In our house we have a weekly event known as the “Wednesday Weigh-In”, in which we pick up our pup, Benny, and stand with him on a scale in the kitchen. It began as part of an effort to put pounds on an underweight rescue dog and, after getting a bit carried away, now serves to help take off an extra pound or two. We all agree that putting weight on a dog was way more fun.
Keeping track of the chimps’ weights is every bit as important, if not more so, not just for overall health but also because with a moment’s notice we may have to administer medications that, for safety reasons, must be carefully dosed by weight. In the chimps’ case, however, weight must be measured remotely, because when it comes time for Cy to require anesthesia, I am not going to be the one standing on a scale with him in my arms.
We were a little behind on getting a scale installed in the new playrooms but it’s finally in and it has been officially tested for durability by Gordo and Dora and given a multi-point inspection by our resident mechanic, Rayne. Everyone but Lucky took part in yesterday’s Wednesday Weigh-In, and that’s because Lucky is the only chimp in her group that we currently have on a diet and the universe sometimes likes to play jokes on us. I’m sure she’ll get the hang of it soon enough, especially with a little positive reinforcement training.
In case you’re wondering, we record weight in kilograms because most medications are dosed in milligrams per kilogram (“migs per kig” if you want to talk like the cool kids).
I knew it! Gordo isn’t at all gordo! He must have been named by an Argentine!
So does this make Li’l Dora tinier than Tiny, JB?
Glad they’re all enjoying that “new thing”. With all of the knocking, I’d say QC Inspector Foxie has some new trainees!
Dora has a few pounds on Foxie but they’re in the same ballpark.
I found this really interesting. I had no idea what a full grown chimp would weigh, but I did think they would be heavier than just shown. Their hair must make them look heavier than they actually are. I wonder what the height of Dora is compared to Gordo, and do chimps have a BMI scale like we humans do? This brings up so many questions for me!!
But remember, that’s kilos. So Li’l Dora is actually 100 lbs, :blush: which is a pretty solid weight for someone who’s probably about 3-3.5 feet tall. Gordo is about 117. Muscle weighs a lot, and their arms are all muscle!
Hi Linda. Yes, I knew it was kilos, I am in Australia and we use kgs for all our measurement, I actually dont understand pounds!! Once upon a time I was 56kg, just like Gordo. Those were the days!!!
Thanks for these, JB, and for the ongoing efforts to get the chimps’ medical needs addressed whenever necessary. That displaying was very “colorful” and the curiosity they exhibited hopefully will contribute to the others exploring (and getting weighed) too. It’s always interesting to see the never-ending behind-the-scenes efforts that caring for these folks requires of all the staff.
oh. yeah I was gonna say they only weigh 40 to 60 pounds?? But yeah kilograms would make sense with those numbers.
Well they sure gave it quite the inspection didn’t they. I was holding my breath that they wouldn’t find a way to compromise it.
Gordo and Dora! Wow! That was quite the display!
I enjoyed Gordo’s “stress test” on the equipment…..
Not only was the universe playing a little joke on you by having everyone but Lucky sit willingly on the scale, now you need to entice her to do so with food. Something tells me she’s outsmarted you on this one.
I really enjoyed seeing the different ways everyone approached the scale. Such curiosity about what’s underneath!
Thanks for sharing video of this new contraption with us. It was wonderful. Good luck with Lucky. And Benny too.
That was some display, Gordo! I hope you’ve got plenty of spare parts because it looks as though they’ll be needed. Have you ever weighed the bovines….it would be interesting to see the difference between chunky Nutmeg and the dainty girls.
Eveyone gave it a thorough inspection! I agree with Kathleen, Lucky may have indeed outsmarted y’all!
And I’m now stuck with this visual in my head of JB bear-hugging Cy from behind, all the while trying to find his way to the scale :sweat_smile:?
this show CSI: NW. (Chimp Sanctuary Investigations: NW) — Two thumbs up. It’s so cool to see their curiosity in effect! tap it, jump on it, crawl under it, sniff it, yell at it. There’s all kind of places I could use this methodology.