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The Wolf of Walnuts

January 17, 2021 by Anthony

Chimpanzees are experts at playing whatever hand nature deals for them.

In this weekend’s case, most of the chimps took advantage of the unusual warm weather by choosing to recreate outdoors. (If you’re wondering, Cle Elum’s average high temperature is 35F for January.) For the seven chimpanzees living on one side of the building, that meant another day of frequent romps around Young’s Hill with caregivers. Burrito, in particular, has been racing around the Hill with a new fervor lately.

Around mid-day, we closed the door separating Burrito’s group from the Hill and let the other three chimps have access to the Courtyard. Currently, Willy B is the only one of the three who ventures beyond the enclosed chute, initially doing so in pursuit of food. We don’t always scatter food out in the Courtyard now that he seems to go outside just for the sake of going outside, but I thought that an impromptu scavenger hunt might make the day a little more interesting for him. I tossed some raw, hard-shelled walnuts and tiny pieces of chewing gum over the fence before opening their door. Willy B immediately began his Courtyard ritual; he loped out onto the raised boardwalk, grabbed an easy walnut, and sat down to survey the landscape.

Surprisingly, Honey B was also extremely interested in the forage and eagerly scanned the Courtyard from the safety of the chute. This is a rare occurrence; both Honey B and Mave usually hang further back in the chute while Willy has the Courtyard to himself. Today, Honey B was almost certainly after the small tablets of sugar-free chewing gum, one of her favorite snacks. She eagerly collected the two pieces of gum that were closest to the doorway and grunted as she popped them into her mouth. Willy, on the other hand, was narrowly focused on the encapsulated legumes. Then, Honey B noticed a hidden walnut that Willy B had missed, just within reach. She slowly extended an arm out into the grassy Courtyard…

… but at that exact moment, Willy happened to turn towards the chute. He coincidentally saw Honey B reaching out from the chute and scolded her with a sharp sputter. Their relationship has been tested lately, so I was eager to see how the two strong-willed individuals would handle this conflict of interests. On Wednesday, Honey B furiously retaliated against Willy for stealing part of her breakfast and even won her food back. Such reversals are uncommon; subordinate chimps tend to respect the dominance hierarchy because compliance is both easier and safer than resisting. In general, maintaining stability is more important that whatever temporary reward is at stake.

As you can see in today’s photos, the two friends still have a few cuts from last week’s scrap but the normal dynamic seems to have returned. This afternoon, Honey B decided to not test Willy’s tolerance over a single walnut. Instead, she retreated, leaving Willy B the undisputed Walnut King.

While Willy was methodically gathering all the walnuts, the chewing gum was still available and unguarded. Honey B, who is still uncomfortable with the idea of leaving the chute, used the available tools to pull the gum closer and then scampered off with her due reward.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. CeeCee says

    January 17, 2021 at 4:57 pm

    Wow, What a soap opera going on !
    Loved these pictures, and the concentration on both of their faces.
    I swear that first picture of honey B could be Missy, she’s just the spittin’ image of her.

    • Anthony says

      January 19, 2021 at 12:30 pm

      I feel the same about Honey B and Missy!

  2. Linda C says

    January 17, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    I love the pink tongue of concentration…but, Anthony, he left the boardwalk and went into the grass! I didn’t realize this had become a regular thing!

    • Kathleen says

      January 18, 2021 at 10:26 am

      Take another peek, that’s not his tongue, it’s his luscious rosy lips. He’s too much!

    • Anthony says

      January 19, 2021 at 12:37 pm

      Ah, yes! Willy ventures away from the wooden structures but he still hurries back once he’s gathered up his food.

  3. Barbara H says

    January 17, 2021 at 6:39 pm

    It was so encouraging to read about Willy B being more adventurous and happy
    with the outdoors and independent. I have sponsored him for 2 years now and
    been his pal. I should look on his wish list to see what he likes. I know how nice
    it is in the winter when a nice sunny warm day appears. Obviously, they also
    pick up on that right away. I will wish a few more warmer days for the chimps.
    Thank you all for your care of the animals at CSNW.

    • Anthony says

      January 19, 2021 at 12:42 pm

      Thanks for loving Willy B, Barbara! His favorite things seem to be blankets, DVDs, slinkies, and large amounts of food!

  4. Kathleen says

    January 17, 2021 at 8:14 pm

    These photos are awesome. And it appears we may soon have a dilemma. If you keep tossing out sugar free gum, Honey B may very well venture out of her comfort zone in the chute and actually tippy toe onto the boardwalk with Willy B. If this happens will the two have to duke it out for the treats. : ) It would be exciting to see Honey B take that brave first step someday….

    I hope you can keep the peace among the Californians. Perhaps the excitement and curiosity over the new spaces had them a little ‘off balance’. Or perhaps Honey B has found some new courage.

    • Anthony says

      January 19, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      We can try to “keep the peace,” but ultimately the chimps decide when to address any grievances they have with each other. The important thing is that they have enough space, time and resources to resolve the conflicts quickly!

    • Linda C says

      January 20, 2021 at 8:54 pm

      If they fight over the walnuts, she’ll be safe, because she’ll have chonked a scooter to the bottom of the chute to beat him with! 😀

  5. Mary Garripoli says

    January 18, 2021 at 5:19 am

    Is chewing gum good for her to swallow?

    • Anthony says

      January 19, 2021 at 12:50 pm

      Good question, Mary! In general, swallowing gum is relatively harmless. There’s an urban legend that gum sticks in the digestive tract for years, but undigestible gum is almost always excreted out in feces with all the other food waste. Also, to avoid giving the chimps unnecessary calories and additives, we only use a specific brand of sugar-free gum and deal it out in small quantities.

  6. Stevie Gillis says

    January 18, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    After everything that’s been forced down their throats and into their bodies; standing in for us human primates-I doubt the couple of pieces of gum the chimps may eat and/or even swallow is 1/10,000 as bad for them as what we’ve asked of them. Asked isn’t the proper word, “oh yeah Honey B, btw-strap into your car seat. Today we play CRASH TEST DUMMY! ?????

    • Anthony says

      January 19, 2021 at 1:42 pm

      Thanks for advocating for the chimps, Stevie. Chimpanzees, as a species, have been through a lot, so it’s nice to spoil them sometimes. We’re still trying to keep them healthy so they can have a fulfilling retirement, so we do monitor the quality and quantity of food that they get. Otherwise, Honey B would aks for an entire barrel of chewing gum and then we’d have some concerns. 🙂

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