Today volunteer Amanda captured some interesting chimp behavior on her phone while watching volunteer Kailie serve lunch to the chimpanzees. Kailie had set a couple of pieces of yam within Jamie’s reach. As boss, Jamie has the unique privilege of being able to leave her food unattended and be reasonably sure that no one else will have the nerve to take it. Today Jamie wasn’t showing much interest in her yams, so Annie (who is at the very bottom of the dominance hierarchy) must have done some quick mental calculations and decided that Jamie might not be too upset if Annie took her yams. As you’ll see in the video, it turns out that Annie was right, but it was still a gutsy move, and it demonstrates just how much confidence Annie has developed since her early days at the sanctuary when she wouldn’t have dared risk upsetting the boss.
Incidentally, later in the meal Jamie got her own form of payback when she distracted Annie with a kiss to the forehead while she swiped some of her primate chow.
