Today we celebrated spring with the chimpanzees by having a party filled with novel items and foods they love. One of these novel items was a cardboard cutout of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which we hoped Cy would enjoy as he is a fan of bald men (remember his love of Stanley Tucci?!). Well, there were mixed reviews. Today’s blog video is all about the ups and downs of “meeting” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson! We will share more about the rest of the party later, as there is simply too much good stuff to cover all in one day!
Lucky
Rehearsing for a Heist
I just happened to be watching the cameras when I spotted Lucky and Rayne running throughout the sanctuary. I was laughing out loud.
It’s so fun to be able to spy on these moments, thanks to the security cameras. Does Lucky know we are spying?
Valentine’s Day with Cy and Friends
Ellen said it best yesterday, “We celebrated our forever valentines”. Cy loved the mail box this caregivers made for him, full of his favorite thing, but especially his paper hearts of him and Stanley Tucci. Please enjoy this video of Cy, Terry, Willy B, Gordo, Honey B, Mave, Lucky, Rayne, and Dora enjoying all their special treats yesterday!
Quiet Bonds of Friendship
If you think of chimp friendships like high school cliques – some are obvious showstoppers, while others fly under the radar. Mave and Dora? They’re the best friends everyone knows about. Missy and Annie? They’re obviously BFFs who can’t get enough of each other. But there’s this quieter duo that’s my personal favorite to watch: Rayne and Lucky.
We don’t see them take part in exuberant play or spending copious amounts of time grooming each other but when it’s quiet and things are winding down you’ll find these two napping together during the day, exchanging unwanted food items between each other at meals and building nests side by side at night.
Sure, there’s a pecking order – Rayne pulls rank on Lucky now and then, just like Missy does with Annie. But what makes their bond so special is when they’re at their most vulnerable, when it’s time to let their guard down and sleep, they choose each other. And in the complex social world of chimps, that’s worth more than all the playtime in the world.
Check out the blog video here
I already shared these photos for Rayne’s birthday, but they are worth re-posting:
Rayne & Lucky foraging together
Lucky & Rayne napping together today while caregivers were cleaning their rooms:
Hammock Adventures
J.B. and Ryan, our part time grounds and maintenance employee, recently hung up a hammock for the chimpanzees of Cy’s group to try out! We wanted to gauge the interest of the chimpanzees in hammocks before purchasing more, as well as be sure the fabric hammocks were sturdy enough for our sometimes destructive friends in the group of 9. Thankfully, so far the hammock has withstood the chimpanzee test. Check out the video to see the new hammock in action!
New Puzzles, New Challenges
Today’s blog is all about enrichment! We are so grateful to the many supporters who helped make it possible for us to purchase new enrichment and craft new food puzzles thanks their generous support during our Comfort and Joy online auction. Some of the donated supplies are still waiting to be turned in to their final form, so stay tuned for a future blog to share more. Today’s video and blog will highlight the newly made giant holey lids courtesy of Tricia M. and new troughs thanks to Kathleen C.!
I love watching the chimps meet a new challenge, and find their own ways to accomplish the task at hand. Some puzzles require a demo by the humans, but most of the time we let the chimps try on their own first. As you’ll see in the video, Honey B has come up with a very different approach to the new troughs. Honey B’s method comes as no surprise, and she accesses the treats in record time!
Below is Lucky showing off her mostly clean trough! We put sugar free strawberry pudding in the bottom, and tossed some pomegranate arils on top which stuck to the pudding, requiring that she use the bamboo stick in her hand (or a different tool) to get the pudding and pomegranate. These troughs are the perfect depth, as the chimps cannot simply use their fingers to reach the bottom, which encourages the use of a tool and engages them with the puzzle for more time. Lucky was the first to master her method, which Willy B and Terry also utilized. Sometimes we put seeds, cereal, or other non-sticky food items in the troughs, which they can access by tipping the trough towards themselves (or using the Honey B method!).
Below is a newly made giant holey lid, ready for it’s first use by the chimpanzees! I cut several holes into the large (brand new) trash can lid, and bolted a frisbee to the middle of the lid. The frisbee can easily be rotated to cover the different holes, thus allowing one chimpanzee to control access to the other holes in the lid. Peanut butter has been smeared on the back of the lid, around each of the holes. I created this with the intention of using it as a social enrichment device with Cy’s group as they continue to undergo their reintroduction. If you’d like to learn more about social enrichment, see here! The below photo is what the puzzle looks like from the chimps’ point of view.
This photo show the back of the puzzle with smeared peanut butter, and is what the humans see after hanging up the puzzle for the chimpanzees.
Willy B was the first to try out the new puzzle today. He quickly figured out how to access the peanut butter, and moved the frisbee slightly. When a conflict started in the group which required Willy B’s attention, Rayne was quick to seize her opportunity and worked on the puzzle for quite a while. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the chimps get to experience this new food puzzle, and hope to see them move the frisbee more intentionally in the future! Thank you again to Tricia M. and Kathleen C. for your generous gifts to the chimpanzees!
Catching Up
The tinsel and lights are slowly coming down, and as the holiday magic fades into January’s quiet, life settles back into its familiar rhythm. In our little corner of the world, everyone’s finding their way back to their favorite routines – each in their own way.
Cy, our resident bookworm, has already disappeared behind a stack of magazines. You can almost see the contentment radiating from him as he catches up on the reading he was distracted from during the holiday hustle.
Meanwhile Honey B is doing what she does best – turning her favorite cubby into the coziest spot in town. She moves blankets and other crucial items around until it’s just right, she is an interior decorator with very specific ideas about comfort.
And then there’s Jamie, who hasn’t given up on her ongoing mission of collecting all the boots. Her dedication to claiming these prized possessions from their two-legged owner would make any master strategist proud.
