If you, like Annie Chimpanzee, do not like the sight of snakes, beware that there are some photos of a snake in this blog post.
Today I was outside on the new side of the building while the door was open to the Courtyard. Willy B had been out once, but was back inside the building. Honey B was on the down slope of the chute, towards the door to the Courtyard.
This is actually significant. She has been avoiding that part of the chute, especially when the door to the Courtyard is open. Perhaps she’s making plans to eventually go outside. To acknowledge her progress, I went around to the other side of the chute to say hello.
While I was standing there, we both spotted a snake slithering by on the ground. The only kind of snakes we worry about around here are rattlesnakes, and I knew right away that’s not what this snake was. I just looked it up and it appears to be a yellow-bellied racer (thanks, Google).
Usually when chimpanzees see snakes of any kind, they emit loud alarm calls, but that’s not what Honey B did.
Instead, she whimpered and stuck her fingers through the caging, asking for reassurance. So, I gave her the back of my gloved hand to touch, told her it was okay, and that, surprisingly, was that.
I was keeping my eye on the snake, mostly because I didn’t want Willy B to get startled if he decided to go back outside into the Courtyard. I’m not exactly sure what my plan was to keep him from seeing the snake… maybe if the snake started to head into the Courtyard I would have called for Kelsi or J.B. to bring out something enticing so Willy B was distracted.
Luckily, I didn’t have to enact my (lack of a) plan, because the snake stayed in place as Willy B ventured back into the Courtyard and went about his business of being stunningly handsome.
Snakes don’t normally bother me; I don’t know why. But I will admit that this snake made me a little uncomfortable today. Not frightened, more a feeling of social awkwardness.
Perhaps sensing that I was watching him/her, my gaze was returned, and the snake remained looking at me the entire time Willy B was in the Courtyard.
Awkward, right?!
Soon, it was time for lunch for Willy B, Honey B, and Mave, so they all went back into the building and I busied myself with other things. Rather, Jamie busied me with other things, specifically walking around the hill while she collected cattails:
as Missy watched from a perch up high:
Side note: we are still limiting Jody’s activity while her sutures heal, so her cattails were delivered to her in the front rooms:
About 20 minutes later, I heard some alarm calls coming from the direction of the greenhouse. I had a feeling I knew what this was about…
Sure enough, Kelsi reported that the snake had found its way into the greenhouse and the chimpanzees on that side of the building were not reacting in the surprisingly calm manner that Honey B had earlier.
Annie in particular REALLY DOES NOT LIKE SNAKES, and she was doing most of the alarm calling/screaming:
Fun fact: when the chimpanzees are screaming, Wilson, a pit bull / bull mastiff rescue who lives with me and J.B. on the property, howls. It is the only time he howls, but he does it reliably if he is within earshot of the chimps screaming. If they are merely pant hooting or food grunting, he lets that go.
Read the following as the sarcasm it was intended to be, and include the proper inflection for air quotes: If you are wondering why we allow a 100lb dog to sit on our picnic table, well I really don’t need your questions or opinions on “good” or “bad” dog behavior or whether establishing “rules” for dogs are important. Please, let me get back to the story.
So, I’m sitting outside listening to Annie seriously losing it and Wilson howling, and I’m picturing that poor snake, who really had no idea what she/he had in store for themselves today.
Some of the more brave chimpanzees (NOT ANNIE), will approach snakes and try to either throw them or whack them, or some combination of those moves. Foxie and Jamie are usually the two who take this upon themselves. Kelsi came back and reported that is exactly what happened and that the snake appeared to be dead because it was lying upside down and not moving.
The chimpanzees came to that same logical conclusion and left the snake to go do other things.
I went out to the greenhouse quite a bit later and saw the snake as Kelsi had described.
Then I watched as Missy approached it and poked it with something.
The snake was alive!
What ensued was predictable – another round of Annie screaming as Foxie, Jamie, and this time Burrito too, tried to dispatch the snake in whatever way they could.
I grabbed the snake tongs that we have for capturing rattlesnakes (we’ve only had to use them a handful of times in the last dozen years), and attempted to convince Jamie to coax the snake in the direction of the caging where I was waiting with the tongs. She looked at me quizzically and did not go along with this plan.
Kelsi attempted to pick up the snake with a piece of plastic tubing through the caging, but that too was not successful. Eventually, the snake got itself into a rather hidden place in the greenhouse and everyone calmed back down.
Jamie knew exactly where the snake was. I later saw her watching the spot where it had disappeared from a very safe vantage point at the top of the platform.
The day progressed, with Kelsi serving dinner to the chimpanzees in the greenhouse without any snake sightings or drama of any kind. After dinner, I was walking around the greenhouse to close the hill for the night, when I heard something in the underbrush.
Could it be?!
I closed Door Y and excitedly returned to where I had heard the rustling. I had to separate the plants to find him/her again, but there was no doubt this was my old steely gazed snake friend.
He/she slipped behind a railroad tie, wedged between that and the side of the building. It wasn’t easy, but I was finally able to lift him/her out and relocate the snake-with-nine-lives to the barn, where I hope he/she will make a nice home and not venture towards the chimp house again.
What a delightful, funny story!
Wow. This is one of my favourite blogs ever! Honey B has turned out to be an amazing lady chimp. Your description of what sounds like a particularly eventful day is so amusing. Glad to hear everyone was ok in the end, including the snake.
OMG Diana, that was a real Disney type of story! Complete with a happy ending for all , that poor snake 🙂
Great picture of your Sweet pup Wilson, I always love and encourage howling in dogs, much like screaming about snakes, I seem to find it so funny, but dogs take it very seriously, even puppies. I try not to let them see me laugh.
And I’m not laughing at Annie’s academy award dramatics either 🙂
Well that was a nail biter of a story. I am not a fan of snakes. Not quite as scared as Annie but nowhere near the need of reassurance of Honey B either. (I’m guessing Honey B has never seen a snake before?) I am definitely not as brave as you Diana! I couldn’t stand there and look at a snake staring up at me like that. Creepy! I was worried that Willy B would see the snake and that would be the end of his courtyard adventures. Whew. That was a close call.
I hope all the chimps manage to get a good nights sleep after that excitement. I somehow envision Annie (and maybe Jamie too) sleeping with one open just to be safe.
As far as Wilson goes, I think he’s simply gorgeous and I can’t stop laughing over his howling when the chimps scream. I think this proves he’s super intelligent, he knows the different meanings in their calls clearly understanding that the scream of alarm means the chimps need help. I bet Wilson would come to the rescue if he could. Now that’s a really “Good boy”!
I’m sure Annie is my soulmate!
Magic day
Thanks for sharing
What a great story, Diana! 😀 And a beautiful snake .. I’m glad he survived the ordeal and hope he’ll be content to take up residence in the safety of the barn!
Thank you, Sherry. I’m glad too. He will at least readily find food in the barn.
Diana, This was a delightful adventure story with a happy ending. That poor snake must really have a headache after being whacked about! Glad all is well with the chimps and the snake!
Thanks, Karen! I wonder if snakes get headaches – interesting question! 🙂
What a story!
In hot weather snakes are usually after water so is they a dish or pond of water near the barn? In Australia we have many dangerous snakes so here you have to be very careful if you see one. I love the way the chimps sound the alarm.
in search of water?….that explains some of the stories that I’ve heard!
You know, I thought of this after the fact. I should have brought him/her closer to the pond. Next time! I’m glad we only have one species of snake we have to look out for here. Thanks, Margaret.
There is No Such Thing as a non-terrifying snake – I’m with ya on that, Annie!!
And the recounting of the drama is absolutely priceless! Your blog entries always entertain, and I really look forward to laughing out loud at the posts!
Thank you, Sally!
I’ve never felt sorry for a snake before….how unlike Burrito to join the hunt!
How funny that Wilson does that! Maybe his own way of trying to be like Neggie, and pant hoot everyone into calming down?
Linda – I think Wilson has a strong empathy streak or just does not like witnessing conflict. If our cat is crying, he will wimpier, and if J.B. and I are talking animatedly, sometimes he gets concerned, though he doesn’t howl.
What a very entertaining story. I love how similar we are with the chimps in reacting to a snake, lol. I am curious if your dog interact with the chimps and what is the reactions from both sides.
Hi Vicky. Our current two dogs don’t interact with the chimpanzees. Annie, in addition to having a serious aversion to snakes, also does not appreciate most canines, particularly rambunctious ones like Wilson and our other dog Abbey, so we don’t bring the dogs near them. The chimpanzees can hear them, as the dogs can here the chimps, and can see them in their respective yards at a distance. Prior to these two dogs, we had a dog named Honey B (long story about that connection here: https://chimpsnw.org/2019/10/an-unlikely-story-about-honey-b/) who was not as rambunctious or loud, and we would walk her around the perimeter of the fence.
I loved your telling of this story Diana. I love that Honey B is expanding her world, however slowly. I’m excited for her and it is wonderful to see Willy B so at home and loving the outdoors. He is indeed an exceptionally beautiful guy.
The snake is cute and I’m glad he survived his encounter with brave Missy and Jamie.
Thank you, Marcia! I’m glad it was an “alls well that ends well” story too.
Oh pardon me.. and brave Mr B of course. Do you think he’s feeling better now than he was before the recent removal of his boy bits? Is it just my perception or does he seem to have more energy now than he did before, what with all the playing he’s been up to, as well as seemingly feeling up to conquering a snake? I seem to recall it being mentioned in one of the blogs that there had been an issue with those particular body parts, even before the unfortunate fight.
Burrito does seem to have more energy – mostly all directed at playing – lately. We did find out from lab tests that he had some issues with his bits. The official diagnosis was epididymitis and sperm granuloma.
Ah so he was probably in a fair bit of pain then! Well there you go, an unforeseen benefit of the failed integration. What other positives may still become clear in time? I always find this so interesting, that we have a tendency to look at difficult things in a negative light and often completely miss the gifts.
I’m with Annie?
Diana that was quite an entertaining story. I’m glad it had a happy ending for everyone. Wilson is a beautiful addition to your sanctuary. Another sweet face. Hope Jody is healing nicely and it was great to see her enjoying her cattails! Thank you all for all you do each and everyday.
Thank you, Arlene! Wilson has been with us for about six and a half years, I think. He’s been through quite a lot. Someday I’ll have to write a blog post just about him. He shares a lot of qualities with Burrito :). Abbey, our other dog currently, is also full of character. And I have an idea to sponsor a day for LouLou the office cat someday soon.
I can envision Burrito offering moral support and a kiss to Annie during her alarm call. Still, how does the sanctuary keep rattlesnakes out? We don’t have them in Minneapolis; instead, we have venomous human animals ever lurking about, creating far more malice.
hi Tobin,
Some kind of special fencing.
…I’ve never heard of it, but I am happy it exists!
He did, indeed! There was one point he was hugging Annie from behind in moral support. We have a “rattlesnake fence” that normally runs the entirety, though a few feet away from the permitter of the electric fence. You may have seen it in photos. It’s just 2.5 feet tall. Rattlesnakes apparently don’t do a lot of slithering up, so if they hit a barrier, they continue on their merry way.
Definitely watch out for those venomous humans!
Meanwhile, my dear Jody is in my thoughts and prayers.
Wilson is lovely! Thanks for sharing his pic .
He really is :). I’ll have to now think of a way to work our other dog, Abbey, into the blog.
Snakes, you gotta love them, especially those who know how to play possum LOL. I move them off the road all the time, and they don’t always appreciate this.
Funny story! I think I would be most like Annie when it comes to snakes!
I did not know you had a dog, and Wilson is awesome! (For the record, we only have cats — currently four of them — and they are “allowed” to sit/jump/walk/lie wherever they darn well please….I am sure if I had a dog the same protocol would be in place. My home is their home, so why should I prevent them from going somewhere they want to go !?)
But I do like snakes. Not in my house, mind you, but they are cool and important. So I am VERY happy it was a happy ending for the snake !!!
Yes! Actually, we have two dogs – Wilson and Abbey. Abbey is not one to howl, but she does enjoy barking at the wildlife, though is less concerned about the chimpanzees who are at a distance. We also have a cat, LouLou, who spends most of her time in the office – wherever she likes ;).
Agreed that snakes are cool and important!
Delightful story. I read it to my husband as he is not as big a fan.
The part about the snake tongs gave me a chill. Understand why the chimps howl. Thanks for my smile of the day.
Pat
next dog should be a foo foo dog. I’m sure Annie would love to see a chihuahua-Schnauser mix in action, going after snakes and mice!