Jamie’s boot interests are not restricted to just holding them or having her caregivers wear them for her. She also likes objects that look like boots and the idea of boots. Every night before we close up the chimp house, Jamie requires that caregivers find her current favorite pair of boots and then drop them in a food chute so she can incorporate them into her night nest. Last night was a little bit different though. Instead of gesturing in the direction of her boot collection, she wandered over to the newly decorated Christmas tree (we will give the tree to the chimps on Christmas day) and gestured emphatically. She insisted I remove several of the resin cowboy boot ornaments and give them to her. This morning as we were cleaning, I found them woven into her blankets up in the playroom loft.
If you read yesterday’s blog, you will know that we gave the chimps a little preview of Christmas, including a few of their gifts. One gift we included was a Cowboy Boot book for Jamie. Today she spent a lot of time thoroughly examining its contents and carrying it from one nest to another for safe keeping.
That’s a great story. It is heartening to know that Jamie curls up in her nest with a pair of her favorite boots to accompany her on her adventures in dreamland. “Sweet dreams are made of these…”
Oh Jamie, just when I thought I couldn’t love you more. ?? I let out a huge sigh thinking of Jamie wanting to sleep with those little resin boot ornaments and again imagining her carrying her boot book around for safe keeping. Jamie is magnificent.
What do you suppose is Jamie’s attraction to boots? I can understand the little troll dolls that Foxie likes so much; there is some connection there. But what about the boots?
I know some of the chimps were in the entertainment industry, so maybe that’s the connection…..?
Truthfully we can never really know what draws her to them, but we have all known several other chimpanzees that have a similar interest in shoes and boots. Like them, Jamie was raised in a human household, so we see a lot more “human-like” interests in her than some of the other chimps.
With overflowing love in my heart for the chimp people and caregivers, I send you all HUGS…..
How sweet is this! Whether it’s boots or troll/Dora dolls or eating snow or great big nests or running on the Hill, or any of a dozen other things, the chimps are allowed to be themselves. To me that is the real gift of sanctuary, and it warms my heart.
Clearly Chimps have Higher level Thinking skills. Jamie recognizes the pictures of Boots but she knows they are not actual boots. This is Abstract thinking.
A cowboy boots book!!! Brilliant! I’ve tried to get catalogs but the Western boot companies have not been forthcoming. But all cowboy boots in one book of many pages. Now that’s cool. Thank you to the supporter who found that.