Annie (with a mouthful of alfalfa) watching BFF Missy explore Young’s Hill:
Foxie:
Jamie admiring caregiver Debbie’s boots:
Jody:
Burrito grooming Foxie:
Missy in her element:
Negra in hers:
Cle Elum
New Boots for Jamie
Jamie got a new pair of boots today. She has a pretty consistent new-boot ritual that I love watching. After we give her the boots, she walks around and gathers blankets and other materials for a nest. She sets the boots aside momentarily while she gets her nest situated.
Once everything is in its place, she can devote the necessary time to inspecting the boots closely.
Foxie gazing at Dora
One thing that has become clear to me during my years of working with chimpanzees: there is often no answer to “why” questions, such as “why is Foxie so enamored with troll and Dora the Explorer dolls?” Or, similarly, “why does Jamie want her caregivers to put on cowboy boots and “join” her on her walks around Young’s Hill?”.
Maybe rarely having access to answers for “why” questions makes the chimpanzees endlessly fascinating. And maybe it also allows us to concentrate on the “what” and the “how” questions, like, “what can we do to enrich Jamie’s life today?” or “how can we make sure that Foxie always has a choice of dolls?”
Today, this was the doll Foxie picked:
The bite test:
The gaze test:
and this is Foxie looking at me holding Dora before the three of us started playing chase:
Why does Foxie like her caregivers to play chase while holding one of her dolls? I don’t know. But, as more time passes, the better I get at figuring out what makes her particularly giddy when we’re playing these games.
Is Burrito cute?
This afternoon, volunteer caregiver Sandra was hanging out with Jamie in the greenhouse when she called me over the radio to let me know Burrito was sunbathing, in case I wanted to come out and snap some photos for the blog. As usual, Burrito was unable to lie still for long once he sensed there was a human in the vicinity who might be enticed to play. See the end of this post for an adorable series of photos.
Speaking of the word “adorable,” we try to be careful with how we present the chimpanzees to people who follow the sanctuary. Much of what we share on this blog is happy and lighthearted. We love to share video of a great play session, or photos of the chimpanzees peacefully grooming one another or basking in the sunshine. And these are all things that chimps do. But chimps are also immensely powerful, intelligent, curious, willful, unpredictable, and at times, violent. We never want to give the impression that we view the chimpanzees as babies, or that we view them as harmless.
CSNW is run on a complex system of security protocols and safety rules that are based on the knowledge that chimpanzees are capable of doing great harm in the right (or wrong) circumstances. Volunteers are trained to treat the chimpanzees as equals; to offer them the same respect they offer fellow humans.
Respecting the chimps for who they are means being aware of and appreciating all aspects of their personalities. Jody may poke us one minute and offer us a kiss the next. Jamie may put on an intimidating dominance display, and then come over and gently groom our boots. Just like humans, chimpanzees are complex and multi-faceted.
So when I say that Burrito is adorable, I am not intending to take anything away from the strong, smart, sometimes aggressive adult male chimpanzee that he is. But in addition to those things, he is undeniably cute. I think there’s plenty of room in one person for all sorts of contradictions.
More of Annie’s bird noises
Debbie recently posted a short video clip of Annie’s bird noises, but we haven’t had much luck capturing this endearing Annie-ism on film for more than a few seconds here and there.
Annie typically makes her bird noises when she’s feeling content and relaxed, usually lying on her back like in this video from this afternoon:
To Each Her Own
Missy and Negra are good friends, but they are opposites in a lot of ways. Missy is petite and athletic; Negra is large and round. Missy is always on the move; Negra is usually napping under a blanket. Missy is social and outgoing; Negra likes her alone time.
Today after lunch Missy headed outside to Young’s Hill for some sprints (Jamie in the background):
and some time with best friend Annie:
At the same time, Negra took advantage of the warm, quiet playroom for an afternoon siesta:
It brings us so much joy to be able to give these chimps the space and freedom to make their own choices, do what they like, and be who they are.
The Big Kid
Despite Burrito’s 32 years of age, he acts like a kid more often than not (and brings out the kid in us).
