For chimpanzees, true happiness is found most often in moments of anticipation. I love watching them play as they wait in expectation of a good meal or an exciting treat.
friendship
The Fountain of Youth
…is the friendship between these two chimpanzees. Both in their ’40s and showing no signs of slowing down.
Family
Despite all they’ve been through,
or perhaps because of it,
these seven chimpanzees have become a family.
After decades of isolation
and prolonged periods of fear and uncertainty,
they have found someone to love,
someone to trust,
someone to comfort them in times of need.
If we see ourselves in them,
then perhaps it’s time we accept
that they are our family, too.
Friendship
Primatologist Robert Yerkes once said, “One chimpanzee is no chimpanzee.” Spend a single morning watching the Cle Elum Seven and you will know exactly what he meant.
JAMIE and friendship on the 5th Day of HOOT!
I had a realization not long ago. It occurred to me that Jamie is one of my best friends. We have mutual interests (shoes, being outdoors, eating grapes), we’re generally happy to see each other, we have routines that have developed over time, and I think we’ve established a mutual respect for one another over the years, which has been heightened by the two of us working on Positive Reinforcement Training this last year.
You may have gathered from previous posts, that Jamie is not exactly obvious best friend material… but that’s part of what makes our friendship all the more meaningful to me.
For this 5th day of HOOT! with just two days left before the big event, I share with you this photo of my friend Jamie:
I have another friend that I would like to acknowledge today. Pam Lehnert and her husband Marc Warner. I am indebted to them both for helping to make HOOT! 2016 not just your average event, but a beautiful and (literally) heart-filled one.
Pam has been an event volunteer since our very first gala in 2009 and there is no way I would be organizing this level of event without her help.
Pam and Marc not only gave their time and labor towards HOOT!, they also are Chimpanzee Champion Sponsors of the event!
A big thanks to them and to all volunteers who helped plan and will be working on Saturday!
Friends spending time grooming
Foxie and Burrito spend the better part of the afternoon grooming one another on the top platform of the Greenhouse today. These two chimpanzees are pretty close friends. But, just because they are friends does not mean they don’t fight. This morning, during one of Burrito’s displays, he chased a screaming Foxie as she ran from the playroom area of their indoor enclosure out to the Greenhouse. She got low to the ground and he ran right over her, slapping her along the way.
This is not unusual behavior for chimpanzees, but luckily grooming is a great way to make up after a fight.
Missy and Annie sat nearby, alternating between grooming and playing.
Trust
It takes a lot of trust for two chimpanzees to play together. Many play behaviors are variations on fighting behaviors – chasing, wrestling, stealing, slapping, hitting, etc. – and as play gets more aggressive, it’s easy to misunderstand your partner’s intentions. When the chimps first arrived at the sanctuary, Foxie and Annie would occasionally attempt to play, and it almost always ended up as a fight. They just didn’t have enough trust in one another.
Things sure have changed.
I wouldn’t say that Foxie and Annie are best friends now, but they certainly have come to understand each other more and they even engage in rough and tumble play from time to time without it erupting into a conflict. This morning, Foxie even allowed Annie to playfully steal (and dismember!) one of her Dora dolls. That’s when you know you are a member of Foxie’s inner circle.
