Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

fear grimace

Lunchtime with George

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George, our newest chimpanzee resident, has been settling in quite nicely. Every day, he seems more comfortable and more trusting of us caregivers. He is still in quarantine, although we are hoping that will be over shortly.

George has experienced the outdoor chute a few times already. The first chute video we posted received a lot of comments about his facial expressions. Commonly confused as a smile, chimpanzees fear grimace when they are scared, nervous, anxious, or overstimulated. Unsurprisingly, George was fear grimacing when he explored the chute for the first time because it was a new environment. However, he also sat with a droopy lip shortly after, which told us he is relaxed and content. These are all normal behaviors of a chimpanzee, especially one that is now living at a new place for the first time in 11 years. George is doing exceptionally well! ☺️

If you’re interested to learn about more chimpanzee facial expressions, you can check out this blog of ours here.

George:

Trouble on the hill

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It is getting very cold here in Cle Elum, but the sun is out and there’s no snow on the ground so the chimps continue to go out on the hill every day. Today, Jamie led Missy, Annie, and Jody on a walk through the bamboo.

Later, Jody was alarmed by something in the upper corner of the enclosure. Here you can see a great example of a fear grimace – what many people mistake for a smile.

Annie stayed back, but Jody was determined to go in for a closer look. She kept looking back for some support, but she was on her own.

The chimps love being able to roam across two acres, but at times like this I think it can feel a long way from the safety of their original sanctuary home.

She got as far as the bamboo grove but didn’t seem to have to courage to go any further; at least not without backup.

So she went back to the platform to be with Annie.