Today, we had the honor of hosting yet another birthday party for the sanctuary’s resident sparkplug: Missy Chimpanzee.
Missy spent 35 years in a cycle of exploitation before finally being transferred to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest with her companions in 2008. During those lost decades, her and hundreds of other chimpanzees were utilized as breeders and research subjects. Missy now has 45 years under her belt (which is only a couple fewer than Negra, the sanctuary’s oldest chimpanzee). Despite her age, which would lead her to be classified as “geriatric” by primatologists, Missy is known for her youthful athleticism, persistent energy, and fierce independence.
The first thing you may notice about Missy is that there’s a lot of chimp packed into that compact little body, and she often appears to be propelled by explosive bursts as she zooms around the Hill. She’s the type of action hero who would walk away from an explosion without turning to look at it. Missy is a rebel who surely has plenty of cause, but I find her most admirable quality to be the way she regards the process of senescence with cool defiance. The rest of us can only hope to delay aging and enjoy retirement with a fraction of her success. We should all throw out our self-help books, shut off our podcasts, and instead look to Dr. Missy for advice.
You can imagine how daunting it must be to throw a birthday bash for such a unique and enigmatic individual. Fortunately for Chad (the Enrichment Coordinator), Missy has not been shy about her love for the red berries of a Central American flowering vine, Solanum lycopersicum, which are widely known by their Nahuatl name: tomatoes. Missy loves all cultivars of these things unconditionally, and doesn’t seem to ever grow tired of seeing them on the serving tray. As soon as she spies us take those waxy red orbs out of the refrigerator, Missy turns into a ravenous lunatic whose sole objective is to ingest as many tomatoes as quickly as possible. Given this knowledge, Chad obviously had to organize a tomato-themed party to celebrate Missy’s 45th trip around the sun.
While the chimps waited in the cool Playroom, today’s crew spread a forage of fresh veggies and chow in the Greenhouse and Young’s Hill. The cornucopia included whole beefsteak and wedged Roma tomatoes, small piles of grape tomatoes, chunks of sweet corn on the cob, and zesty red onions. One of our volunteer caregivers also prepared Gatorade cups with orange slices to wash it all down.
When we carried this feast out to spread in the chimps’ enclosures, the Seven erupted. The chimps were so raucous with excitement that Diana and J.B. heard their hoots and screams from the other end of the property. Foxie, who is also a fan of tomatoes, screamed the loudest. Because our hands were full of vegetables and other treats, we didn’t take any photos of the chaotic moment. Fortunately, J.B. and Jamie recently posted this demonstration so that you can all imagine what a chorus of pant-hooting chimpanzees sounds like. Eventually, the craziness subsided enough for the chimps to gather around the windows as we distributed small caches of food in their outdoor enclosures.
Once the caregivers had secured the Hill and Greenhouse, we let the chimpanzees back out to begin foraging. Of course, Missy launched herself out onto the grassy hillside and immediately started gathering tomatoes. It was as if she knew the reason for the celebration, and she was clearly the guest of honor.
 
The other chimpanzees enjoyed their shares, too. Missy undoubtedly “won” the event, but nobody went without food.
Jody:
Foxie:
Annie:
Negra:
Burrito was more interested in playing, of course. This has been the norm for him this year. He eventually went outside and scrounged up some corn, but he made it clear that goofing around with a caregiver was the top priority.
At this point, you’re probably wondering where Jamie was. Did she hoard all of the corn? Well, she tried.
The magical aspect of widespread food is that it’s difficult to monopolize. In captive settings, resources are often provisioned in confined spaces that allow individuals with dominant personalities to, well, dominate. In ecological terms, this is known as contest competition and tends to reward those with brute strength and Machiavellian strategy.
Relatively large outdoor spaces (e.g. Young’s Hill) allow caregivers to distribute food over wider areas, which leads each group of chimpanzees to fission into smaller parties that then race each other to gather up the best available resources. This process, which more closely parallels the behavior of free-ranging chimpanzees, is an example of scramble competition. By facilitating this pattern of behavior, we can give subordinate chimpanzees a chance to get on the scoreboard. In such an environment, crafty and efficient chimpanzees can excel while those who usually rely on intimidation must fend for themselves. Today’s case in point was Missy, who proved herself to be the queen of the scramble.
Once the others had returned to the shade of the Greenhouse, Missy ventured out into the wilderness of Young’s Hill to continue searching. It was amazing to witness her scuttling across the wooden bridges and bushwhacking through the tall prairie grass. Her extraordinary effort reaped delicious rewards.
On the other side of the building, Honey B and her companions were treated to a similar feast. Honey B is, as you may know, Missy’s daughter. They have many differences, but Honey B was quite please by the tomatoes as well.
Willy B preferred the corn, and Mave was so engrossed with her lunch that we were unable to take any photos of her.
We usually avoid making assumptions about the chimpanzees’ experiences, but I feel confident that Missy made the most of her celebration.
Missy, I look forward to seeing you scarf down ten thousand more tomatoes.
Happy 45th, kid.
It warms my heart to see how happy all of these beautiful animals are, and how you are taking such great care of them.
Happy Birthday dear Missy, May you have many more happy years to come!
Much love,
C
Thanks, Caroline!
These photographs of the birthday girl and her friends are beautiful. I wish Dr. Missy a very happy and healthy new year of life. I agree with Annie: you are the coolest kid in the neighborhood.
Thanks! I’ll pass on your warm wishes to Missy!
Happy 45th Birthday Missy! What a celebration — tomato socks and a sliced tomato flag! Perhaps it is the lycopene that keep her so energized? It would be wonderful to have her motor. Impossible to imagine Missy’s existence prior to CSNW. All her energy and athleticism, how did she ever cope. Missy I too hope you scarf down ten thousand more tomatoes and may you never stop zooming! May your 45th year be your best year ever. Much love always. xoxoxo
Excellent post Anthony, as always. Totally cracked up when I hit your link for “the type of action hero who would walk away from an explosion without turning to look at it”. I also got a chuckle over Jamie’s alfalfa hairdo. = : )
As I was writing this, I tried to imagine Missy’s vigor contained in a tiny cage. It just doesn’t line up.
As for the linked video, I was trying to think of ways to describe how cool Missy is, and it seemed fitting.
Happy 45th Birthday Missy! I hope it was a hoot! I’ve got you beat sweetheart. Next Sunday I’ll be 46. If I have any tomatoes…I’ll definitely be thinking of you!!!
happy birthday, in advance!
Happy 46th, Sherry!!!
Happy Birthday Missy !
Hears to pant hoot’s and tomatoes for all 🙂
Thanks, CeeCee!
I’m rather jealous of Chad’s job (on top of many other jobs, I’m sure) as “enrichment coordinator.” In this case I translate that as “party planner” and this looks like one fantastic party. Perhaps we humans should have fewer parties where we line up at the buffet, and more where we scramble through 6 acres looking for our dinners. We’d appreciate that tomato so much more. What a fun day, thanks for sharing it with us!
when this is all over, host a day-long scavenger hunt party in your city or town, for groups of 3 or 4 people. Make ’em earn that cake!
That’s such a great idea for a fundraiser, I’m not sure the adults would be onboard but the kids would be all over it.
my (adult) friend did one in Chicago…a photo of all 3 membets 8nside of one bathroom stall at the public library, etc! (That one in particular was fun for mixed groups!). You could give them historical clues for their brain, that’s the spot with the next clue…
Awesome! We all need enrichment of that sort.
haha, like an Easter Egg hunt for adults? It sounds perfect. Thanks for following and supporting us, Betsy!
kind of, but city-wide! After a day’s activity, no one feels guilty about cake!
I echo Kathleen’s thoughts on Missy in confinement. Impossible to comprehend their experience before sanctuary.
On the subject of Burrito and his intensified desire for play I have many thoughts. I love Mr B. and his love of food. I could watch him eat for hours a day. His bliss as he munches his veggies is so heartwarming and endearing. I’ve always felt a little pang though, in thinking that his intensity with food may have come, at least in part, from the lack of interesting, delicious and nutritious food all those years in the lab and that he was making up for lost time and soothing himself with food. It gives me joy to know that this year things seems to have shifted and he is now sometimes prioritizing play over food! My sense is that this must signal a certain level of emotional healing. What are your thoughts on this? He also appears to have achieved a new level of energy/health, which seems to have coincided with his recent surgery. A sense of food security must also be a factor, which is wonderful and a testament to the incredible work and care you all put into providing for them. All that said though, I’m sure he’s still loving his food, when he takes a long enough break from playing to eat it.
Happy Birthday Dr. Missy! May there be many more tomatoes in your future!
Thanks, Marcia! I’m not saying that Burrito isn’t intelligent (because of course he is), but he’s had two simple pleasures for as long as I have known him: food and play. Asking to be tickled with a stalk of celery is a classic Burrito Move. He seems to be slightly more focused on play since the ordeal he went through, but that could have a variety of causes. Since there have been so many changes in the past year, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to tease apart the influence of each factor (medical castration, presence of neighbors, shifting social dynamics, larger staff, supplemented diet, etc.). I think our plan is just to appreciate Burrito’s vigor and keep him happy!
Anthony — You write that lately Burrito has been more interested in playing with caregivers than in food. He’s always been so food oriented (and play oriented as well, of course), is this a change for him? What do you attribute it to?
Hey Amy! I replied to Marcia’s comment above.
I wouldn’t say that Burrito has changed his personality or anything, but he seems to be a slightly more intense version of himself. The play sessions are more frequent, for sure, but I don’t think we’ll ever fully understand why.
Wonderful post about Missy. Thanks Anthony.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Beverly!
While that’s a sweet reason for a lack of interest in food, I know you guys have been trying to get more calories into Foxie and Burrito lately….how can you sneak more to them without the others noticing?
Glad my favorite sparkplug (I’ve always thought of her that way) got all she wanted on her day-tomatoes on the firehose highwire!
Great question, Linda! The easiest way to do this is to give them extra chow. We serve the little biscuits in paper bags. Nobody gets offended if Foxie and Burrito get an extra bag, as long as everyone else gets their bags around the same time.
lol, more protein for them gainz…! 🙂
Happy Birthday Missy!
Thanks, Jo!
Happy birthday Missy it looks and sounds like you made the most of your very special day. May the year ahead be filled with love, happiness and tomatoes, many many tomatoes!!!
Thanks, Arlene and Michael!