The chimps at CSNW have their own ways of greeting us when we are opening up the chimp house in the mornings. This morning, I hadn’t turned on the lights yet on Cy’s group side of the building when I noticed he had already spotted me and was impatiently waiting for me to play chase with him. Honey B then came forward for a gentle hello and a kiss on the hand. On the other side of the chimp house, Burrito was also waiting for a morning game of chase. He was ready to go, while Jamie preferred to calmly groom my new Xtratuf boots. Shout out to the amazing donor that purchased them for me!
On the video you’ll notice that I greet Cy’s group in Spanish. Spanish is my first language, and is also a familiar language to this group of nine chimpanzees. Right after I was hired at CSNW, and before the group of six made their way over from California, I was contacted by a CWU Primate Behavior program colleague. Emily is a former caregiver at Wildlife Waystation and she messaged me to say that the chimps coming over from California used to be cared for by Hispanic caregivers that would communicate with them in Spanish. While the extent of their language comprehension remains unknown, I can only hope that it brings the same feeling of familiarity and comfort that it gives me.
