Recently, Netflix released a brand new show available for streaming called Chimp Empire. The documentary follows the lives of the Ngogo chimpanzee community in Uganda’s Kibale National Park. The Ngogo group has always piqued my interest. They were, and still are, the largest community of wild chimpanzees to ever be documented with more than 160 members. To give you an idea of how big that is, the average number of chimpanzees in a group is usually somewhere between 15 to 30. I would highly recommend anyone who can to watch it. The footage is some of the best footage I have seen come out of a research area. The only other time I saw footage this amazing was from the Disneynature movie Chimpanzee.
Usually when shows or movies like this come out, I usually watch them with a grain of salt. Usually programs as such over dramatize the stories or just plain make them up. For example, Disney’s Chimpanzee had amazing footage, however parts of the story that was told was somewhat stretched. By “somewhat” I mean “really” stretched. When I first began studying chimpanzees, the best piece of advice my professor gave me was to watch films like these and be amazed by the footage, but tune out the narration. With Chimp Empire, I took the same approach to watching it, however I will say the narration of the chimpanzee hierarchy and politics is pretty spot on.
Whenever I watch any show that has chimpanzees (or any primate really), I always feel a little bit awkward watching them. I work with chimpanzees, and prior to that, studied them. So why would I do anything in my personal life that is related to my professional life? It’s even a little more awkward if I watch them with anyone else because I am 100% that person who will point out the flaws/inaccuracies in these nature shows (and yes, I do cite my sources).
As I watch them though, I usually begin to justify my viewing because to me it is different. There many many similarities I see between the chimpanzees in the show and the ones I work with. There are, however, many many differences as well. To me, watching chimpanzees in the wild and watching them in captivity is like watching two completely different species. As I’m typing this, I’m starting to realize I don’t even know if I can describe it properly to make it make sense to a broader audience. I guess one of my theories is watching chimpanzees in the wild there a certain flow to how they interact with each other and how and why they do things. Most of this societal flow is learned at a very early age with the mother as an important role in shaping their offspring’s behavior. In contrast, chimpanzees in the sanctuary world never had that opportunity to learn from their mothers, or pass that knowledge down to their offspring. In a certain way, chimpanzees in a captive setting (not including AZA accredited zoos) are figuring things out as they go. This why introductions with chimpanzees who never met each other can be difficult; they have learned what the could from each other growing up with no “seasoned” individual to pass on their knowledge. It’s even more complicated when dealing with a chimpanzee that came from the entertainment world because they pretty much have zero social skills since most don’t even see another chimpanzee until the finally find a sanctuary home. And yes! It really is heartbreaking to think about in what they have missed not being born and raised in the wild.
So if you have the capability, I do recommend watching the footage from Ngogo in Chimp Empire. I give the footage 5 out of 5 Razzle Tazzle Terry Berries.
Speaking of Terry, today him and his group had a nice lunch forage in their greenhouses. We decided to spice up their lunch with the addition of one of their favorite food puzzles: grab bags! Usually, grab bags are filled with toys, scarves, socks, and a food puzzle of the caregivers choice. I tend to think the reason why grab bags are such a popular item because you never know what you’re going to get when you grab one. This time, we also included parts of their lunch. Being thrilled is one way of putting their reaction when their lunch was brought out to be set up.
Terry flipping through a magazine with peanut butter smeared between pages in the out door chute
Gordo going “all in” on his grab bag
He found a piece of pineapple at the bottom of his bag
Willy B looking around for what he is going to go for next
Mavis!
Cy found some walnuts and hazelnuts in one of the bags he grabbed
Beautiful Rayne!
Speaking of Rayne, she seemed to enjoy a cardboard bookcase we set up in the Mezzanine
Honey B!
Gordo taking it easy after lunch was over
Then there is this guy…
Burrito spent pretty much all day sitting at the window watching everyone who passed by in the outdoor chute. He even took his dinner to go!
Wow, they must be interesting if they tear Burrito away from you, Chad! (or you were wirking the other side of the house and he was looking for you! :laughing:)
Thanks for the rec! when I get a tv going, Ill be sure to watch it
I’ve seen footage of much larger groups, probably all captive, and I see many differences. Very active groups. They even look bigger! I love the picture of Rayne with the blue box. Very sweet.
I watched Chimp Empire and also found it fascinating. i read somewhere that the Ngogo Chimps split. Im not sure when this occured but they are so impressive. The ” rain dance ” by the up and coming Alpha Male was astonishing.
I have watched one and 1/2 episodes and will finish it tonight. I think it’s very good, with beautiful photography.
Rayne’s face in that blue box photo is so precious! And Gordo relaxing with his legs crossed is so funny. They’re all adorable and I can just imagine the excitement at getting grab bags. Burrito could write a book on tne comings and goings of CSNW ….he doesn’t miss a trick. How do you give them anything which won’t fit through the bars, making sure that everyone gets their share?
Thanks for the education on wild vs captive chimp behavior, wish the NW chimps had all been born and lived in the wild. Sweet Burrito watching the neighbors all day was a bit heartbreaking. But on a happier note, looks like the lunch grab bags were a success. Gordo’s getting to bottom of things seems like the best approach to ensuing nothing was missed.
“It is heartbreaking to think about what they have missed not being born and raised in the wild.”. Indeed. Much as I am fascinated to follow the lives of the well-cared residents of the CSNW, they were deprived of their native environment, and the life which they would have lived there:. Honey B would have learned so much in the care of her mother Missy.
As for the chimpanzees of Ngogo, may they thrive and imcrease in number…and may they be free of their predators:. human primates.
I am so happy to hear your review on Chimp Empire, thank you Chad! I’ve been reading about it and yesterday Fauna Foundation recommended it in their newsletter. I wanted to view it but was curious if it was produced with factual content or instead, would it be misleading in the narrative. I read one article where they had a photo of a chimpanzee making a fear grimace and the subhead was asking if the chimps ever appear cute. The story did not discuss cuteness or chimp “smiles” as implied by the photo, instead it discussed the often mentioned rain dance scene. But that photo seemed misleading and made me hesitate just enough to postpone my binge! By the way Chad, I would be thrilled to watch a documentary with you so I could ask questions and have you site scientific accuracy. I’d even supply the popcorn grab bags for snacking. So thanks for the review. Now, I am really looking forward to watching.
And thanks for your photos from the Chimp Sanctuary Empire. Todays Grab Bags appear to be a big hit….Gordo wearing said bag proves it. Looks like a Burrito move to me! Who needs to watch Chimp Empire when Burrito can look his favorite window and watch his own live show?! What a character.
I forgot to say, Chad–I think everyone does this with films connected to their work. I can’t help but notice that the actors playing Spaniards in “Pope’s Exorcist” were Central American the second they spoke. Or watching for that scene in “Havana” that was filmed across the street from my mother-in-law’s (you should have seen our faces when she called us one day and asked us who Robert Redford was–he’d been in the house for some cold water! 🙂 ). And a family member flew Harrier for the Corps–you can bet he and his family bought reserved tickets for “Maverick” the second it came out (verdict: premise was a mess, but mostly accurate except for Bob’s lack of cs and the guys calling Maverick “grandpa” as they tossed him from the bar. They would have tossed him, as you probably know, but still called him “sir”.) So it makes sense that you’d watch it, and with a keen eye.
thank you. ?
thank you :blush: