frustrated when we stop to take photos!
Fabulous footage!! TY so much!! What a character she is!! Hugs and love to you all!
The girl knows her boots! Love the way Jamie shakes her hand to show approval, it almost looks like the ASL sign for “Yes!”. ; ) What a beautiful day to take a walk — and in Missy’s instance, a good run!
Silly question for you J.B., when people and dogs run for a spell we breath heavily or with dogs they pant. Do chimpanzees do this too? I mainly ask because I often see Missy zooming about in videos but she never appears to breathing heavily afterwards.
Hi Kathleen – Yes, they do breathe heavily after a good run. Like us, they do it to speed up the exchange of O2 and CO2, whereas dogs also pant to cool off, so it doesn’t take as long for their respiratory rate to return to normal.
I have a vivid memory of watching Missy’s breathing after one of her first runs on Young’s Hill. I had never cared for chimps in a large, multi-acre enclosure before, so I had never had the chance to see them run long distances. And I was struck by the fact that I had never really seen a chimp out of breath like that before. It reminded me that we can easily fall into the trap of thinking animals in captivity are fine because they aren’t showing abnormal behavior, while we ignore the fact that they aren’t able to show the full range of “normal” behavior.
You’re right about Jamie’s gesturing – she uses that hand/arm shake to mean something like “do it” or “keep going”, and in some cases, “yes”.
And I expect you’ve seen their physical stamina improve as they become more mobile over time, climbing hills and structures and such. That must be rewarding too.
Thank you for the reply! I totally agree with you when it comes to your comment on animals in captivity and ignoring the fact that they aren’t able to show the full range of “normal” behavior. This applies to animals in shelter environments too.
Can’t imagine what it would have felt like to have witnessed Missy running on Young’s Hill for the very first time! I bet she was winded since she wasn’t in rock solid form back then. What a thrill, I think seeing her run would have taken my breath away. Can’t get over thinking about that first time, makes be reflect on Diana’s post “The Reason Why”. Can’t thank you enough for all you do for these deserving, wonderful, chimp people.
I loved this, of course! Just wondering…does Jamie ever put on her custom made boots anymore or are they shredded beyond memory? 🙂
Hi Chris – They lasted a really long time, but I believe they finally succumbed to the wear and tear of repeated washing and disinfecting, with a bit of chimp abuse thrown in for good measure 🙂
She is just amazing.
Hi J.B. Does Jamie pace herself depending on which care giver is walking with her. Or does she
set the pace and you guys have to keep up with her.
Hi Kathy – She usually forges ahead at her own speed, but she will sometimes stop to let her caregivers catch up if they are lagging behind. She gets frustrated when we stop to take photos!