Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Burrito

Wish List item for today

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I’m madly and happily fulfilling orders from our online store today and we’re really close to being out of 10.5″ x 16″ padded envelopes. I’ll order more at the end of the day, but thought I’d mention it on the blog in case someone wanted to pick them up for us through our Amazon wishlist or elsewhere. They’re a pretty good deal through amazon since the shipping is free, but if anyone can find a better deal, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m always looking for good prices on shipping supplies.

It’s a wintry mix kind of day at the sanctuary. A good backdrop for sending out holiday gifts.

Speaking of which, I’m really in love with the Burrito lip balm. The scent / taste of pomegranate is pretty subtle and it’s a high-quality vegan lip balm made by EcoLips. Who wouldn’t want to carry Mr. B. around in their pocket? I’m sure a lot of folks would be happy to get one or two in their stocking or for a Chanukah gift, or perhaps incorporated into the ribbon on a package that contains other sanctuary merchandise!

Greetings

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Chimpanzee culture is very political. In order to rise to the top of the hierarchy, or to stay on the good side of those at the top, a chimpanzee must know who to rub elbows with (so to speak) and when, and to what degree.

One of the ways a subordinate chimpanzee can show respect to a more dominant chimpanzee is by offering an elaborate greeting. These greetings occur when the two individuals meet after being apart from each other for some time. Most greetings involve some sort of vocalization (a breathy pant or a pant grunt, as you’ll see in the video) on the part of the subordinate chimpanzee. Generally, the louder the vocalization, the more tense the subordinate chimp feels.

Many of the chimp-to-chimp greetings here at CSNW are directed toward Burrito. Although he is not the most dominant chimpanzee here — he doesn’t quite have the skills, probably because he lacked a proper male chimpanzee role model growing up — his displays are pretty effective at intimidating the girls, so they try their best to appease him whenever they can. You might notice in the video that Burrito often turns his back or squeezes his eyes shut when he’s bring greeted. As much as he tries to show the girls who’s boss, the truth is he’s pretty nervous in social situations. Failing to graciously receive the other chimps’ greetings is probably one of the things holding him back from the dominant status he seems to desire.

Burrito being playful

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I have pretty much the best job in the world. Thanks to stellar volunteers Jessica and Lynn, I was able to spend some time with Burrito this morning. He was in a particularly silly mood.

It’s easy to forget everything that he’s been through when he’s so playful. Chimpanzees have very good memories, but I think they are better at living in the moment than most humans. And Burrito is definitely better at remaining childlike.

In the comfort of your own home

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It may be sunny and beautiful right now, but this morning was very chilly and gray. It was definitely one of those mornings where all you want to do is curl up on the couch with your favorite blanket and watch a movie. So, it was no surprise when Missy decided to skip breakfast and stayed in her giant nest in the playroom. I certainly don’t blame her, but that meant cleaning the playroom was slightly delayed. Being behind in our routine did not stop the chimps from being adorably distracting. Jamie was looking quite bored, so I poured a little bit of (non-toxic) soapy water on the floor in one of the front rooms and gave her a couple of brushes. She cleaned a very large portion of the room and worked on it for nearly an hour (am I losing job security?). As if that wasn’t cute enough, Burrito spent some quality time with blankets today, which is something that we just don’t see from him very often.

The first blanket I saw him “cuddling” with is one that has a skull and crossbones on it 🙂

Then, Missy distracted him with a playful game of chase. He later returned to the same spot with a different blanket:

And then it got chilly, so he moved into the front rooms. I would say it was a very good morning to curl up with a blanket!