Jody

First Impressions: Jody

August 11, 2015 by Anna

Last week I had every intention of doing a blog about Jody, but Jamie stole the show. Jody can be a tough chimpanzee to get to know. She will put up boundaries between her caregivers (especially new ones) that are easy to respect. She has the admiration of her chimpanzee family and is high ranking (although not as high as Jamie). Jody is a lover of large nests and will sometimes leave them in the doorways of the enclosures making it a challenge to close off. If you ask her nicely, she may oblige and move her blankets. On other days, she may stay posted in an area so there is no chance to clean it. Jody is also an amazing forager. She will go out on Young’s Hill and fill her mouth and hands so full of produce that her wrists bend into a shovel shape and her impressive lips are extended to capacity. She finds delicious things to eat on the hill, even when we haven’t specifically put out a forage. Whether it be bamboo branches, weeds, or grass, she will find it and enjoy it.

Today I took some photos of Jody as she lounged in the playroom. She had the beginnings of a nest built and a bamboo shoot ready to be snacked on. She also had a green-haired troll in her pelvic (hip) pocket.

Burrito was on standby as I photographed Jody. Keeping a watchful eye on her and making sure I didn’t step out of line.

Beautiful, tough, and respected, this is Jody chimpanzee.

Foraging for food and a doll

August 9, 2015 by Keri

While setting up a lunch forage on Young’s Hill, the chimpanzees’ 2 acre outdoor enclosure, volunteer caregiver Patti spotted an “abandoned” French Dora doll. After some deliberation, we decided to leave the doll on the hill and see who would rescue her. Hint: the answer is in the video below.

Burrito had a hard time deciding between which to grab more of, small bell peppers or primate chow.

Jamie and Annie shared time on the treat rock foraging for cherry tomatoes (straight out of the garden), eggplant pieces, peppers and primate chow.

Negra spent time in her cabin on the hill before making her way back to the Greenhouse.

Missy never misses a chance to climb the various structures in search of food.

Don’t worry, Foxie (who has an obsession with dora and troll dolls) had her own stash of dora dolls from her birthday party yesterday!

Today is in honor of Beate

August 9, 2015 by Katelyn

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Birgit Neher to honor her sister, Beate, “for all she does for the animals.” Beate, thank you so much for your rescue work with animals! We hope you have a beautiful day and may all the love and care you provide to so many special beings come back to you tenfold.

Birgit, thank you for thinking of the chimpanzees in honoring Beate today. What a lovely way to celebrate! We are so grateful to you both for making a difference in the lives of animals, and for extending your compassion to include the chimpanzees.

Jody enjoying a moment of summer solitude in the tall grass on Young’s Hill:

Positive Reinforcement Training

August 6, 2015 by Elizabeth

A few months ago, we began a positive reinforcement training (PRT) program with the chimpanzees. (Read JB’s thorough description in this blog post.) Our ultimate goal with this program is to give the chimps the opportunity to participate in their own medical care, and to make it a positive experience for them. By teaching them to present certain body parts for inspection, for example, we will be better able to check on and treat wounds.

We started by teaching the chimps to touch a “target.” A target can be just about any object – we use PVC pipes with colored tape on the end. When a chimp touches the target, the caregiver who’s working with them presses a clicker (click = “good job”) and then rewards the chimp with a small piece of fruit or other treat. Once a chimp has learned this “targeting” behavior, we move on to asking for different body parts. The routine is the same – when a chimp presents the body part we’ve asked for, they hear a click and get a treat.

When we started this program in April, we invited Gail Laule from Active Environments to spend several days at the sanctuary training the staff on these positive reinforcement techniques. This week, Gail has returned to check up on our progress. Here are some photos from today’s sessions.

Jamie presenting her shoulder to Diana:

Jody opening her mouth while working with me (Elizabeth):

Annie presenting her back (Anna and Negra are on the right):

Negra “targeting” with Anna:

Negra presenting her shoulder:

Participation in this program is totally optional. The great thing about PRT, though, is that the chimps want to participate. It’s a win-win. It’s enriching for them (and for their bellies!) and the cooperative behaviors they learn are going to improve their lives by allowing us to give them the best care possible.

Jody adopts a friend for the day

August 3, 2015 by Elizabeth

Jamie and Foxie are well known for their longtime obsessions with boots and troll dolls, respectively. But occasionally one of the other chimps will develop a fleeting infatuation with a particular piece of enrichment.

Today, Jody has not let this Dora the Explorer doll out of her sight. She was carrying it when I greeted her first thing this morning:

And she still had it when she came in from a lunch forage on Young’s Hill.

At one point, she accidentally left Dora in the front rooms when she went out to the greenhouse, and when she realized, she ran back inside to rescue her. This afternoon she settled down with Dora to watch the happenings on Young’s Hill.

Grab bag Tuesday

July 28, 2015 by Katelyn

The chimpanzees are ultra low-key today. They have all spent the day relaxing this warm summer day and most everyone has been tucked away in their nests or out exploring Young’s Hill. On these kind of days it can be tough work for the paparazzi to get any photos, so one has to loiter in the hopes of getting anything. But eventually a few of the ladies were willing to oblige.

Jody, enjoying a relaxing moment in the greenhouse.

Foxie was having fun running back and forth from the spigot to me with mouthfuls of water and getting pretty excited about me anticipating being spat upon (as is evidenced by her hair being pilo-erect). This is a favorite game of hers and though she didn’t spit any at me she does a pretty good job making you think she might. Which is, I’m sure, half the fun.

And the beautiful Missy.

Jody to the rescue

July 27, 2015 by Keri

In order to help Burrito’s recovery from his recent dental procedure, we have been giving him and all of the chimpanzees soft foods. So, today we roasted a variety of fruits and vegetables for all of their meals. And to take advantage of the cooler temperatures we’ve been having, we put out a forage on Young’s Hill for lunch. Let me just tell you, there has been a ton of food squeaking going on over these roasted treats!

As soon as we opened the door to give the chimps access to Young’s Hill at lunch, all seven of them quickly made their way outside, gathering everything they could find. I watched Jody gather roasted onions and beets and quickly put them in her mouth. She went after roasted carrots next and had her mouth completely full before making her way back to the Greenhouse with her treats. Then she stopped, paused for a minute and looked behind her, then turned around and went back up the hill a few steps. I thought maybe she spotted another tasty morsel, but no, she saw something else and quickly snatched it up and practically ran back to the Greenhouse. Can you guess what it was? Hint, take a look at the photos below.