Today’s blog is all about magazines.
This may seem like an odd topic, but please bear with me. There’s a cute chimp video at the end. I promise.
As one would expect, a quick dive into the various Wikipedia pages for the term “magazine” is quite enlightening. The modern English version of the word derives from medieval predecessors like magasin (French), magazzino (Italian) and makhazin (Arabic) all of which were generally used to refer to one or more warehouses or storehouses.
Essentially, a “magazine” is just a place to put stuff. Hypothetically, a pantry could be a magazine for food, a garage could be a magazine for vehicles, and CSNW could be a magazine for rescued cattle and chimpanzees. However, for some strange reason, humans in English-speaking cultures stopped using it for almost everything except firearms, artillery, ammunition, film cameras, and periodicals. Huh?
It wasn’t until the 1700s that the term was first used to describe a collection of printed articles published on a regular schedule and distributed for a fee. It’s easy to confuse magazines with journals, although the latter are usually peer-reviewed and typically feature some sort of academic content. Since the earliest versions appeared on street corners, these printed “magazines” have become a widespread cultural phenomenon. Current variations range in scope from celebrity gossip to international affairs. Although the era of print journalism has been cut short by social media, magazines are still ubiquitous in some corners of society; they can be found in dentist’s offices, airport bookshops, and even your grandparents’ coffee table (next to the bowl of hard candies and the cookie tin that actually contains knitting supplies).
Ironically, everyone seems to have collections of magazines but few people have a good place to store them.
Fortunately, we at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest make good use of donated magazines by giving them to the chimpanzees as enrichment. Usually, we smear peanut butter or mashed banana in between some of the pages, leading the chimps to flip through the periodicals in search of an unpredictable treat. Sometimes, they shred the magazines and use the scraps as nesting material. Eventually, they all get destroyed, but it’s nice to see them have a second purpose instead of immediately going in the trash.
It’s one thing to skim a magazine in search of peanut butter and another to genuinely peruse the imagery inside. Of all the sanctuary’s resident chimps, only Jamie has ever appeared to enjoy flipping through books and magazines for entertainment’s sake, so we don’t expect the others to follow suit.
However, we were intrigued when one of the new group’s former caregivers told us that adult male Cy loves to look at magazines. Shortly after they arrived and began settling in, we were able to give his group a whole stack of publications, ranging from sensationalist tabloids to issues of Popular Science and National Geographic. His response was overwhelmingly positive, to say the least. The embedded video shows his reaction, including some of the funniest little chirps I have ever heard from a chimpanzee. Cy was so excited that he kept gesturing to his caregivers to reassure him and even asked us to add more magazines to the pile.
Finally, at the end of the day, Cy threw some magazines in his nest and settled down for the evening.
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Note: We’re all stocked up on magazines at the moment (our magazine magazine is full), but we’ll let you all know if we have a need for more!
Uh-oh, no video! (But I just watched it on YT).
In French, it’s dept store, as well. Spanish went a different route.
His chirps sound almost like Burrito’s food grunts, but not quite.
Thanks for a look at Cy!
I’m glad you got to the video! I’m not sure why it didn’t work at first.. I embed the video before I officially post the blog, but maybe it needs a moment before it processes?
Would you like donated New Yorker Magazines? If so, where do I send them?
How absolutely sweet! For some reason I swoon over these 6 new chimps, and enjoy seeing anything I can about them. Like there were never any other chimps, right?
I feel the exact same way.
Exactly, Maureen!
I agree that the newbies are amazing, although I always have room in my heart for additional chimps. 🙂
I love Cy! ? Such a sweetheart and so precious the way he loves the magazines. I love seeing the chimps happy! Thank you for taking such wonderful care of them ?.
I love Cy, too! Taking care of him and his companions is our pleasure, Lynda. 🙂
Anthony — Jamie loves magazines featuring boots. Has Cy shown any preference? I think he’s reading a People magazine in the pics. 🙂
Ulp….Michael Jackson…
Cy seems to spend more time looking at pictures of humans, but it’s too soon to tell if he has any crushes, haha!
I too immediately thought of Burrito’s food squeaks! And I too just swoon over our new objects of affection. With a huge smile on my face. Before ever seeing Cy, I had this image of this big bad huge bigger than Willy alpha male. But he’s a big sweetheart! The magazine squeak just cracked me up. And to see how intently he looks at those pages. What is he thinking? My heart just swells seeing him so happy. Seemingly well-adjusted already. And yesterday hearing how they first hesitated with the corn, tried it, then got all excited about it. It’s all just so amazing! And happy! I can’t wait to get to know all the quirks of all the others. And to see them experience things they’ve never experienced before. I can’t wait for the Bray!
Anthony, this video made a lot of us so very happy! Thank you!
(When I was new here last year, and learned about Jamie‘s boot fetish, I contacted a boot manufacturer and put her name on the mailing list 🙂 So now I’m sure she receives a boot catalog in the name of Jamie Chimpanzee)
Oh my gosh, Paulette, that had occurred to me, but I didn’t dare to!
LOL. Yeah i’m such a daredevil!
I love picking up the boot catalogs addressed to Jamie from the post office, and she always appreciates them 🙂
Awesomesauce!
Thank you for everything, Paulette! Sharing a videos and stories like these is the least we can do. 🙂
I love how gently he turns the pages and seems to take each page as a new adventure ??
It’s a good approach to life, isn’t it? 😀
What adorable sounds Cy is making! And I love the idea of using your mouth as a page turner…
These new chimps seem really well adjusted and happy. I’m sure all the caregivers there had
something to do with that. You all are the best.
Chimps use their dexterous lips in many situations where humans would use their hands… just don’t expect the magazine to stay fresh and clean for very long, haha!
I just have to say again, Anthony you made us so happy tonight! Thank you for a glimpse of Cy.
Of course, PW!
Oh those chirpity chirps, Cy is adorable. I like his technique of turning the pages with his lips. So funny. I believe Jamie prefers to turn pages with her hands (right?). Cy seems so excited with all of his magazines he isn’t sure where to direct his focus. Thanks for supplying him with a library full of good reads!
If I remember correctly, Jamie usually sits the magazines/books on the ground in front of her and turns the pages with her fingers. She’s pretty adaptable, though. Like Cy, she’s known to look at them while laying down, even tucking them into her nests.
Oooooohhhh!!! Those little chirping noises of enjoyment Cy makes while turning the pages! Just melts my heart. I adore watching Jamie turn pages, too, but the new mouth-turner has a good idea. I wonder if either of them is thinking…”now how can I order some of this stuff?” when there’s a catalog of pics. Just so endearing. I was thinking earlier today — the daily blog and the chimps are all part of my own life’s enrichment! Thank you to all who make it possible for these chimp folks to have the lives they now have (oh, and the bovines, too, of course).
I hadn’t thought of it that way. But you’re exactly right. This is OUR enrichment! Goodness they have quite the job of enriching everyone’s life! And what a wonderful job they do. I wish I had known about this from the very beginning. It’s been less than a year for me and it’s the best part of my day. I may sponsor-a-day once in a while, but these chimps and blog do way more for me than anything I do for them.
“Once in a while”!? Lady, you are SO committed!
LOL Yeah I’ve been told at times that I should be committed. 😛
Not at all, dear, 2 different things!
I’m glad you find the blog “enriching!” Hopefully, the chimps feel the same way about their sanctuary home. 🙂
That video, and its star attraction, are simply adorable, chirps and breathy panting included. If the need arises, during the quarantine I acquired a good 15 months’ worth of editions of New Yorkers, Harper’s, and Atlantic, most of which I will be happy to donate to Cy and Co. I am not sure how Cy leans politically, but I could also send along an issue of the Nation or National Review as suits his intellectual palate.
I noticed that his preference is to look at articles about the funeral of Lady Di, Michael Jackson, and weddingphoto’s….
A little on the consevative side I’d say ???:)
Thanks for the offer, Tobin! We’re a bit short on storage space at the moment after accepting a few big magazine donations, but Kelsi and Chad (who monitor inventory and plan enrichment, respectively) will notify everyone when we need more!
On a related note, we’re not sure how the chimps would lean on the political spectrum. From what we’ve observed, it’s safe to say that their magazine preferences are relatively bipartisan. 😉
As I was watching this fabulous video I was thinking to myself “I wonder if he sees anything familiar or recognizes objects”…but then I remembered the hysteria when Jamie saw a snake in a magazine and started screaming. She eliminated that evil creature by ripping out the page. Now you tell me that chimps aren’t the most intelligent creatures.
Yes, the alphabet book from Xmas 2015! Amazing!
Good memory! 😀
Jamie knows how to handle snakes (or images of them, at least)! As for Cy, he seems to gravitate towards magazines that feature humans. We’ll let everyone know if he reacts aggressively to any celebrities. 🙂
Chirping seems to be the winner! Notes of enjoyment! I notice balding on the back of his head and some bloody spots. Does he have skin allergies?
Hey Zabby! Good question.
We’re not sure if he has any specific allergies, but Cy and the others in his group seem to have great skin and hair compared to many captive chimps. They also receive supplements in their diet and chow to give their skin a little extra support.
Minor wounds (like the one on Cy’s neck) are somewhat common in socially-housed chimpanzees, and these are often groomed heavily by their peers, resulting in patches of temporary hair loss. As caregivers of captive chimps, we see stuff like this quite frequently. They normally clear up on their own and we rarely need to apply treatment.
That reminds me I’ve been meaning to ask: are they trained for minor medical treatment?
OMG!!! I can’t believe I never knew this about him!!! I love this guy so much! Thank you for sharing! I Love those photos at the end!!!
😀
Well I hope you can tell, DeAnna, how much we love him too. Already. And so much more love to come!
I’m glad we could share this with you, then! We are already big fans of Cy and his personality! All of the individuals in the new group are amazing.
This is my 3rd attempt to send an e-mail about todays blog. Somehow won’t get sent. I love the concentration as each page is turned. I was wondering if he relates to what he is seeing but then I remembered how hysterical Jamie got one day a while back looking at a book and coming upon a snake. She sure as heck knew what she was seeing and ripped the page out of the book. How brilliant can an animal get? Loved todays pictures.
I had forgotten about that. Yes, they are brilliant! Animals are more aware than anyone gives them credit for. We are arrogant if we think otherwise.
Elaine, that has happened to many of us. You have to post the message, and if it doesn’t show immediately, either refresh, or log out and back in again. The logout is foolproof.
I’m glad you liked the blog, Elaine! I’m not sure what happened with the technology, but let us know if you have further issues!
I don’t know what’s going on inside Cy’s head, but I think it’s safe to say he recognizes human faces and figures. He seems to look at those more intensely. The other day, I found a picture of Jennifer Aniston in the spot where he had been nesting. 🙂
Did one of the caregivers accidentally switch a chimpanzee with their grandpa?
He just needs to play golf and listen to Jimmy Buffet! 😀
Awesome! Love him
We do as well, Nancy!
I find it very interesting that Cy seems to know which way the magazine goes…top side up. Is this usual for him and for chimpanzees?