In the chimp world, when you are the boss, it means you can get away with a lot– well, everything. As the leader of the Cle Elum Seven, Jamie lets her feelings be known. When she doesn’t like something someone did, or the way they did it, it can lead to a fight (or a screaming match, which seems to be more common these days). So, to succeed as a member of the group, you must learn how to be a good politician, which first and foremost means how to be submissive to the (wo)man. As the least dominant member of the group, Annie is excellent at this. She is constantly referencing the other members of the group to make sure everyone is okay with whatever it is she is doing. Foxie is somewhere in the middle of the dominance hierarchy but tends to get away with a lot. She is the peacekeeper of the group and has a very close friendship with Jamie, but she still has to tread lightly, none the less.
chimpanzee
Party for Love a Chimpanzee Day
We put the emphasis on delicious fresh food for Love a Chimpanzee Day 2011, brought to the chimps by Monica, who sponsored a day and sent some extra cash and goodies for us to throw a party. (Find out how you can sponsor a day by visiting our donate page or contacting us).
Here is the forage before spreading it out (and a few non-food treats for the chimps):
Here’s Negra traveling with a perfectly ripe avocado – a favorite among all of the chimpanzees:
Here’s Foxie picking peas out of the “garden” that volunteer Connie created in the sandbox
Negra even opened a present!
Annie seemed fond of this new doll:
Foxie did not seem fond of the same doll, though she did seem to enjoy taking it apart – it’s all part of the fun:
It was a beautiful sunny day in Cle Elum and all of the chimps really enjoyed the goodies today. Dinner ended with lots of nuts for Negra and figs. Little do they know they’ll be having another party tomorrow!
In memory of Treyson
Today’s sponsor-a-day is from Lisa Siegfried in memory of Treyson. Sponsoring a day is such a wonderful way to both remember someone and to celebrate the Cle Elum Seven at the same time. So, on behalf of comfy Negra (below) and the entire CSNW team, thanks so much, Lisa.
Hanging out with humans
Yesterday was an office day for me, but I stopped by the chimp house for a bit to take care of some things and to see the chimps. I noticed through the kitchen window into the chimp area that J.B. was playing with someone, which is certainly not an uncommon occurrence, but then I noticed who he was playing with- Annie! So, I quickly grabbed the camera and shot a short clip of it. She seems to really getting the hang of playing with her caregivers lately!
Laughing with Burrito
Signs of progress
Today, our excavator laid the driveway that will lead up to the gate on Young’s Hill, the chimps’ new 2-acre enclosure. Tomorrow, we’ll begin digging the 1,200 foot long trench along the primary fence line. Spring is finally here!
The chimps’ stuff
We leave out a lot of toys, blankets and other stuff for the chimps each day, and they pick what they want out of it. It’s interesting to me that there are such individual variations in what the chimps’ choose to hold on to for the day, or sometimes just a moment. I often think of the years and years before they came to the sanctuary when they had nothing.
Here’s Annie staking claim to a couple of clean blankets:
and enjoying her spoils:
Jody with a new piece of enrichment – woven and coiled jute from new Canadian friends:
Burrito usually chooses things he can put in his mouth:
and here’s Negra lying in her nest of blankets – Jody’s not the only chimpanzee who does the yoga “happy baby” pose:
