Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

kiss

A kiss

by

This afternoon, Jody went outside to pick some raspberry bushes. On her way back, she passed by Missy and the two stopped for a kiss.

It’s not uncommon for chimpanzees to kiss like this. Sometimes these kisses resemble our own, with one chimpanzee’s lips pressed against the cheek, lips, or hand of another chimpanzee. Other times they more closely resemble a bite, but with the lips covering the teeth, and may be placed anywhere on the body. Kisses can serve as a greeting, a form or reassurance, or an act of submission. They can reduce tension in moments of conflict, and may serve as a request for permission to hold onto something valuable like food (as Jody may be doing in the photo above) or one’s place in a desirable location. At times they are rough and playful, accompanied by panting or laughter. At other times, they are gentle and loving.

Foxie greeting Burrito

Annie bite Missy browridge

My favorite photo of a kiss is still the one below. When Annie was frightened and screamed for reassurance, Missy leapt to her side and allowed Annie to give her a big open mouth kiss on the lips.

annie kiss missy

Today is dedicated to the chimps & those who love them!

by

Kery and Terran, who also sponsored yesterday, spread the love over to today too.

Here is there message for the first day of 2018:

Here’s to NEW and EXCITING things to come! All the best in 2018!!! Hoots to all of YOU! Kery & Terran

Hopefully, you’ve all seen our State of the Sanctuary video. Just in case you haven’t, it’s posted at the end of this blog post.

As you’ll learn in the video, together, we’ll be working on lots of new and exciting things to come.

We so appreciate the chimpanzees, who provide inspiration every day, and everyone who loves them, including Kery and Terran!

Jody and Jamie kiss

Jody kiss Missy

 

Family

by

Despite all they’ve been through,

web_jamie-arm-around-foxie-yh-img_0211-copy

or perhaps because of it,

web_jody_hug_jamie_arm_reach_walk_bipedal_yh_dm_img_1882-copy

these seven chimpanzees have become a family.

web_jamie-arm-around-jody-bamboo-hug-img_0247

After decades of isolation

web_jamie-arm-on-foxie-walking-together-yh-enrichment-in-mouth-eye-contact-with-camera-copy

and prolonged periods of fear and uncertainty,

web-burrito-hug-foxie-jamie-excitement-reassurance-behavior-yh-img_7052

they have found someone to love,

web_crop_negra_hug_foxie_conflict_reassurance_gh_dg_img_8827-copy-2

someone to trust,

web-crop-burrito-hug-foxie-2-img_3258-copy

someone to comfort them in times of need.

Burrito hugging Annie

If we see ourselves in them,

web_annie_groom_kiss_missy_face_gh_jb_img_3322

then perhaps it’s time we accept

web-crop-jody-missy-kiss-reassurance-pumpkin-eat-food-halloween-birthday-playroom-img_1261-copy

that they are our family, too.

web_missy annie open mouth kiss

Today is for mom Amy Simpson!

by

Today is Julia Simpson’s birthday, and she chose to sponsor a day of sanctuary in honor of her mother because Julia is grateful to have Amy for a mom. How incredibly sweet is that?

Maybe this sweet?

Negra kissing Jamie’s brow

Negra kiss Jamie

 

Foxie kissing a troll doll

web Foxie kiss new troll doll enrichment outdoor area IMG_3409

Happy birthday, Julia! Thanks for all you do for the chimpanzees, and thanks to Amy for being such a great mom!

Reassurance

by

To follow up on Elizabeth’s post yesterday, here’s a good example of Burrito’s other side – the testosterone-filled Tasmanian Devil side that leaves a path of destruction and screaming girls in its wake. This is the side we usually see when we arrive to work in the morning.

As you’ll see in the video, Annie was the victim of one of Burrito’s drive-by displays this morning. Being a chimpanzee is stressful, but they have some pretty good ways of dealing with that stress. Like hugs, for example.

One thing you might notice in the video is that Annie also seeks reassurance from me and I don’t offer it to her. As hard as it may be to resist in these instances, we make a conscious decision to avoid inserting ourselves into their social conflicts. If Annie was startled by a loud noise, we would gladly offer her a touch with the back of a wrist to help comfort her. But when she’s involved in a social conflict, we risk upsetting the delicate balance in the group if we inject ourselves, even if it’s just to offer reassurance. At these times, the chimps aren’t just looking for emotional support – they may also be looking for political allies or even backup for an ensuing retaliatory fight. So we try to limit our involvement to a polite acknowledgement in the hope that they will work things out amongst each other. And they usually do.

Besides, no one can comfort a chimpanzee better than another chimpanzee.

Conflict and Reconciliation

by

Last week, a squabble broke out during dinner. Since we’re always talking about how we never capture conflicts on video, I decided to sit quietly and record the whole thing on my phone.

I’m always amazed at how much is going on during a fight. Alliances are being forged, tested, and sometimes broken. Old grudges are being dug up and rehashed. Some subordinate chimps are engaged in proxy fights on behalf their superiors, others are playing mediator and trying not to harm the alliances they’ve worked so hard to build, and some, like Burrito, are doing all they can just to stay out of the way. And that’s just the fight – as soon as it’s over, it’s on to reconciliation phase.

It’s easy to miss all of these things amidst all the screaming, so what follows is my attempt at a play-by-play.