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Mo’ Doors, Mo’ Problems

November 10, 2019 by Anthony

Our facility is a maze of doors, and each is important in its own way.

To be exact, we have 31 doors that are intended for humans and 21 doors that allow chimpanzees to access different areas. All of these are within the electric fence perimeter that surrounds the Chimp House and Young’s Hill. There are many other doors, gates, and other entryways located around the property, and we still have many new ones left to build as we expand.

It’s not easy to get lost, but it is a never-ending challenge to keep track of the doors. Monitoring doors is one aspect of being a caregiver that we rarely mention on social media even though the task dominates our work day. We’re constantly double-checking to make sure doors are closed, testing the accompanying padlocks, and reporting to each other when we open and unlock new ones. We inspect the corresponding locks and levers that allow us to operate the hydraulic and pneumatic doors constantly, and we have a huge checklist of safety checks that we complete at the end of the day to ensure that the doors are open and closed in a safe and appropriate arrangement.

For the chimps, the doors are also a priority. This Chimp House is their territory, and they know every inch of it.

Annie patrols her group’s territory on Young’s Hill

Free-ranging chimpanzees living in African forests use a combination of memorable landmarks and acute spatial awareness to find their way around. It’s not surprising, therefore, that our chimpanzee residents are highly attuned to changes in their own environment. Their ability to notice and remember minute details is remarkable, and we all have anecdotes that highlight their perceptiveness. Any changes to their home are, by default, their business, and sometimes even subtle changes can have a big impact on their day-to-day lives.

The infamous flaps over Door F.

On Thursday, J.B. added a set of translucent vinyl flaps over the doorway that leads from the new chimp rooms into the outdoor chute. These flaps will allow us to have the door open while still keeping it warm inside, so they’re a critical addition as we prepare the sanctuary for winter. So far, Annie, Jamie, Jody and Missy have all learned to waltz through them without any noticeable issues. Foxie, on the other hand, is absolutely terrified of brushing past them. We’d probably have more luck asking her to go into the sewer drain from the opening scene of It. Each morning, she has had to muster up the courage to charge through the flaps on her way out onto the Hill, and then she has to dart back inside at the end of the day. Right now, as I am typing this, she is beating the flaps to death with one of her dolls as we try to entice her inside with handfuls of grapes and encouragement. We’re optimistic that she will acclimate eventually, especially since she sees four of her closest friends passing through repeatedly without hesitation. At one point, Jody even hit the flaps in what appeared to be Foxie’s defense. We have some options for making the strange new barrier less impactful, too.

Jody passes through the vinyl flaps on her way through the chute.

On top of the new door flaps and the regular drama within her own social group (including a brief fight over breakfast), the tension between social groups has seemingly added to Foxie’s pre-existing anxiety. With Burrito, Honey B, Mave, Negra and Willy B now living together on the other side of the building, Foxie and her pals have been trying to interact with them through every window possible. To accommodate housing two social groups in the same facility, we’ve added another new door to the complex. This door, known by us as Door Z, is an additional barrier that separates the chimpanzees in the Greenhouse from those on Young’s Hill. Because of this, we could give the Girl Gang access to the Hill while the mixed group occupies the Greenhouse and Playroom.

Foxie and the rest of the Girl Gang (left) look into the Playroom from their vantage point in the chute.

Today, Jamie went to inspect the new door and search for a way through while the others followed. They were shocked to see Willy B’s silhouette through the semitransparent doors and they all took turns anxiously screaming, submissively pant-grunting, and excitedly bouncing at him. Even though the communication was mostly positive, the arousal was contagious and the females tried their best to break through the new steel door so that they could get closer to Willy. Foxie tried to stick her head around the new door, between the electrified wires of the fence, and ended up receiving a painful shock that sent her screaming back to the perceived safety of the chute.

Annie pant-grunts at Willy B through the new set of doors.
Jamie tries to break through the new door.

Eventually, the drama subsided enough to let Willy take a peaceful nap while the Girl Gang resumed their normal activities of patrolling the boundary of Young’s Hill and exploring the habitat.

Willy (left) and Mave (right) chill out by the new door.

After our string of peaceful days in the Chimp House, today snapped us back to the reality of trying to manage two groups of chimpanzees in adjacent enclosures. It certainly had more than its share of drama and tension. The growing pains are very real, but we hope that every challenge we overcome now will lead to a more stable and enjoyable future for Foxie and her friends.

Foxie Chimpanzee

 

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sherry says

    November 10, 2019 at 6:08 pm

    Hang in there Foxie! Hopefully it will get better soon! We love you!

  2. Linda C says

    November 10, 2019 at 6:13 pm

    The tiniest chimp, the biggest problem!
    Even with good ol’ Jo, 2019 is just not gonna be Foxie’s year!

  3. Judy says

    November 10, 2019 at 6:13 pm

    OH….little Foxie… with such a personality.. as they all have. Thanks for the wonderful information. Crossing my fingers for adjustment and comfort to increase as much as possible for each and every one of them. And sending peace and appreciation in huge buckets to all of you!

  4. Sandie Allaway says

    November 10, 2019 at 6:29 pm

    My poor Foxie baby girl. How scary the unknown can be. Anxiety is troublesome to all of us. Hoping for good things.

  5. Jo Lathrop says

    November 10, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    You all are doing a fabo job (including the chimpeople) and every relationship has bumps in the road!! Love and hugs to you all…

  6. Kathleen says

    November 10, 2019 at 8:47 pm

    Oh dear. I wish it could all go much more smoothly for you. Poor little Foxie. I guess it just takes a lot more time before you can move on. I know you will somehow time this just right, you all amaze me with your expertise. Thank you for being you.

  7. Betsy says

    November 10, 2019 at 8:49 pm

    Thank you so much for taking the time from your busy schedule to post this update. It’s such a privilege to be allowed into your world, and the chimp’s world. I look forward to it every day.

  8. Linda C says

    November 10, 2019 at 9:27 pm

    I’ve wondered why we rarely see you give the chimps grapes for foraging…is this because they’re reserved for a special treat, Anthony?

  9. Hilary Hilliard says

    November 11, 2019 at 3:16 am

    You’re all doing a fantastic job, humans and chimpanzees alike, and you have tons of support from people all over the world. Thank you for keeping us posted.

    One question: is there any way to know whether the members of the ladies’ group still recognise Neggie and Burrito as their own when they happen to see each other? And the same question regarding Neggie and Burrito. After all, they were all together for a very long time.

    Many thanks x

  10. Francoise says

    November 11, 2019 at 8:57 am

    Oh, dear sweet Foxie. She tries so hard. I had to laugh however when I pictured her banging the flap out of frustration to get out. That’s what I would be doing. And then to get shocked by the fence. What a simply awful day that was for her.

    Your comment (by the way, you are a very good writer, Anthony) about the doors and checking that they’re locked reminded me of something I caught in the video of all the 7 hanging on to the window to catch sight of the 3 in the chute. There was Jamie on the window and the first thing Jamie did was check the lock to see if she could open it. She would be an excellent inspector of your efforts, I’m sure. (My computer screen is acting up, blocking my text, sorry for typos.)

  11. Nancy Potter says

    November 11, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    AAWW..I hope one day soon they will all be one big happy family! I hope the new chimps ( Mave, Willy B and Honey B) will figure out the electric fences sooner than later!! 🙁

  12. Pat M says

    November 11, 2019 at 5:34 pm

    I hope over time the doors and electric fences are able to be positioned so that accidents like Foxie’s can’t happen. I’m sure it’s an incredible challenge engineering all the requirements of humans, chimps, movement, safety and more, not to mention operating it all. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the job you’re all doing, and with such dedication and grace.

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