Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

J.B.

Unlikely Friends

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Testosterone is a funny thing. We tend to think of it as being responsible for the aggressive and antisocial behavior displayed by males, and in a way this is true. But it’s only part of the story. While testosterone appears to be central to status-seeking, it also correlates with prosocial behaviors such as generosity when such behaviors are appropriate for achieving or maintaining status. There’s more than one way to get ahead and testosterone doesn’t seem to care how you get there as long as you get there.

But testosterone never seemed to be on Burrito’s side. Not surprising, given that he never had the opportunity to learn prosocial behavior from either his mother or a community. He was raised by humans, forced to perform in a circus, and then locked alone in a cage for years. His first experience in a real social group likely came at age 23 when he was housed with six females in a series of four cages in a windowless basement. As a result, his attempts at dominance were marked by spasms of unprovoked aggression with few attempts to form alliances or coalitions. If they could, the girls would tell you he was hard to live with. They certainly told him often – by ganging up on him and putting him back in his place.

We can’t put the blame squarely on testosterone for Burrito’s struggles but we can now see what his life is like when not subjected to its constant demands. Because when Burrito suffered a serious injury to his scrotum last winter, he was surgically castrated. You’d have to squint pretty hard to see a silver lining in such an outcome, but there’s no doubt that his relationships with the other chimps are different now. He threatens and fights less. He plays more. A lot more. He plays all day long.

Would a change like this be as benign or even welcome if he lived in a different social group? If he lived with other males? Probably not. This is by no means an argument for castrating male chimps to control aggression (for so many reasons, but as mentioned above – testosterone does more than promote aggression). I’ve hesitated to even talk about it for fear of being misinterpreted (and, to be honest, for fear of getting too far out of my expertise, for I am not an endocrinologist). But we can all see the changes in him, and you probably have too.

For her part, Jamie has mellowed quite a bit too. Could it also be due to hormonal changes? After all, she’s on medroxyprogesterone to inhibit her estrus cycle in an effort to reduce discomfort associated with a perianal fistula. Who knows. We all change as we get older.

Whatever the cause, these two were never very close in the first 13 years they lived at the sanctuary and now there seems to be more space for them to form a relationship. It’s cute to watch Burrito work his charm on Jamie. She’s not one to let her guard down very often. But he can be very persuasive.

Grooming, planning, playing, napping

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While we cleaned the playroom this morning, the Seven spent some time bonding on the Greenhouse platform. The chimps probably came together up top because it was warmer up there, but they may have realized that if they wanted to groom as a group they’d better gather around the immovable lump that is Negra. She’s happy to be groomed as long as it doesn’t involve getting out of bed. It may look like Foxie was excluded but individuals often tag out for brief periods only to tag back in later.

After cleaning was finished, the staff got together to discuss plans for enrichment in the new playrooms and greenhouses.

We consulted Mave first. It’s her house, after all. She just said to make sure there were lots of socks.

The climbing structures are starting to take shape. You can see the platforms, which will soon be filled in with composite decking, and some of the various branches. Later we’ll add fire hose vines and hammocks.

The playroom is split down the middle (with a double cage wall up above and a human hallway below) to accommodate two groups during introductions or, if necessary, on a permanent basis, so each side gets its own tree as well as its own set of stairs (for us humans and our elderly chimp friends).

With the playrooms nearing completion we’re excited to turn our attention to the greenhouses, which we plan to complete by the end of April. We’re looking forward to seeing the Three swing throughout the new spaces.

Chimps are pretty rough on their toys so strict quality control is important.

Case in point: Burrito was upside down and sideways all day on the caging and structures while playing with his caregivers.

Even though we filled up a stock tank with snow in the greenhouse, Burrito asked that Diana fetch him a fresh snow ball or two from just outside the door. Snow apparently tastes better when it is freshly hand-rolled by the artisan snow ball makers on staff.

And while he ate them, he tickled Diana’s hands with his toes.

While Burrito and Diana played, Missy decided it was time to head into the playroom and make a nest, so she grabbed an armful of blankets and headed for the door. But first she had to grab herself a snow snack.

Scooter Chase

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Why run when you can scoot? All three of the Californians were keeping their caregivers busy after lunch today with games of chase, but only Honey B managed to play without ever getting off her butt.

This week, construction began on the first of two climbing structures in the new playrooms. These “trees” – made possible with funding from Trees for Tigers – will have nesting platforms, branches, and dozens of fire hose vines attached. Combined with the “monkey bar” ceiling, it will make all of the open space in the middle of the playrooms usable for the chimps. We’ll share more next week as they progress.

A Good Day

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Not to brag, but according to Negra I’m a pretty good tap dancer. And can you believe I’ve never had a single lesson? If I try to stop, she claps and stomps and demands encore after encore. It’s exhausting but who am I to withhold such a gift?

Jamie is a person of many moods. Most are some variation of anxious, bossy, stubborn, controlling, or the like. But sometimes you walk into the chimp house in the morning and there’s just a lightness to her face. Like she was able to put her worries away for a little while. There are other indicators, as well. Like when she’s wearing a loosely-tied scarf with the bow at a jaunty angle – that’s a dead giveaway. Or when she’s made a nest on the playroom floor with all of her favorite things – boots, books, food puzzles, and so on. This morning, she ran up to the kitchen window with a boot in her pelvic pocket and greeted me with a long series of pant grunts and low moans. This is rare. As I said to Anna and Kelsi, either something was terribly wrong or Jamie was in a fantastic mood. Thankfully, it was the latter.

Her care-free mood continued through breakfast, as Kelsi prepared her morning medication (Jamie is on oral contraceptives to reduce discomfort caused by her swelling).

I can’t believe it’s February. To be clear, I do not cheer for climate change, or for any of the odd weather patterns that are made more likely by the warming of our planet. But it’s hard for all of us running a chimp sanctuary in Washington to not pause and enjoy the mild winter we’re having now. Annie felt the same way this morning and took her breakfast outside.

The Californians continue their war on shifting. Willy B was excited to meet Kelsi and Mave upstairs for breakfast but Honey B wanted none of it. But then Anna had a great idea – With Willy B and Mave upstairs, what if we gave Honey B access to the courtyard by herself? We have tried similar things before, thinking that perhaps Willy B’s intimidating presence prevents the girls from going outside. But this time, we were also going to load the courtyard with Honey B’s favorite foods – chow, gum, lettuce, smoothie, a fruit cup, and green onions. It was a foolproof plan!

Alas, it was not enough to lure Honey B outside this time. But when he was finally given access later in the morning, Willy B was very appreciative of our efforts.

Walks with Jamie are very predictable. She has worn a well-defined path around the perimeter of Young’s Hill over the last ten years with nary a misplaced step. Missy, on the other hand, is all over the place. One minute she’s right behind us, the next minute she’s gone.

You lose her in the brush somewhere, and then she pops up just long enough to let you know that she’s running off again.

This afternoon, Jamie signaled that she’s like to go for a walk but then she grabbed her boot book. I was confused..did she want to take a walk or look at the book?

Both.

Upon returning to the greenhouse, Jamie purposefully grabbed a toy watering can. She was up to something. I followed her inside and found her at the fountain.

Doll Thief

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Jamie and Foxie had a pretty epic play session while we were cleaning the playroom this morning. A few things to note about this video:

  • Everyone was playing all morning – this is just a small slice of all the craziness.
  • I love how Jamie shows Foxie how to get this game started – “Here, I’ve got your doll and you’ve got to try to get it back!”
  • If you ever question whether chimpanzees are stronger than humans, try hanging from the ceiling for 10 minutes and let me know how that works out.
  • Jamie employed a new move in this play session, which I have dubbed “The Motorcycle”. See if you can spot it.
  • Jamie is 43 years old and seems to have unlimited energy. I am 43 years old and would like a nap. I don’t know how they do it.

Oh, and I’ve got some good news to share – we’d like to thank the Glide Foundation, and all of you who donated this past year, for helping us purchase our very own portable digital x-ray machine! As you may know, we have been fortunate to be able to borrow an x-ray unit as needed from a generous local veterinarian, Dr. Kellar, but with additional chimpanzees on the way we knew it was time to have one of our own. Not an easy decision when you are talking about something the price of a nice new car, but we consider it a necessary investment in the health of our growing family and we’re so grateful that you all made it possible. We’d also like to thank our friends at Project V.E.T.S. for sending along some gently used radiation protection equipment to keep our staff and consulting medical professionals safe!

Human Problems

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Earlier, Diana and I were discussing how serving meals to the Seven has changed over the years. It used to be that you would grab the first course – tomatoes, for example – and serve each chimp his or her portion until that course was done. Then you’d move on to the next course. It’s not that they never became impatient but there was at least a logical and orderly process. But the chimps have turned everything upside down. Missy now has to eat her tomatoes first. Negra, on the other hand, has to have her chow first. Meanwhile, Jamie is going to have her leeks first and that’s not a request that’s an order. It’s not just a simple matter of preference – if they don’t get their desired food first, it’s a full-on hunger strike. So now we’re just grabbing food from this bowl and that bowl amidst a frenzy of Bronx cheers and spit. Sometimes I feel like it’s my first day as a waiter in a busy restaurant. OK, Table 2 wants water with no ice, Table 6 wants a large salad but in two small bowls, Table 9 is still waiting for their entree, and wait…was it no ice or extra ice for Table 2??

I used to be able to write down exactly who ate what and how much, but now it’s all a blur. Today’s log:

Lunch:

Chimps ate food.

Perhaps it has less to do with the chimps and more to do with the natural affects of aging on the brain. But I swear, somehow the Californians are even pickier! The problem over there is that Willy B can be a bully at mealtimes and Honey B is the Slowest Eater On The Planet. The number one rule for lower-ranking chimps is to consume your food as fast as possible. But Honey B doesn’t play by anyone’s rules. And who are you calling low-ranking, anyway? By the time Willy B is done and starting to get antsy, she’s still sitting on a pile of food just licking a piece of fruit and staring into your eyes.

Of course, these fall into the category known by the chimps as “Human Problems”, which as you might guess, are of no concern to them. As it should be.