Each morning, after the playroom and front rooms have been cleaned, we clean all of the toys using dish soap and disinfectant. All of the toys are soaked in a tub of soapy water and then each toy is scrubbed, rinsed, and then disinfected. Jamie has watched her caregivers and friends engage in this process day after day for well over a year now. Today, I think she thought she would give it a try…
Foxie and Jody
Here are some pictures I took from the Halloween/Jamie’s Birthday Party. It was a pretty cold day, so most of the party was set up in the Playroom, but it was bright and sunny, which made for nicely lit pictures. The first two are of Foxie. The following pictures show Jody making a nest out of a tutu and various other enrichment. It looked so comfy, I had to take a picture of the finished product. Enjoy!
Smiling?
For me, going to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video to look for a movie is always an interesting experience. It never fails- I will see a movie with a chimp on the cover “smiling”. This facial expression that we, as humans, understand as a happy face is not a happy face for a chimpanzee. A “human smile” displayed by a chimpanzee is actually a “fear grimace” and is displayed when a chimp is afraid or excited. When a chimpanzee is used for entertainment purposes, they are trained to fear grimace for the camera. I thought, in this regard, I would post some pictures to demonstrate the difference between a fear grimace and a chimpanzee smile.
Below is an older picture of Jody displaying a fear grimace. If I had to guess, I would say she was afraid someone might steal her watermelon…
Here is a picture of Jody with a playface or a chimpanzee smile. THIS is a happy chimpanzee:
and a happy Foxie:
Fun with yarn
In many biomedical labs, chimps don’t get any enrichment (i.e. blankets, toys, etc.). It’s hard to imagine spending 30+ years without anything to pass the time, when something as simple as a ball of yarn can keep Burrito and Jamie busy for hours.
A new grooming medium…
I bet you thought the only use for a crayon was to color…
By the way, that sound you hear Jamie making is called Lip Smacking and is associated with grooming.
Hose play
A caregiver’s eye view…
Foxie and Jamie and the Giant Troll
In case you were wondering, yes, Foxie is still carrying and protecting her giant troll, whom we have since named “Doris”. Her bright pink hair may be missing, but a mother’s love will never fade…
Today Jamie decided it would be funny to playfully ‘steal’ Doris from Foxie, but she made sure Foxie knew it was all in fun. By the way, Jamie must have heard all the comments that she looked good in tutus yesterday!
