Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimpanzee sanctuary

High value item

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Last night we put kong toys out with a couple of almonds in each, and this morning I found one that the chimps had missed hidden inside a tire! So I put it in the food chute in the front rooms when no one was around, thinking someone would find a nice treat later. I assumed that chimp would be Jamie, because she is always aware of her surroundings and would quickly take note of its sudden presence. But, I guessed wrong! Jody found it first and knew how valuable it was so she carried it around with her for a large chunk of the day. She didn’t even set it down to take part in the Young’s Hill forage—she just took it along with her.

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Speaking of high value items, the Hoot! gala auction is coming up in just one week! Be sure to get your tickets now before they run out. You can even preview some of the auction items here to get an idea of what you’d like to bid on.

Happy Earth Day!

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One thing is for sure—the chimpanzees definitely don’t take their environment for granted. Here are some pictures that demonstrate how Missy is enjoying the spring weather these days!

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Fascinating Mouths

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Maybe it’s just me but I find chimpanzee mouths to be pretty captivating. Not only are they particularly expressive but they are also exceptionally useful. Chimpanzees have prehensile lips which Debbie described beautifully in this past blog post. That means that mouths are just as good, if not even better than, hands and fingers for tool use and object manipulation. In fact, it can be downright splendid to watch the chimpanzees use their lips with such precision and finesse whether it’s for exploration, grooming, play, or food related.

Here is Jamie using her mouth and teeth to help her get the trash can open:
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I found Annie’s mouth to be spectacularly expressive in this picture. Here she is the midst of a morning forage, searching for more fruit:
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Negra using her lips to carry as many orange peels as she can find:
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Here is Missy grooming herself by inspecting her own lip:
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Jody carrying off a bowl in her mouth while her hands are otherwise occupied with climbing:
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Foxie enjoying snow from a forage a while back. Maybe this helps to prevent brain freeze?
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And, here is Burrito, ever the charmer, with an invitation to play:
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Happy Easter!

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I will admit that we went a little over the top for today’s Easter party, but it just kind of happened. A couple of days ago we got a delivery of three (large!) boxes of Easter party supplies and favors from supporter Jayne R. It was everything we needed to throw the chimpanzees an amazing Easter party. And then this morning volunteer caregivers Stephanie and Patti showed up for their shift in the chimp house with their arms weighed down with piñatas, veggies, and other goodies. The chimps really do have the best friends, near and far.

We started the morning with a party in the greenhouse. The piñatas, as always, were a hit.

Annie:

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Missy:

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Jamie had to lie on her belly in the hammock to reach the piñata hanging underneath, but it was worth the effort:

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Negra loved the treat tubes and other enrichment that Jayne sent:

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Missy did, too:

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Burrito:

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Jody:

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Jamie:

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Foxie checked out the new goods:

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and found a new Dora the Explorer! Thanks, Jayne!

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Foxie took Dora for a stroll on Young’s Hill:

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Negra was more interested in the veggies we “planted” in the ground all over the hill:

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Jody harvested a carrot from the treat rock:

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and another:

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Her arms were so full that she had trouble managing her haul, and had to stop every few feet to regroup:

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But she worked it out:

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Thanks again to Jayne, Patti, and Steph. Happy Easter, everyone!

Whole apple forage

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Jamie really cleaned up in today’s breakfast forage. We put out whole apples and she was absolutely beside herself—carrying them around in hand and in foot. Thankfully the other chimps were able to get some as well—I posted photos of Annie, Burrito, and Missy on their Facebook pages. I saw Foxie and Jody with some too but couldn’t get a good photo. And Negra? Well, she was preoccupied with the peanuts that were scattered around. Not surprising at all 🙂

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Social Complexity In Action

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You may remember Diana’s post from last year about the interesting dynamic in the relationship between Jamie and Burrito. As it happens, Missy and Negra have a complicated relationship as well. When it comes to food, Negra is definitely more dominant and Missy will generally let her have whatever she wants, even if it is reluctantly. You might think that this dynamic would affect their friendship, but it doesn’t seem to, at least not in an obvious way. Missy doesn’t appear to hold a grudge against Negra for pulling rank and is just as happy to play with her as with her friend Annie when the opportunity arises.

It is interesting to note that a similar dynamic exists between Annie and Missy but in this case it is Annie that gives up her food at Missy’s request. So, I imagine it’s not just Missy and Negra or Jamie and Burrito that are complicated. Overall chimpanzee social relationships appear to develop much more complexity than a simple dominance hierarchy suggests.

Here is Negra taking one of Missy’s chow bags:
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And here they are enjoying a play session together:
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