I recently recorded some footage of Jamie and Negra throwing toys and blankets at each other during a fight, so I thought I’d put together a short video of the different ways the chimps here at the sanctuary throw objects.
Free-living chimpanzees throw objects too. They might throw a large rock or branch into the water, for example, to make a splash as part of their display. Depending on the community, they also throw objects at predator and prey animals, as well as other chimpanzees, like Jamie does in this video.
In captivity, we see a lot of throwing during aggressive or agonistic behavior, for one obvious reason: Captive chimps can’t always physically get to the ones they are directing their aggression towards. This is why we see rock-, dirt-, and feces-throwing directed toward humans outside of the enclosure, and occasionally toward chimpanzees in other enclosures. Spitting works too, but believe me, it does not have the same impact on the recipient as rocks and feces. It’s unfortunate that feces-throwing has become a standard punch line about captive chimps because it’s actually a very intelligent behavior. Disgusting, yes, but also very intelligent. If you are a chimpanzee in captivity, this is the most powerful weapon at your disposal. And Jamie knows that very well.
I am always amazed to hear stories about, and on rare occasions see in person, chimpanzees using objects to test out something dangerous, like Jody does in this video. In this case, it was something truly harmless (a plastic chimpanzee doll) but the chimps also do this sort of thing with real, live snakes. They might throw an object to provoke the thing they are scared of and see how it reacts from a safe distance, or they might do it to see how the object fares during the encounter. In Next of Kin, Roger Fouts recounts the story of a time when Washoe was wary of a new doormat. Instead of stepping on it herself, she threw her doll onto it from a distance and later carefully inspected her doll for damage.
christine sumner says
This was great. I love the hammer throw. Have you ever had them throw a fruit peel at you to let you know they want another piece?
J.B. says
Hey Christine – Jamie likes to push her peels back through the caging when she’s done to let us know she’s ready for more. So far she hasn’t thrown them at us so don’t give her any ideas.
Amy M says
Excellent post, as always, JB (I just wish it was longer! 🙂 ). How many of us would like to let loose when we’re angry, frustrated, etc.? Probably not the best way to keep friends, a job, etc., lol.
Doreen says
Thanks for the great Blog & the super footage. The Chimps have an amazing Society all their own. Fascinating!
Michelle Chambless says
What are some examples of what you humans have done “wrong” to initiate feces being thrown at you? 🙂
J.B. says
That’s a great question. Sometimes, Jamie will throw feces at visitors just because they are strangers in her home. For staff and volunteers, crimes may include the following: moving doors when she doesn’t want you to, serving food to someone other than her, paying attention to another chimp besides her, being a new volunteer, being a volunteer that got “promoted” to a new level, or just coming to work in the morning.
Jamie is the alpha in her group, but she is also one of the most insecure chimpanzees (or any ape, humans included) that I have known. She has a similar way of disciplining the other chimps, but with them it usually involves screaming and actual fighting. Jamie seems to always have the need to put other people in their place.
Most chimpanzees don’t throw feces, but those that do can really make life difficult for everyone around them. But, we are lucky to have amazing staff and volunteers that put their egos aside and let Jamie be Jamie. After 30 years in a cage, she deserves it. And we also do the best we can to work with Jamie, by recognizing her dominance and serving her first, for example. But when she does decide to initiate what we like to call a “code brown”, we just clean ourselves up and get back to work. Working with chimps is not always as glamorous as it might seem 🙂
Michelle Chambless says
Thanks J.B.
Sara Lissabet, Fairfax says
I’m sure I’ve never heard it described as glamorous…but rewarding…more than I can imagine I bet.
If the chimps only knew the sorrow their caregivers feel that other humans have mistreated them, I bet there would be fewer code browns. (I’ll have to remember that the next time my cat poops outside of the box. 🙂
rita stevenson says
Wow, Negra truly was upset with Jamie, I think the blankets were the closest thing for her to throw. Just by Jamies body language, it appeared to me, she was enjoying every second of it. Just when I thought Negra moved with just one speed,, Ive never seen Negra move that fast, scary,,
Linda (Southern California) says
Great post J.B. I always feel so “chimp educated” when you do this kind of post.
rita stevenson says
Whenever Jamie or another chimps is being very aggressive
or just plain naughty…
do staff ever ask Jamie or whomever,,to not do that??
or
do you all just let things be and not get involved.
and if so,,,
how do you deal with Jamie abusing the others,,?
It must be very difficult to watch them as things escalate to uncontrollable levels, and you cant defuse the situation.
I’m curious as to HOW you deal with it and how you process it, when they hurt each other,
J.B. says
When the chimps fight or act aggressively toward one another, we tend to stay out of it. For one thing, there’s not much that we can do once a fight starts. But more importantly, the chimps need to work things out on their own. Aggression is a normal part of chimpanzee behavior, and though we feel bad for the victims, we need to keep in mind that their society doesn’t always function the way that we’d like. Jamie can be ruthless at times, but our meddling would only make things worse for the other chimps.
We are mindful, however, of not needlessly creating the conditions for aggression. For example, when we serve meals, we usually offer food to Jamie first. And likewise, we usually serve Missy before we serve Annie. The reason we do this is because the dominant chimps might “punish” the subordinate chimps for acting out of turn, and we don’t want to put the subordinate chimps in that situation. We are also very careful not to offer reassurance to any of the chimps when they are fighting. This is because our actions might change the dynamics of the conflict (e.g., “The humans are on MY side, so I am going to go back out there and fight some more”).
When a fight results in wounding, we will intervene if it’s medically necessary, but thankfully most wounds heal on their own. Sometimes we administer antibiotics and analgesics. But otherwise, we continue to stay out of it. It’s really important that chimpanzees are allowed to reconcile after a conflict. Quite often, two chimps who were just moments ago engaged in a brutal fight will reconcile, and one of the worst things we could do as caregivers is to split up those two chimpanzees before they’ve had that chance. The caveat to this would be if the aggression was life-threatening, which can happen on rare occasions, usually during social introductions (two chimps that did not previously know each other).
It is difficult to watch the chimps harm each other, and to know that you are mostly powerless to stop it. I wouldn’t say that you totally get used to it, but you adapt.
Seewolfman says
In the last few years i have started to develop an interest for chimpanzees. Someone gave me the DVD “People from the forest” that really impressed me. One side of the chimpanzees attracts me, especially when they show compassion. On the other hand they have something in their character what a human would call “evil” . And although they are unable to understand this, because they are still animals, and you cannot blame them therefore, it is something that appalls me. For example these vicious sometimes unprovoked mauling attacks to humans and other chimps. And even if you have been nice to a chimpanzee all your life it still can happen. Throwing feces is only a mild expression of this aggression. I sometimes wonder why only chimpanzees are like that. I have rarely heard of other apes or monkees acting out that aggressive. I still do like them, but I am also afraid of their “dark” side… I admire your caregivers for calmly removing the “brownies” and accepting it. But I think trying to educate would not work anyway. Greetings from Germany,
Martin
J.B. says
Thanks, Martin, for your comment. We’re so glad that you have found an interest in chimps – especially these seven that are halfway around the world from you.
I agree with you that chimps have a darker side that can make us uncomfortable. However, I do think there is at least one other ape (homo sapiens) that shares these qualities.
One of the interesting things about chimps is that you are more likely to get hurt by a captive chimp than you are by a free-living chimp, even though there are almost limitless opportunities for free-living chimps to harm humans. Think of all the researchers that have spent decades following chimps through the forest without any means of protection. And think of all the people that live in close proximity to free-living chimps. And then look at the precautions we have to take in captive situations to keep from getting hurt. I can’t remember if I have mentioned this on the blog before, but there seem to be some similarities between the behavior of captive chimps and that of human prisoners, something that has been confirmed for me by people who have worked in both situations.
There is a British documentarian named Louis Theroux who once did an episode on San Quentin prison. He explored the surprisingly friendly relationship between a prisoner (who I believe was on death row) and a corrections officer. During the shoot one day, the prisoner threw a cup full of urine on the officer as he walked by. Louis asked the prisoner why he did that to someone he considered a friend, and the prisoner couldn’t explain it. Despite the admittedly vast differences between the two situations, it reminded me so much of the way that captive chimps will sometimes lash out at caregivers who they consider friends. Captivity, even in the best circumstances, creates an “us and them” dynamic between humans and chimps, and the chimps are always on the losing end of the deal.
Seewolfman says
Thanks for answering. I never thought about that aspect, but I think it shows that captive chimpanzees look at their situation more like a human would. They don`t have to worry about enemies, other hostile chimp groups, shortage of food, the elements, even diseases and are treated with love. But they obviously still miss their freedom although they may never have experienced it. My nearest zoo is in Nuernberg. Unfortunately they don`t have chimps anymore, so I kind of envy you a bit…
Greetings,
Martin