I think many followers often wonder how we identify the chimps. It’s a fair question. Once you know them you will feel silly for ever having a hard time telling them apart. We obviously look at physical features, behavior, and even body language. For instance, when Foxie goes out onto Young’s Hill, even when she is far away I can see it’s her by the way she walks. She is quite stomp-y. I can also identify her by her sexual swelling that we describe as a bow tie at the end, her white beard, her tiny figure, the intensity in her eyes, and a very sassy personality. We can not go off of things like areas they commonly nest or if a particular chimp is holding a doll because we have fake Neggie’s among us and from time to time Jody carries a doll around. But for you viewers you only get photos and videos which can be hard. So I thought in this blog I would help you all identify a new member of ours, Rayne!
Rayne has kind and curious eyes, when you look into them you feel a sense of calm.
Rayne has a longer face and slender body. Rayne also has a white beard. She seems to have bigger ears than the others in her group and has a pronounced brow-ridge. Rayne also has a lack of freckles. Rayne’s forehead is also a little ashy, which we hope to be able to help with :).
Rayne also looks like Tatu. For those who do not know Tatu, she lives at the Fauna Foundation in Quebec Canada. Rayne and Tatu are also sisters! I worked with Tatu for many years and I see a lot of Tatu in Rayne.
Rayne’s sister Tatu knows sign language. Tatu is very articulate when she signs. Rayne’s long fingers remind me of Tatu’s.
I hope this helps everyone identify Rayne a little better!
Honey B’s long face and Jamie’s inquisitive eyes and brow ridge.
I’ve already forgotten who’s related to whom.
I can usually identify the 7, even when you show them on a forage. Now I’ve to learn the other 10
Hi Linda, Yes, I too have got the seven identified pretty well, and Mave is just so pretty that I can pick her out. The new six will take a bit longer to get, I think, but it will be fun trying.
And I keep watching yesterday’s video.
Someone (Chad?) said, “so are we shipping Dora and ___?” Are we shipping Dora and, I assume, Willy?
I remember when Tatu and Loulis first moved to the Fauna Foundation. The caregivers were just learning American sign language and Tatu signed that they were stupid because, in her estimation, they signed too slowly lol.
That’s hilarious. I live in Toronto and am dying to get to Fauna but my plans are foiled time after time. Soon, I hope. Famous last words…
You said Rayne’s head is ashy and you hope to help her. What does the ashiness indicate? Thanks
keep them coming…………….thanks..
Well Kelsi I learned something new today…You mentioned Tatu & Fauna Foundation. So I’ve just discovered it’s in my neck of the woods. I live in la belle province (small caps;)). I’ve been following you all @ CSNW, falling in love with the Chimpanzee beings. Now I must find out whether there’s even the slightest chance of visiting Tatu et co.. Once covid allows.
So besides loving your blog as usual, I thank you for opening my eyes.???
Wendy, Fauna does allow visitors but like CSNW you cannot go in the chimp house. I’ve yet to get there myself (it’s a long drive) but possibly you can see them in the open outdoor chutes and platforms… But I don’t know. They also do garden and birding tours of their large property, technically an island (I think?) and have various farm animals wandering around. My issue was finding somewhere nearby to stay overnight but maybe you are close enough for a day trip. Diana also worked there and I expect many other caregivers present or past.
Thank you Kelsi. I look at the blogs on my phone a lot and it’s more difficult to discern one chimp from another. I decided to take a look on my computer tonight and get a good look at Rayne. I was surprised to hear that she is Tatu’s sister.
Well Kelsi I learned something new today…You mentioned Tatu & Fauna Foundation. So I’ve just discovered it’s in my neck of the woods. I live in la belle province (small caps;)). I’ve been following you all @ CSNW, falling in love with all the Chimpanzee beings. Now I must find out whether there’s even the slightest chance of visiting Tatu et co.. Once covid allows.
So besides loving your blog as usual, I thank you for opening my eyes.???
I wonder if Tatu passed along any signs to her sister? I am so looking
forward to learning more about Rayne, and what interests and activities she enjoys. Saat the very least. she strikes me as curious, intelligent and self-assured. These photographs are beguiling…without the context of today’s blog posting, I could have easily
mistaken Rayne for Honey B.
I’m curious, when you said you hope to help Rayne’s ashy forehead, how will you be doing that? Is it something diet can fix? Thanks
Wow, really cool blog today, thank you Kelsi. 🙂
I checked out the Fauna site and she really does look like Tatu, you can really see they are sisters. I have always been fascinated by the chimps that sign, and of course it makes me wonder what they all are thinking about. And then wondering about how anyone could have ever justified taking them from their home and families for any reason.
Thank you for taking such good care of them all.
What a good idea, Kelsi! Yes, it’s a bit difficult at the moment to identify them sometimes.
Maybe a police line up with numbers and a height chart might help!! They’re all so beautiful in their own ways and it’s great to get to know the new ones….I feel like I’ve know the seven for ever! Did I miss a blog with their ages/birthdays in? I assume that they’re much younger than the others?
No, their bio pages are on the website now
Oh wow, I’ve been following Tatu’s story for years through the Fauna blog, and I didn’t know that she and Rayne were siblings! It’s more than a little sad that they couldn’t form the bonds they would have formed in the wild, but also incredible that people care so much about them to document their lineage, and preserve their heritage.
Excellent. Things you pointed out would not have been observed by me. Was this ever done for the original seven? If so, could you send me a link. I’ve been a daily viewer but still have no idea who is who. I feel really stupid but except for Foxy who seems very much smaller than the others, I have no idea who is who. Also which was the chimp of the new group who was standing so tall at the foot of the steps having a major display a few days ago when you opened the doors to the new area. HE (I’m assuming it was a HE) looked really frightening. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that dude.
I think you’re thinking of Qilly B and Mave?
Otherwise, Cy was displaying with the barrel
Rayne has a soft, kind face. Or she does in these photos looking at you Kelsi. I’m guessing she likes you. 😉
When you first mentioned she was related to Tatu I could see it. Tatu is such a cute chimp lady. When I think of Tatu I always simultaneously think “black”, her favorite color and maybe her favorite word.
After reading your post it struck me how unusual their family ties are. If it were not for the horrible reality that chimps were culled for biomedical research testing and therefore forced into breeding programs to fill the need to have many test subjects, sibling relationships like Rayne and Tatu wouldn’t exist. It is horrifying to read how many times females were forced to breed only to have their newly born baby taken from them. Using different males, maybe different labs, these chimpanzees were shuffled about like cargo. And yet, at the end of the day, as unnatural as it all was, we know siblings like Rayne and her famous sister, dear Tatu. And Missy and Honey B, mother and daughter! And we see the familial. It’s bittersweet. Their pasts were (to quote Tatu) black, but thanks to a few compassionate, insightful, daring, people (mostly women I believe) we have a sanctuary system. Making your punny headline “Rayne Rayne don’t go away” a reality because sanctuary is permanent. Rayne is home.
Thanks Kelsi for giving us these useful tips on how to recognize this new friend in the crowd of six. I think it will take me some time to be able to recognize who’s who but learning is such fun.
OK it was me. 😀
I need help distinguishing one from another. When JB mentioned sometimes being stumped for blog ideas, I decided to make the suggestion of lineups, to help me/us be better at identifying. Some are easy. Burrito, Negra, Mave, Willy B with his deep cheek indentions. For me anyway. But I’m stumped with the rest of them. Unfortunately, (sorry!) but this way isn’t going to help me. Any way we can do lineups? Side by sides? Like maybe a lineup of all the really dark ones. Maybe a lineup of all the ones with freckles. Or just three at a time if there’s too many of one type to do side by sides. That kind of thing so that we can compare them side-by-side. Backsides too! since we often see them walking away from us/The camera. Other ideas anyone?
So,the 7…
Neggie, Burrito, Missy and Jamie have freckles. You know Mr B and Neggie.
Missy is short, er, condensed, with what seems to be no neck, and a bit of grey near the bottom of her back. Usually galloping.
Jamie’s backside protrudes, as does one of the new ones (L’il Dora?), and she’s a bit bald on top. She also keeps a VERY straight back.
Foxie, Jo, Annie don’t have freckles. Foxie’s backside swelling is what they’ve called “the bowtie”, and she tends to hunch when she walks, besides having those tufts of hair on her shoulders.
Annie is usually bipedal in the grass, has “bedhead”, long slender hands, sort of a squarish look to her head sometimes. The quintessential chimp face.
Jo has a really long face, big ears, soulful eyes, and her swelling hangs out, not protruding quite like Jamie’s, but out there.