Today, staff will be under going training this afternoon. We are hoping to analyze and enhance our positive reinforcement training program since we are always trying to find ways to better ourselves as caregivers to provide the best care we can for the chimpanzees and cattle. Positive reinforcement training (PRT) is a cooperative health monitoring program which the chimpanzees present different body parts for caregivers to inspect and track. More recently, PRT has helped us with daily temperature checks with all the residents during times of a pandemic. With training scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for the next few weeks, it may be difficult for us to develop a blog, though we will try within the best of our abilities!
For today though, please enjoy these photos from Sunday of the grooming party Mave, Honey B, and Willy B had!
And a bonus photo of Jody during breakfast this morning.
I am working on a trial next week. Study is the name of the game…………………..
Please focus on your PRT classes during the scheduled times. I never tire of your blogs and will gladly review previous ones.
I agree you couldn’t have said it better I can do the same thing look at previous blogs cuz they do a wonderful job with the blogs and the photos.
Education and training is the key though.
I’ll be very interested at some point to learn what PRT you do with the cattle. And BTW, when is the llama arriving?
GO TEAM(S)!.. Humans re: PRT, Chimp people re: grooming session! thanks Chad.. and all
Thanks for this head’s up since there are so many of us “out here” who watch for postings with great glee and anticipation every day. However, PRT is so important a part of the chimps’ health AND you folks take such good care of US in sharing so much of your lives with the chimps and theirs with each other, we’ll survive with understanding and patience. Go click along…
Thanks Chad for sharing Sundays huddle. Who said three’s a crowd?! And thanks for the bonus photo of dear Jody with her orange.
Good luck putting your experienced heads together to improve your PRT. Chimpanzees and Bovines always come first. Always. Please don’t sweat the blog. You could post one single upside-down photo and we’d be happy. But please do not worry if blogs are skipped on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Nothing is more important than those in your care.
Totally agree!
I know the collective name for a group of chimpanzees is a troop, but this looks more like a ‘tangle’ of chimps to me. Lovely photos as always. If we miss a few blogs, we’ll appreciate you guys even more after your training.
Thanks for letting us know, so that we don’t worry! Good luck with training!
At this point, even Foxie and Neggie must be getting used to the PRT, losing their fear of being touched, etc
Keep us posted whenever you are able (it doesn’t have to be long)…I get nervous when a day goes by and I don’t see a new post on this blog.
Meanwhile, one year short of the one-year anniversary of the classic “Mave in the Middle” video (with the great ending to the narration, “Willy B eventually walked away and over to his food station and DEMANDED service.”), it is heartening to once again witness Mave in the middle of a grooming party.
Addendum to last post: Any news on whether Neggie saw her shadow when she emerged from her nest on this GroundChimp’s Day morning?
I bet she didn’t Tobin…..I suspect she stayed in bed aaallll day…….
Tobin, you are so funny! I think I have to side with Marianne. No way Neggie got out of her bed…..but then again, you never know. The Queen oftentimes adds an element of surprise.
Ah, but when Her Majesty does emerge from her nest…there is a short video, filmed on a smart phone, that is accessible only on YouTube from Jan. 2018 entitled “Good Morning, Neggie.” Whenever the human world is more appalling than usual, I will sometimes tune in to that video. It is 53 seconds of absolute cute!