The chimpanzees had their proverbial “Do Not Disturb” signs hung on every door today. And given that it was cold, foggy and pouring rain all day, who wouldn’t rather stay in their cozy nest all day?
Me: “Good morning, everyone! Would you like to come to the greenhouse for breakfast while we clean your home?”
All seven chimpanzees: “No, thank you!!” With additional commentary from Missy: “No way! FORGET it! I’m staying right where I am.”
Me: “Okay, we’ll check back with you later!”
Over on the other side:
Me: Good morning, Mave, Willy B and Honey B! Would you like have breakfast in the mezzanine while we clean your home?
Mave, Willy B, and Honey B: “Absolutely not! Do NOT even THINK about moving those doors!” Every time Willy B even SAW me he ran outside to the chute!
Me: “Okay, we’ll be back later.”
This commentary pretty much repeated itself throughout the day.
Every year about this time of changing weather and slightly changing routines, we go through a rough and tumble period. Literally. In response to the humans’ attempts to shift the chimpanzees out of each area so we can enter to clean, they are more inclined to follow their own routines. And with the changes often comes a bout of the chimpanzees exhibiting more tension with one another and getting into squabbles, some big, most small, all very loud and dramatic. Given the current state of the world, I suspect most of you could relate to having more time indoors, maybe with the same people you’re always stuck with, someone trying to change this or that and well, you can see where tensions might flare.
Of course, we humans are always happy to default to the chimpanzees’ wishes, after all, it’s their home and their comfort is always the priority. It’s also one of the many important ways the chimps can makes choices about how they want their day to go. And it probably serves as some kind of enrichment for the caregivers, helps to keep the ol’ neuroplasticity flexible and firing as we have to figure out these puzzles the chimpanzees occasionally provide for us. And personally, there’s an odd sense of satisfaction when you’re able to follow their lead and somehow manage to successfully complete everything you need to. But it’s funny to listen to us. It’s easy to get sucked into flailing about, thinking, “What on earth are the chimps doing?! How will we get everything we need to done?!” “What are we going to do??!” When in reality, it happens every year and is actually entirely normal. We just conveniently forget from year to year. So looks like it’s a good thing for us to shake up that gray matter.
While the humans waited patiently for room service requests, Foxie felt that though it was not a good time for cleaning, it was a great time for playing.
Foxie! I mean, honestly, look at her beautiful self!!:
Getting ready to launch herself at the photographer because she’s super sassy and it’s super fun (notice the toes rubbing together – Foxie speak for feeling very happy and content):
Foxie loves to pass us her dolls then lie on her back and flail around. She makes these adorable snorting noises and gets pretty excited when you make them back:
I could never express to you how much I cherish this joyful soul of a chimpanzee woman:
Meanwhile, on the other side, beautiful, beloved Honey B was busy preparing to make a huge fort nest and allowed me ONE photo before she needed to get started:
Thank you for the time and effort you put into these blog posts. They are so wonderful.
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Rebecca, thank you!
Ahhh…who can possibly resist a playface like Foxie’s? Forget your chores, it’s doll-passing time!
Looks like adjusting to colder weather affects us all in a similar fashion. I love the photo of Ms. Foxie in the corner where she’s looking, coyly, at you. And you totally express how much you cherish this joyful soul of a chimpanzee woman, it’s woven through your words and these images right to my heart. Little Foxie is adorably adorable. And then there’s the remarkable Honey B……
Foxie, light of your life…that’s a big ol’ Poppy troll….does she fit through the caging?
Sounds like breakfast shopping list for the week this time of year includes: 7 tomatoes, 7 pears, 7 bowls of peanuts, stuff for 7 smoothies, ….
Maybe offer warm tea with breakfast? To encourage old bones to get out of their warm beds? (Coffee for Honey B, of course…) There’re fruit teas, like raspberry. A friend sent me some imported (not organic), caffeine free raspberry tea, and though I’m not a huge fan of tea because of tannins and they usually don’t taste like much, the scent, the warmth, and the novelty might get them going.
Hi Linda,
Breakfast (and any meal) they’re interested in, it’s all about location, location, location in these instances and not wanting to leave certain areas or be temporarily closed off from others. Which is exactly their prerogative. Temperature, weather, mood, tension in the group, can all play varying factors, just as with us, haha. And if one person doesn’t want to leave an area, you can bet there are others aren’t going to allow them to be “left behind” so they have a great “pass the baton” routine of taking turns sitting in doorways to prevent us from closing them. That one always makes me smile. 🙂
A smile of of exasperation, I’ll bet. Is that big ole Poppy troll a, um, recent acquisition? 😉
Great blog as usual. The chimps certainly do have a mind of their own. Isn’t
it wonderful they can express themselves as they wish and enjoy their life at
CSNW. Thank you to all the care givers who let them be who they are.
Bonjour, I know the feeling. I always feel off for a couple a weeks when we change the clock in the fall. Also noticed when I was taking care of my mother who has dementia, it was harder in the fall because of the time change. It was darker earlier and her personality would change for the worse as the day progressed. For those who don’t know, people who suffer from with dementia and other similar diseases, their symptoms get worse when it starts getting darker. It’s called “sundowning”.
I wonder … do some chimps show signs of dementia? Take care and enjoy the day!
Hi Rachel,
I imagine we are all probably effected by light and weather to varying degrees as individuals, more than we may realize. It sure presents a variety of challenges for some. It must have been very difficult witnessing the struggles your mother experienced.
Good question about dementia in chimpanzees. While most aging animals (including human animals) develop cognitive changes, we aren’t aware of aging chimpanzees exhibiting symptoms of dementia. There was some research that came out a few years ago in which the brains of 20 older chimpanzees were found to have similar biological signs of the plaques and tangles of proteins found in the brains of humans who experience Alzheimer’s. While these biological signs were present in some, the researchers weren’t able to link these to the chimpanzees’ behavior later in life so it’s unknown if chimpanzees actually develop dementia, the third component of Alzheimer’s, or have some protective factor to it’s development.
This is just wonderful.. I am drawing a FOXIE.. and the more photos of that precious face the better, she’s so dang sweet!!!! Lovely post about the true nature of sanctuary!
Thank you, Thyra. 🙂 We can’t wait to see your work!