Jamie may be one of the fastest and strongest chimps in her group, but why work so hard when you don’t have to?
Archives for March 2018
A Moment with Missy
Missy generally prefers chimpanzee company to human company, but she’s in such a good mood on this sunny spring day that she summoned staff caregiver Anna for a little grooming.
Strengthening bonds
Burrito rarely goes a day without causing concentrated chaos in the mornings. It’s as though his displays are a necessary part of his a.m. routine, almost as important as breakfast. Some mornings he starts off being incredibly playful with the other chimps and his caregivers, then eats part of his breakfast, and just like clockwork ends breakfast smoothie service with a raucous display. Other mornings it’s display first, then a peaceful breakfast. We sometimes talk about how Burrito lacks some necessary social skills he needs to be the dominant figurehead in the group. He doesn’t properly respond to the girls’ submissive gestures (often closing his eyes and pretending it’s not happening) and lacks the confidence he needs to truly be “top chimp.” Despite being a bit socially awkward, Burrito is still a good grooming partner. This comes in handy when he has to make up for his wild behavior.
Burrito grooming Foxie this morning:
Lookouts
The structure we call “Twister” remains a popular spot. This morning, most of the chimps gathered there for some serious territory patrol work. I couldn’t really see what they were looking at (I didn’t have a crow’s nest to climb myself after all), but Jody was most attentive to her duties:
Jody and Missy:
Jody, Jamie and Foxie:
Annie bird and bluebirds
Everyone’s gathering. Red-winged blackbird, nuthatch, woodpeckers, squirrels. With each passing day we see the return of our wild neighbors. We’re still below freezing at night, but today is almost 60 degrees! And with that warmth returned the neighbors I’ve been watching for every day, the ones who announce it’s spring, regardless of the calendar: the swallows and the bluebirds!
When the chimps rushed onto the hill together this morning they all seemed to slow down, noticing the warmth of the sun and the air filled with birdsong. It was as if everything stilled for a moment and my heart sang right along with all the birds just watching the chimps take it all in. Spring has arrived.
When the sky is bluebird bright and clear, Annie in particular loves to find a perch outside in the sun and take it all in in relative solitude. Her bestie, Missy, was ripping and running back and forth beneath her trying to entice her into a game of chase, but it was some time before Annie could be swayed to leave her lookout. When she finally did decide to head inside she promptly made a nest in the sun streaming into the chimps’ playroom, put her feet up on the wall and sang her own Annie-bird song (whistling through her hands) that always means her heart is joyful and content. Missy came in and curled up next to Annie in the nest. And so our day went, all our hearts singing.
Sun’s Out Chimps Out
The chimps were on the move today! Jody was running around the Hill with her gals, Missy was ripping up and down all the structures, Jamie was walking and exploring with everyone, and Foxie was pushing herself to the limits. While Jamie and I were out on a walk Missy, Annie, Jody, and Foxie we not far behind. Annie and Missy made it to the Twister and climbed all the way to the top. Jody got to the top and decided to come down; however, Foxie was cautious and went up part way only to climb back down, but that did not stop her from trying again! Once all the other girls left Foxie even climbed up the Twister on her own and got most of the way up, that girl is brave! After, Foxie met Missy up on the suspension bridge structure, Missy was feeling silly and sneakily and took Foxie’s doll and ran away (trying to instigate chase). Foxie slowly followed after her (don’t worry eventually Miss did give the doll back). All in all it was a fun and silly day at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest!
Missy and Annie on top of the Twister:
Foxie (with doll), Missy (middle), Annie (front) walking towards the next structure to explore:
Foxie climbing the Twister alone and was getting pretty high, maybe the highest she has ever gone:
Foxie carefully climbing down after a big accomplishment:
Foxie and Missy hanging out/playing on one of the climbing structures (about when Missy steals that little doll):
After a slow fun game of chase, Missy gives the doll back to Foxie (Foxie behind the tree):
Jamie exploring:
Jamie and the squad (Annie and Missy):
Handsome Burrito (he didn’t stay long outside):
After climbing all morning Annie laid down to relax and make some bird noises:
Jamie using a tool to get the big nuts out of the Playroom windows:
Missy also used a tool to get some big nuts:
Missy:
Negra enjoying some sun:
Mornings like these
As I watched the chimps head out onto the hill today, I realized that it was a perfect moment to grab the telephoto lens and take some shots of the chimps on the towers. On mornings like these, Foxie likes to take to her usual spot, doll in hand, to spy on the world through the slatted walls of her fort.
Taking photos through multiple layers of electric and woven wire fencing is difficult. Many shots turn out blurry or obscured, so I often find myself laying in the grass to find the right angle and snapping dozens if not hundreds of photos in order to get a decent shot.
I watched as Foxie engaged in phantom nesting – a behavior that, while technically abnormal, can actually be a sign of contentment. Chimps who were deprived of nesting material or the opportunity to learn from family and peers when they were young sometimes show only the rudimentary, ritualized elements of nesting behavior, as if they are building a nest out of thin air.
She played her usual games with her doll, propping it up on the railing…
…and then knocking it down into her waiting arms.
While we make no effort to hide the fact that these chimps live in cages, behind glass and concrete, or within the confines of an electric fence, I can’t deny that I also enjoy perspectives like these that show how large their world has become, even within those constraints.
So there I was, laying in the grass, when suddenly I noticed that Jody had spotted me. She looked concerned, and I had to agree that my behavior was indeed quite unusual. I shouted, “It’s just me, Jo Jo!”
She walked a little closer, still worried. “Jo Jo, it’s me! It’s OK!”
Her expression first softened with the recognition that it was a friend and not a stealthy intruder lurking behind the fence, but it quickly turned to a look that – if I may be a bit liberal with my interpretation – seemed to convey her profound disappointment that I should go around scaring people like that.
Point taken.
With that crisis averted, she joined Foxie on the tower.
…and took part in the spying.
As soon as she left, Foxie returned to her games in peace, as she seems to prefer on mornings like these.
