Early this morning began with a little snow, then an utter downpour, which has turned into a chilly, but sunny afternoon. Jamie, unphased by the chill in the air, has kept staff caregiver, Kelsi, busy walking all afternoon. In the meantime, the other chimps have been enjoying quiet moments with one another in sunny spots indoors.
Good friends, Burrito and Foxie, enjoying some grooming time in the greenhouse:
Annie (background) and best friend, Missy, enjoying one another’s company in the sun coming into the raceway which leads onto Young’s Hill:
Jody was also in the raceway, but decidedly NOT with a friend. When I walked up to the tunnel I saw her intently looking at something with concern while avoiding touching the ground:
The second Jody saw me coming she clung to the caging, eyes big, hair standing on end and asking me for reassurance before running inside. I thought it might be a snake and when I went to check it out I found, well, not quite a snake, but still…:
lisa says
curious: do the chimps have the luxury of doing whatever they want whenever they want to? are they able to go outside at night if they want to. it appears as though the “doors” are electronic and that you allow them inside and out. I am just curious, of course – AND – as always – am so very, very grateful for that you do for / with the “cle unem seven.”
Katelyn says
Hi Lisa, in many regards, yes, they do. We always want the chimps to feel they have as much choice as possible in their days. We do keep the same routine and schedule every day which is important particularly for former lab chimps/chimps in captivity so that they know what to anticipate and can make their choices based on that (and also important so that the humans can get through everything we need to do each day to clean their home and meet their needs). But their time beyond that is there own to do as they please. The chimps have access to Young’s Hill all day and though we close it at night before we leave, if anyone (usually Jamie) is interested in staying out, the door stays open and we stay until they are ready to come in (we staff rotate PM on call for such situations). However, we wouldn’t leave the door open at night unattended and by nature, chimps are not typically on the ground at night in the outdoors. While these guys will most likely never be comfortable sleeping outside, they surprise us every day and Jamie did her first walks around the hill in the pitch dark with us this autumn! https://chimpsnw.org/2017/10/crisp-days-and-spooky-nights-37802/
And yes, the doors are hydraulic and we do shift the chimps from area to area during the day so that we can clean, but if someone doesn’t want to shift then they don’t have to and we wait until they’re ready. π Thanks for your questions!
Chris says
OMG! Well, you know worms can be scary too! π
Michelle Chambless says
Do you think Burrito sees Foxie as more than a friend? Or is it clear that they are in the βfriend zone?β I know they donβt mate but often wondered about that. Thanks for all you do for them! ??
Tobin says
I think that they are just each other’s BFF. I mean, what better friends to spend a rainy day in the mountains with than Burrito and Foxie? Or Annie and Missy for that matter? (As for the worm, I don’t think Jody appreciates the company…where is that Early Bird when you need him?)
Katelyn says
They are such good friends, Tobin, and Foxie is always there for Burrito when he needs reassurance. Nevermind that she is half his size. π Jody, definitely did not appreciate the wormy company! π
Katelyn says
Hi Michelle, yes, Foxie and Burrito are really good friends and I think just a case of personalities getting along well. π Grooming is so important to chimps for their sense of well being, reassurance and building and maintaining bonds, it can be/appear quite intimate at times. On another note, something that is a little different with Foxie is that she has had a hysterectomy so as she no longer cycles, she no longer develops a sexual swelling which indicates peak fertility and is quite irresistable to male chimps. Jamie, Jody and Annie are the only girls in the group who are still cycling and Burrito follows them relentlessly when they are at full swell, though he does not attempt to mate with them, as you noted.
For anyone else reading this and wondering more about that, Burrito has received a vasectomy and we will always as proactive as possible in preventing any potential pregnancies. That said another sad loss of natural behavior for chimps in unnatural situations is that they don’t often exhibit normal social and sexual behavior. These chimps have also been together for a long time so it’s quite possible that they view each other as a family unit and therefore not viable mating partners.
Sharon says
how funny about the worm….but great they let you know something is wrong.. did the chimps know each other before they came to CleElum. were they all together in the labs?
Katelyn says
Hi Sharon, yes, the chimps did know each other and all arrived to the sanctuary together. They came from the Buckshire Corporation, a company in Pennsylvania that leases animals for biomedical research. At Buckshire, the chimpanzees lived for years in a series of cages in a windowless basement and toward the end had more contact with one another when the cages were connected to meet new space requirements for housing chimps. Throughout their lives, most of the chimpanzees were shuffled between various labs across the country to participate in hepatitis vaccination trials and/or breeding programs (to supply more chimps for future research), often residing alone in cages the size of bathroom stalls.
Kathleen says
Oh Jody, sigh. I am glad you were nearby Katelyn for a quick reassurance. After all, those worms are squiggly.
Pauline says
Just love to see them, they obviously love each other. you must be very proud of your care
elaine reininger says
Amazing that she knew you would protect her and deal with the matter, but I feel so soo so-ooo sorry for Kelsi having to walk all afternoon in the cold. No way to encourage a chimp to end the walk and get back into the warmth????
Katelyn says
Hi Elaine, honestly, I think we are all happy to get out there with her as we all know (as does she) that even colder days are on their way! And no, Jamie is a woman who knows what she wants and will not be swayed. π She does often come in to get warm in between walks though.