No matter how long you work at a sanctuary or how well you know the chimps, there are still moments that take your breath away. Jody, Foxie, Jamie, and Burrito spent decades living in isolation in barren laboratory cages. Today, they are free to patrol their territory as a family.
patrol
Another day, another adventure on the hill
It sounds strange to say, but I love it when the chimps are alarmed by something on Young’s Hill. I think they do too, in a way.
This afternoon, I went outside to see what the chimps were up to and I noticed that everyone but Negra was on the hill. Normally that wouldn’t be all that unusual, but it is very cold today and the chimps usually prefer to nap inside after lunch. Missy was pilo erect (her hair was standing on end indicating fear or excitement), and she was walking briskly back down from the top of the hill.
My guess is that Hank the Hawk was in the area. Sometimes you can’t see him but you can hear his screech echoing through the valley. I can imagine how that might put a chimpanzee on edge.
Jody was trying to keep up with Missy as she zipped back and forth across the hill.
Annie just sat there, staring into the distance.
Foxie didn’t seem to know what was going on, but she and Dora came out for backup just in case.
Burrito sat on a log just outside the greenhouse, watching all the other chimps.
After a few minutes, he retreated to the doorway, either to warm up or to keep a safe distance from whatever may have been lurking outside.
Jamie looked at me and gestured toward the building, which was her way of insisting that we grab some boots and set out on a patrol. As we headed back out, Missy took the lead.
When there’s trouble afoot, Missy likes to head to the top of the hill and stand bipedally to survey her enclosure and the rest of the valley.
I didn’t see or hear anything unusual on our patrol, and the chimps eventually seemed satisfied that everything was OK.
For now.
Safety in numbers
Hank the hawk continues to use the sanctuary as his hunting grounds. But while the chimps were once scared of him, some of them are starting to enjoy having him around, if only for the excitement that he provides.
This morning, Missy was sitting quietly on a climbing structure on Young’s Hill.
Foxie was nearby, with troll in hand.
Missy approached Foxie and reached out her hand, holding it under Foxie’s chin.
Then suddenly, she stood up, climbed down the ladder, and swung on the fire hose.
She leaped off the fire hose and into a full sprint toward the top corner of Young’s Hill, where the hawk had been perched just days before.
As soon as she reached the top, she turned and ran back to the climbing structure.
And swung on the fire hose again.
The other chimps took notice of Missy’s antics and started to move towards the top of the hill. Missy continued jumping, leaping, and tight rope walking while they gathered.
They began to congregate on the platform closest to the top of the hill.
They all looked around for any sign of the hawk.
Finally, Jody walked toward the corner to get a better look.
But Jody, it seems, does not share Missy’s sense of adventure. Not yet, at least.
For now, she’d rather play it safe.
Waiting for the boss
The chimps spent most of the morning inside due to the rain. When it finally let up, Missy ran straight for the far corner of the hill. Something was up.
Jody followed after her but seemed nervous about getting too close.
They both looked around for reassurance.
Annie was perched safely on the bridge, and showed no interest in putting herself in danger.
And Neither Foxie nor Burrito showed any willingness to come down from their platform to join the patrol.
Finally, Missy spotted Jamie at the bottom of the hill and asked for her help with an outstretched arm.
Jody’s hair was standing on end (also called “pilo erection”), showing her nervousness. She approached Missy for reassurance.
Neither seemed to have the courage to get any closer.
At one point, Missy got spooked and decided to bolt, leaving Jody all by herself.
Lucky for her, help was on the way.
With Jamie on the case, Missy decided to rejoin the group.
They headed toward the top corner of Young’s Hill.
As it turns out, the subject of their apprehension was a hawk that had been roosting on one of the fence posts. The chimps promptly scared it away.
Jamie is so cool in moments like these. While Missy ran around frantically and Jody looked on helplessly, Jamie calmly strutted her way up the hill, totally confident in her ability to protect her home from invaders. I guess there’s a reason why she’s the boss.
Adventures with Jamie
Jamie is never one to shy away from adventure. If you are one of Jamie’s Chimpanzee Pals, you received an email from Katelyn yesterday with an update on some of her summer antics. One notable antic is Jamie’s frequent decision during the summer to stay out on the hill post-dinner, past the time we usually close it up for the night.
All of the staff have been staying late here and there to join Jamie on her post-dinner walks until she decides it’s time to go to bed, which is usually long after the other chimpanzees have bedded (nested?) down for the night.
Because J.B. and I live on the property, we often relieve the other staff at a certain point and take over so they can go home. This is what happened a few days ago. Katelyn had stayed a little over an hour beyond her designated shift, and I came up to the chimp house to watch over things.
Jamie immediately wanted to go on a walk, with me wearing her latest favorite black cowboy boot.
Sometimes Jamie’s walks seem goal-oriented and efficient: patrol the fence line and return to the greenhouse; but her late evening walks tend to be more exploratory, and she meanders off the path of the fence. Such was her mood the other night.
She got to the top of the hill and decided to jump up on one of the log bridges:
And walk to the end of the log:
Then sit on the other end:
And look into the distance:
Do a little self-grooming:
And sit some more, contentedly (I love a content Jamie!):
Then, she was ready to continue the patrol around the hill. When we got to the South side of the building, we discovered two of the neighbor’s cattle close by:
Jamie went into “defend the property mode”:
Which worked quite well:
Then it was back to the chimp house, and on to the next adventure, like foraging for lunch today:
It’s still difficult to fathom that this adventuresome, headstrong, curious and extremely intelligent chimpanzee lived for so long the way she did in her previous life as an entertainer and biomedical laboratory research subject, but she certainly knows how to make up for lost time, and we couldn’t be happier to watch her do it.
When the going gets tough
There’s always been a lot of tension between Jamie and Jody. Though Jamie is the alpha of the Cle Elum Seven, she’s never been secure in her leadership. She views everyone as a potential threat to her status as leader, and every action they take as a potential sign of disrespect. Jody, however, is strong willed and independent, and she refuses to submit to Jamie’s incessant demands for obedience.
Most of the mealtime conflicts here at CSNW follow the same script: Jody takes food that is rightfully hers. Jamie is upset that Jody took food. Jamie screams for ten minutes straight while following Jody around and demanding the food.
In their first few years at the sanctuary, Jody would break down and acquiesce. But over time she discovered that Jamie was more bark than bite, so she learned to hang onto the food in contention. And just the other day, when Jamie began her screaming routine over a piece of celery, Jody decided that she’d had enough, and she chased Jamie out onto Young’s Hill. Jamie was forced to take refuge on a climbing structure while Jody returned to the greenhouse to enjoy her celery in peace.
This one interaction doesn’t mean that Jody has taken over the alpha position in the group. She just doesn’t seem to have the drive or the backing to follow through with it. But it’s a good example of why the two might not always enjoy each others company.
Unless, that is, there is trouble afoot.
This morning, Jody was spooked by something out on the hill.
The others sensed her alarm and began to gather around.
But Jody wasn’t looking for their help. She knew exactly who she needed on her side in a situation like this.
She walked down the hill to meet Jamie, who was just coming out to check on the commotion. As soon as they met, Jody offered Jamie a kiss and embraced her in a request for reassurance.
Together, they joined up with Foxie and Burrito to patrol the area.
Jody may not always consider Jamie her best friend, but when the going gets tough, who are you going to turn to? The guy who hides behind a tree?
Or the boss?
On Patrol
Some people think that we should judge an animal’s quality of life by whether or not their basic needs are being met. Do they have food, water, heat, medical care, etc.? But if we applied these criteria to ourselves, prison wouldn’t be much of a deterrent – we’d all be knocking on the gate trying to get in. Obviously, we humans are willing to deal with some amount of risk and stress in life in exchange for things like freedom, autonomy, and self-determination. And I think that chimpanzees, if they were given the choice, would do the same.
Wild chimpanzees have jobs to do. They must take care of their young, travel great distances in search of food, and defend their territory from rival communities. Captivity gives chimps everything they need to survive, but robs them of purpose.
Well, not entirely. Every once and a while, we catch a glimpse of it here. When the chimps patrol Young’s Hill, they change – their faces, their postures, everything. It’s possible that I’m just projecting my own feelings here, but they seem so much more alive when they are at work like that.
Life may be nasty, brutish, and short for some wild chimpanzees, but I’d give anything for these chimps to have had a chance at it.