Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Enrichment

New iPad thanks to Apps for Apes! (and a plea for a chimp-proof case)

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(UPDATE: Thank you Jody! We’ve got our case on the way! If you want to still support the fun iPad project—we could use some iTunes giftcards for cool apps! You can send an e-card to [email protected])

A few weeks ago, Orangutan Outreach reached out to us after seeing my blog post about wanting an iPad for Jamie (and the other chimps, too!) They have this great program called “Apps for Apes” (featured on NBC news) which has mostly been used in zoos and with orangutans. The Center for Great Apes is involved in the program and they are a sanctuary for both chimps and orangutans, but we’re the first sanctuary to be involved with only chimps. I’m really excited to see what apps they want to interact with the most! Orangutan Outreach raises awareness about orangutan conservation while also providing great enrichment for captive orangutans. Their project falls perfectly in line with what we have going on with Eyes on Apes, our advocacy group.

Here’s me (so excited!) with the iPad. I set a photo from today’s earlier blog post of Jody as the background:

web caregiver debbie hold new ipad

And here volunteer Deb and myself show Jamie and Foxie the iPad.

web caregiver deb show jamie new ipad

web jamie look at ipad

web foxie jamie look at ipad

I can’t WAIT to be able to let the chimps touch the iPad themselves. First we need to have a durable case so we can safely have it against the fencing and the chimps won’t break it 🙂

J.B. has done a bit of research and this is what we’ve decided will be the best option: Life Jacket Waterproof Case. We’d like the case as well as the extra mounting bracket which is an additional cost. If someone would be willing to donate the case, the mounting bracket, (or both!) I would be forever thankful (and so would the chimps!)

Though we don’t know for sure exactly what will happen when they’re able to interact with it themselves, I imagine based on how enriching it is just to look at, that they’ll be very interested to touch it!

Negra hangin’ out at the cabin

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If you saw the blog the a couple weeks ago, we got pretty excited because Negra finally went into her cabin! Yesterday Jackie captured a short video of Negra sitting in her cabin. After hanging out in there for a while, she walked around it, stopped to look at Jody through the clear lexan panel, and then sat down next to it with a really sweet and content face.

web Negra sweet sit next to cabin arms crossed YH IMG_4596

Communication

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We often refer to one of the chimpanzees “asking” us for something – Jamie frequently asks us for a cowgirl boot, Foxie for a troll doll, etc.  Luckily for us, the absence of speech does not always impede communication.  The chimps have a wide array of behaviors they use to get our attention: foot stomps, head slaps, claps, raspberry sounds, and head nods, to name a few.  Jamie is a stomper, while Foxie and Missy usually employ a vigorous head nod when they want something. 

In this video, taken right after the chimps were given access to the freshly cleaned playroom, Foxie spies an unclaimed Brazil nut.  She’s hesitant to grab it since boss Jamie is sitting nearby, so she makes sure to “ask” Jamie’s permission first.

The greatest staff meeting ever

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Today at the end of our staff meeting, Jamie started stomping in the playroom loft. As we’ve figured out, this seems to mean “please put on one of my boots and chase me around the hill.” We thought it would be fun if we ALL played this game with her. As we all started walking out there, Jamie’s hair stood straight on end and she ran so fast out to meet us—she was so excited! It was a lot of fun, and probably the best staff meeting we’ve ever had. I think Jamie would agree.

Chimps’ Choice- “Once Again” Peanut Butter

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The Cle Elum Seven absolutely love peanut butter. We have traditionally purchased large containers of Adam’s Peanut Butter at Costco, however we are trying to steer clear of salt, especially with Burrito’s heart condition. So, we found a new (to me) brand that comes in 9lb tubs on Amazon called “Once Again”. I’ve added it to our wishlist. Even though we use peanut butter for all sorts of things, I think 9lbs will last us a pretty long time so we only need one tub for now but I thought I would make it a challenge for you! The first person to purchase it will receive a special package from me, which will include a photo of the chimp of your choice. Check out our wishlist (http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/ref=wish_list) and be sure to email me ([email protected]) to let me know your chimp preference!

Annie licking peanut butter out of a kong, one of the Cle Elum Seven’s favorite activities:
Annie

Jamie licking the peanut butter off of a celery stick:
Jamie

Missy using a tool to fish peanut butter out of the tubes in the treat rock:
Missy

Jody cleaning the last bit out of a plastic peanut butter jar:
Jody

The things we do

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Chimpanzees are weird. I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course. But there are days when this job borders on surreal.

web Jamie hold new boots from Becca Hines greenhouse GH IMG_0831

As many of you know, Jamie has a very strong personality and when she wants something she has no problem letting us know. Usually she just wants a pair of cowboy boots and we are happy to oblige. But for the last couple of months, Jamie’s demands were incessant and we could not figure out what she was asking for.

We tried all of the usual things…boots, a drink from the hose, a magazine to flip through, more boots…to no avail. We’d bring out entire bins full of enrichment and take each piece out one at a time looking for signs of interest, but our efforts only made her more frustrated. As caregivers, we felt like failures.

Somehow we stumbled upon the answer. And when I tell you what it was, you’ll see why we had so much trouble figuring it out.

She wants us to wear cowboy boots.

And walk with her.

All the way around Young’s Hill.

Two to three times.

And when we get back, she wants us to give her the boots off our feet.

The primate behavior textbooks we read in school did not prepare us for this.

Chimpanzees are incredibly intelligent and they have strong individual preferences. Add to this mix a childhood in the unnatural environment of the lab, circus, or human home and you end up in a strange place. All chimpanzee caregivers will tell you of a chimpanzee they know with an odd predilection – the chimp that demands that the TV be turned on when Oprah comes on at 3pm or the chimp that will only drink a specific brand of tea. Chimps that like Halloween masks or particular types of hats or Sponge Bob Square Pants pillows.

When you think about it, this strangeness is a window into a complex, creative mind that is caught between two worlds. Biologically, they’re all chimpanzee, but mentally and culturally, they’re not quite chimpanzee and not quite human. We do what we can to bring the “chimpanzeeness” out of them, but at the same time we can’t deny their histories. So we dance for Negra. And we run around with troll dolls in our pockets for Foxie. And now, we run laps around the enclosure in the ugliest boots you have ever seen.

Don’t judge me:

web jb caregiver wearing boots wanda trotta donation for jamie IMG_2335

Off we go:

web Jamie on boot walk YH IMG_0916

You would assume that Jamie has fun doing this, but there’s no smiling or laughing. It’s all business:

web Jamie boot walk YH top IMG_0923

Once and a while she glances over at us or, more specifically, the boots:

web Jamie boot walk bamboo background IMG_0933

Once we get back, the boot is given back to its rightful owner and the game is finished…for a little while, at least:

web Jamie new boot PR IMG_2355