Chimpanzees are intelligent, emotional, and complex. They deserve the utmost respect.
This is their home and their retirement, and it’s their right to be however they want to be. This fact makes me appreciate how chimpanzees can be not only relaxed but also downright goofy. When they group is in a playful mood, even the most stoic of chimps can be a total dork. For us caregivers, stopping to appreciate these weird moments helps to keeps things lighthearted and reminds us what this sanctuary thing is all about. It’s perfectly okay to laugh along with them.
In the past, we’ve highlighted some of the comical new behaviors that the chimpanzees invent in their spare time (e.g., Annie’s and Honey B’s waistbands, Willy B’s slinky moves, Missy’s choice of grooming tools, Mave’s toe socks and Jamie’s flamboyant scarves). Of course, none of these creations are purely spontaneous and random. Even the most innovative aspects of their behavior are influenced by both their current surroundings and past experiences.
Honey B’s behavior seems to be especially shaped by her previous and ongoing interactions with humans. As one of the more inquisitive and interactive chimpanzees at the sanctuary, she likes to be involved in whatever her caregivers are doing and seems to enjoy making us happy. It’s in her nature to be helpful. We try not to bother the chimps with unnecessary requests, but we do have to ask them for certain favors that help us caregivers to do our jobs. On a daily basis, for example, we ask the chimpanzees to shift from one enclosure to another so that we can safely go inside and clean up. They usually do this without any coaxing because there is something more interesting to do elsewhere. Sometimes, however, there are objects or materials blocking the hydraulic doors that prevent us from remotely operating them and therefore delay shifting. In those moments, we can usually ask a passing chimpanzee to kindly remove the obstruction. Honey B, however, exceeds the expectations.
A few weeks ago, the three chimps who live in the new wing were shifting out of the upstairs Mezzanine and into the new front rooms and chute on the ground floor. There was a tangled slinky that was preventing Kelsi from remotely shutting the door behind them. We asked Honey B to remove the toy, which by then resembled a bird’s nest, and she eagerly scrambled to disentangle the entire thing before tossing it through the open doorway. Then, for safe measure, Honey B collected nearby slinkies (which weren’t tangled and weren’t blocking the door) and chucked them downstairs as well.
In the following weeks, she has surprised us all by continuing to throw available enrichment items through doorways before they we close them. Every morning she flips the previous night’s blankets and night bags through the lower-level doors before heading up to the Mezzanine for breakfast, and she has even started to hurl larger toys down the incline of the chute and out into her group’s alcove of Young’s Hill (now known as “The Courtyard”). With the input of a few enthusiastic and amused volunteers, I have unofficially named this behavior The Chonk. I’m not sure how well this name fits the behavior since the term chonk is usually applied to overweight cats on the internet, but the sound of the word makes me chuckle. (Thanks, Elizabeth C!)
I would love to know exactly what Honey B is thinking as she yeets enrichment out onto the Hill, but I can only speculate. I sincerely hope that, whatever her motivation may be, that she’s having as much fun as I am.
Keep on chonkin’, Honey B.
What a smarty pants! I can just picture her riding one of those carts down that hill 🙂
That would be a sight, CeeCee! Thanks for your support.
Priceless! Love her!??
Thanks, Kathleen!
Have the 3 chimps ventured out of the shoot yet & unto Young’s Hill 4 exploration?Honey B is amazingly smart& helpful.Thx for fun video.i really enjoyed it!
Thanks, Lynn! The three have not adventured past the end of the chute since their first meeting with the electrified fence. We still give them the opportunity on most days and we are considering some improvements that might make the outdoors more appealing to them!
Brilliant! Honey B and her chonk, simply brilliant. And I too had this weird vision of Honey B on her 4 wheeled dolly rolling down the chute into the courtyard. Still chuckling over all this, thanks for keeping Honey B entertained (or should I say Thanks Honey B for keeping your caregivers entertained?!)
Haha!Thanks, Kathleen!
That’s one way to clean a room. Just toss everything into another room. Voila, a clean room.
Honey B’s version of Hot Wheels!
There’s an older video of Jo helping clear blankets from the doors, I love that one, too.
That’s always been one of my favorites, too. It’s funny how they have different ways of going about the same activity!
It’s blogs like today that make me realize how much like humans these chimps are.
They have a reason they act in certain ways – we will never know what it is but it is
so cute and funny at times. Todays blog made me smile for sure. Thank You.
Thanks, Barbara! Highlighting chimpanzee intelligence is certainly one of the main functions of the blog, but making people smile is a positive side effect!
Well this unexpectedly made me cry…tears of pure joy. I marvel at this wonderful girl and I am sooo happy to see her thrive in your hands. Thank you for stimulating her intelligence and embracing each chimp for who they are??
We’re happy to do what we do. Thanks for your support, Nancy!
No wonder I’ve had such a passionate interest in chimpanzees as far back as I can remember…They’re undoubtedly one of the most fascinating creatures of all…No matter how old I get, (& I’m already a Sr. Citizen…HaHa) I will never lose my heartfelt interest in them…
The hysterically funny story about, “The Chonker” has me in stitches…What a GIRL…Perhaps she’s wanting to start decorating
“The Courtyard” to be a little more homey, in anticipation of the time she & her two best friends will eventually be hanging out there together…What fun they will have…I’m so in total awe of the intelligence of Chimps & what drives their individual behaviors…
The Courtyard already looks pretty sweet now that JB built a multi-tiered platform (complete with a boardwalk that leads right to the end of the chute!). It’s interesting to think about why Honey B might be chucking things down the chute, though, and perhaps she is “testing the waters” before venturing further.
Hi Anthony,
Thanks for an entertaining post. Honey B is wonderful. You can’t miss the intelligence in that face.
I’m wondering about the grimace she has when chonking from the chute. Can you explain? Is she displaying her feelings about what scary, or unpleasant experience may be in wait for her at the bottom, or outside of the chute? In line with this, I’m also wondering if chonking from the chute specifically is similar to Foxie, sending her dolls as test subjects into unknown and scary places/situations, presumably to see what happens to them, before deciding to venture there herself. Could this be a step in Honey B’s decision making process about whether or not to risk a trip to the end of and possibly out of the chute?
Hey Marcia! That grimace is a characteristic behavior of hers seems to be analogous to a human grimace. She often does it when staring into bright sunlight, for example. She also grimaces when she seems to be anticipating something mildly unpleasant (like a splash of water or a smack to the face during play-wrestling) and when she really wants something outside of the caging. As for the Chonk, we can only speculate but we wouldn’t be surprised if it is Honey B’s chosen method for experimenting with her surroundings. My guess is that her behavior is driven by the experience of sending an object across the room. I haven’t seen much evidence that she is concerned with where it goes and what happens to it when it gets there, but I could be totally wrong.
Loved the video and blog this morning! I’m sitting here laughing out loud! Thank You! Honey B. is AWESOME!
Thank you, Diane! We agree. 🙂
Honnneeey B! Could this be the transition point to going down the chute? Foxie uses the troll fools to test situations. Maybe! That’s going to be an awesome day when the three Amigo’s go outside to patrol.
We’re all hoping that Honey B and her companions someday feel comfortable outside, but we’re also committed to letting them make their own choices and we will adjust our strategy to their preferences! Honey B is certainly a scientist of sorts and it wouldn’t surprise me if she was “testing the waters,” but she’s also a bit of a dork and may just be doing the behavior for fun. We’ll probably never know.
Thank you all for giving these chimps (not just the 3 from WW) Honey B has always been a character. You guys are giving these chimps a new lease on life. I was a volunteer at WW for 25 years. Our team (4 ) used to interact with all the chimps but that came to a halt. Te only thing we were allowed to do was buy stuff for enrichment. Your sanactuary is one o