When we are learning how to identify each chimp, we pay attention to the little details: a pronounced brow ridge, how their hair falls on their head, any missing digits or abnormal features (such as half of an ear), their skin texture, the color of their hair on the back, and so on.
At CSNW, we also have objects that are paired with an individual, such as Foxie with dolls, Cy with magazines, and Jamie with cowboy boots and her Lucy bonobo book. However, we are taught during initial training, to never rely on these objects to identify a chimpanzee. For example, if you can see a chimpanzee holding a doll, but they are laying down and you can’t see any other features about them, we are not allowed to assume the unidentified chimpanzee is Foxie. Not only is this extremely important for safety purposes, but it’s also just not always factually correct to assume it’s Foxie.
Many of Jamie’s group members hold dolls. Of course, not anywhere close to the same frequency as Foxie does, but it still reminds us that we cannot rely on the objects.
Foxie with a doll:
Negra with a doll:
Jamie with a doll:
Burrito with a doll:
Annie with a doll:
Missy with a doll:
Another example of this is Cy and magazines. Cy spends a lot of time reading magazines and you can often find him doing so. However, he is not the only one who reads magazines, so we should never use a magazine as a way to identify him from others.
Cy reading a magazine:
Rayne reading a magazine:
Jamie with a magazine:
Burrito with a magazine:
Honey B with a magazine:
Another identifier could be nest location, since many of the chimps nest in the same locations daily. However, we have learned this is also something we should not rely on. It’s important to always see their face or enough of their body, to positively identify each chimpanzee.
For example:
Negra always nests in the SE corner of Playroom 1.
However, sometimes another freckly face steals her nest…
We’ve been posting about “Fake Negra” for many years. Check out one blog from 2017 here.
Here is Fake Neggie (a.k.a Missy) next to the Real Neggie:
When you can only see the freckles peeking out of the blanket and it’s in Negra’s nesting spot, it can be quite confusing.
Missy:
Missy, still Fake Neggie:
The real Neggie:
Another identifier could be the FLOOF.
Mave and Terry commonly get confused by new volunteers because of their amount of floofiness. They both always look like they got a fresh blow out. It’s impressive.
Many people comment about how large Terry is, which he is, but both Cy and Willy B are bigger than him. He looks bigger than he is because of the floof.
Terry:
His hair is adorable in this photo:
Don’t confuse the floof! Terry’s half sister, Mave:
Mave (L) and Terry (R):
