The toastiest of toasty greenhouses, a full belly, a good friend (annnnnd…a blanket?!?!) equals the sleepiest of sleepy Foxies:
If you’ve been following the chimps’ lives for awhile you’ve probably seen us write about the fact that Foxie is the only one of the chimps who chooses not to nest with any blankets. She’s quite comfortable curling up in her tiny chimp way with her dolls on the heated floor or a sun puddle on a platform. I took all these photos, speaking to her throughout and even resized them for the blog before it suddenly dawned on me that she was sleeping on a blanket! I ran out to the greenhouse to see if maybe it had just appeared that way in the photos, but nope! There was not one, but two blankets curled around her. Not in full nest fashion like most of the other chimps, but decidedly under her. !!!
You may think, “What’s the big deal?” In the grand scheme of things, nothing really, as she’s been perfectly content before. Foxie has appeared happy and at ease nesting as she chooses sans blankets for almost eleven years now. Perhaps her whole life. And while it’s merely emotionally appealing to the humans to think she might be extra comfortable with blankets, she obviously knows herself best. But I’ve observed Foxie choosing to incorporate a few new changes into her days recently.
Foxie has also been known not to like to engage much with enrichment or reach into things, like boxes or bags, even if her beloved dolls are in them. The other night we gave the chimps grab bags for their evening enrichment (brown paper bags filled with toys and treats such as seeds and nuts, peanut butter pinecones, etc) when I heard a flurry of ripping and tearing. Grab bags are coveted by most of the chimps, but especially Jamie. I assumed it was her creating the commotion and when I went to see what all the hullabaloo was about, there stood Foxie, bipedal, tugging with all her might to extract several bags from the food chute and then proceed to go through each one and pull out all the items she wanted. My heart swelled.
Foxie has also demonstrated sudden progress in PRT (Positive Reinforcement Training). PRT allows us to work with the chimpanzees and invite them to participate in their healthcare which ideally makes simpler medical interventions easier and often dramatically reduces their stress when treatment is required. Foxie and I, along with Missy, are partners. We’ve been doing PRT for a few years now and as you may already be guessing from the above, Foxie isn’t really a fan. Of course, it makes perfect sense given her history. But low and behold, with the support and assistance of Missy, and sometimes the other chimps, demonstrating that a little spray here and there isn’t really a bad thing, Foxie is now participating more than she ever has. She’s not always thrilled, but she does it and continues to engage. There are even times that her relief and satisfaction in having participated and coming through “unscathed” seems almost palpable, as if she knows she accomplished something that required a lot of courage and it wasn’t so bad after all.
All these years later since arriving to the sanctuary, the chimps continue to amaze, surprise and delight us with their new found interests and courageous adventures. Even if the chimps try something new and choose never to do it again, their universe and spirits expanded from all the courage it took to try. Reaching into a bag, allowing a blanket to touch you, comfort you, may not seem big in the grand scheme of things. But for Foxie and her family, these seemingly small steps continue to be big ones in their healing. And for me, my heart shoots off silent fireworks, I want to jump and shout from the rooftops, because I’ve had the privilege to witness the bravest of brave souls expand.
Linda says
Oh, that´s so funny, Katelyn, because the first thing I thought when I read the first few sentences was, ¨Wait a minute……Foxie, …nesting!?” That’s so cool!
Jo Lathrop says
Thank you so much for this wonderful post. Hugs and love to you all…
Kathleen says
Oh Foxie, I am oh so very proud of your brave choices. I too saw Foxie on the blanket and didn’t think twice until I read “(annnnnd…a blanket?!?!)” and I felt my heart skip a beat or two. Wow! Katelyn, thanks for sharing these giant steps made by our little Foxie girl. Eleven years. This made my day.
Elaine Reininger says
What a delightful blog, so well written and informative. Dear little Foxie, Though I seem to be partial to Jamie in recent years I owe an article I read about Foxie for bringing me to this wonderful site. To be truthful, up until that time I was an advocate for Elephants and Orangutans. These delightful
e-mails from you every single day starts my day off with a smile.
Hilary Hilliard says
When you spoke of Foxy’s progress with her PRT together with the help and encouragement of Missy and others, a great big lump appeared in my throat. After all she was put through in her past, it’s safe to say she’s one beautiful, brave lady.
Alex says
This is more of a general comment, but I can’t begin to describe how much I appreciate your blog. The sincere interest and care you all have for these chimps is evident in each post, which has really manifested in such a wonderful narrative that we all get to watch evolve! I’ve followed this blog for awhile without ever commenting before, but I suspect I’m not the only one to do that. If I could be so presumptuous as to speak on behalf of all lurkers: we appreciate you all so much, and are such big fans of the work you do!
P.S. Do you have any thoughts on Vali and Sugriva at Myrtle Beach Safari and/or Limbani at Zoological Wildlife Foundation? Is it possible that the exposure and awareness given to chimps and their conservation status through the social media highlighting Vali/Sugriva/Limbani has a net benefit? Or do experts/zoologists generally regard that sort of chimpanzee treatment as unethical and inexcusable?
Katelyn says
Thank you for following the chimps’ lives, Alex! We so appreciate your support and kind words. Your presence makes a difference in their lives.
Also, thank you so much for reaching out with your questions! Organizations like the ones you mentioned are really harmful and misleading for many reasons. They are detrimental to conservation efforts because they perpetuate public misperceptions that exotic animals are appropriate “pets” which also serves to perpetuate the exotic, and often illegal, pet trade. By portraying and encouraging contact with wild animals, both the animals and the humans are placed in situations that are dangerous. And these organizations also exploit the animals, often infants who should be with their mothers, by using them for human entertainment like photo opportunities in order to gain a profit. While the best of facilities can never fully replicate the lives these animals would have in the wild a true sanctuary is always going to place the individual needs and well-being of each animal as a priority over human desires and ensure that the animals are provided with as much agency over their lives as possible to engage in natural behaviors, live with their own kind and choose how they want to spend their time. Here is a little more information about these issues from our website: https://chimpsnw.org/resources/advocacy/ and also a statement from North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) with helpful information on how to tell the difference between true and pseudo sanctuaries: http://bit.ly/2u5fGra
Thank you again for taking the time to ask important questions and please feel free to reach out to any of us if we can help with anything else!