Missy has been a complete goofball today. Every time I make eye contact with her, she darts off and starts laughing – suggesting she wants me to chase her. I’ve seen her playing with almost everyone today – so if you’ve got some energy and you’re feeling playful and extremely goofy, I know who you need to call! Ok, so maybe you can’t actually play with her, but you can donate to her team. After weeks of being in the lead, she is now in LAST place! And if my little spill doesn’t convince you, check out this adorable scene I caught between her and Negra this morning:
Play
Share the love (for free!)
It sure is a busy time of year for a nonprofit. With the holidays and the end of the year, I’m really grateful to say that we process a ton of donations in December. And we need them! If you haven’t given yet this year, and you have a little bit to spare, please consider making a donation today (sorry, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t include a little pitch!).
Anyway, the Cle Elum Seven are fortunate to have so many devoted supporters. That means you! Although we rely on financial donations to keep us in bananas and night bags, there are plenty of things you can do to keep us going without spending a dime:
- Your enthusiasm is contagious! Reading this blog and sharing it with your friends and family (especially on Facebook) makes a big difference. The more people who know about the Cle Elum Seven, the better!
- Likewise, share our newsletter with your friends and family. And bug them (politely!) to sign themselves up by telling them what you love about the chimps and how much they mean to you. Many nonprofits spend tons of money building their lists, so helping us build our supporter base for free is a truly valuable “donation.”
- Add a tagline to your email signature to share why you love the chimps. The more personal connection the better, and be sure to include a link to our website!
- Give us a review on Guidestar, where many donors do their homework before donating. Let the world know what you think we do well and why you’re in love with the Cle Elum Seven.
- Get involved with Eyes on Apes.
- Send us your old printer cartridges, cell phones, and small electronics. We can recycle them through a responsible company that sends a donation back to us. Contact Jackie if you have questions about what types of things they take ([email protected]).
- Volunteer your time or skills. Did you know we have a wonderful bunch of folks in the chimp house washing produce, doing laundry, helping us clean enclosures, and even (after a ton of training) serving meals to the chimps? We also need event volunteers. Contact Elizabeth to find out more ([email protected]).
- Do you work for a company that might be able to donate something fabulous for our auction? Or do you have a friend who owns a store that might pitch something in? Are you an artist? Contact Diana for more information about our event and the types of things we need ([email protected]).
- Remember us in your will, trust, or life insurance policy. It’s a lot easier than you might think, and can make a huge difference. Usually all you need is our name, address and tax ID number (68-0552915). Please let me know ([email protected]) if you honor us with such a gift so that I can thank you and add you to our legacy circle.
Have other ideas? Please share them in the comments!
And, just for kicks, here’s an oldie but goodie. Almost 4 years ago to the day, the chimps experienced their first snowstorm (before Young’s Hill and the greenhouse). Check it out.
Hurry up and play
Missy tends to speed up in the winter. I think she knows she won’t be able to stay outside as long so she has to cram all of her activities into ten-minute bursts.
Yesterday, she ran outside and immediately started to climb all of the structures.
Then she jumped off of them.
While climbing a structure at the top of the hill, she noticed something.
Ice is somewhat of a delicacy for chimps and Missy is good at finding it.
Of course, wherever there’s a Missy, there’s an Annie close behind, trying to catch up.
Playing in the sunshine
It’s been another cold, yet sunny day today and a few minutes ago, six out of seven chimps were out roaming on the hill (can you guess who was inside?). As I rounded the corner of the greenhouse to see what was happening out there, I saw Missy just standing in the bamboo with a big playface:
Annie came running out of the raceway towards her, full speed ahead!
Her playful charge was pretty anti-climatic at first…
But it wasn’t very long before Missy engaged Annie, and a wild foot grabbing, tickling, and laughing chase game ensued.
Sometimes, play is serious business.
Missy and Annie steal Negra’s spotlight
Today was full of play! It’s amazing what a visit from the sun will do.
Relationships
The relationship between captive chimps and their caregivers is endlessly fascinating. Some chimps are very human oriented, and many even prefer the companionship of humans to that of other chimpanzees. Other chimps couldn’t care less about humans – we’re good for providing food and cleaning up, and that’s about it. Usually, it’s the chimps who were raised by humans who prefer humans, and it’s not hard to see why. We make more sense to them.
Take Burrito for example. He was born in a laboratory in New Mexico and, like many lab chimps, he was taken from his mother shortly after birth and reared in a laboratory nursery. At age 3 1/2, he was shipped to Pennsylvania where he lived in a human home as a pet. Six months later he was leased to Jungle Larry’s circus and a year after that, he was back in a lab cage, where he would remain for another 20 years.
He spent most of his life either alone or with humans. I think it’s a miracle that he can get along in a group of other chimpanzees.
Imagine if it was the other way around…if you were raised in a group of chimpanzees and then two or three decades later you were thrust into a group of humans. You might find that your new office mates don’t appreciate your loud dominance displays, or the way you stick your rear end in someone’s face when you are seeking reassurance.
In the 4 1/2 years that Burrito has been at CSNW, he has matured a lot. He is starting to understand the rules of living in a chimpanzee community. He loves to play with some of the other chimpanzees, and he is even starting to understand his role in the hierarchy. But I think that some human oriented chimps like Burrito feel a sense of relief when interacting with us. They understand us better than they do other chimpanzees. And they know that we won’t get upset or retaliate if they break one of the complex rules that govern life in chimpanzee society. Or maybe Burrito just gets sick of his chimpanzee family. Those reality TV shows always take seven people and stick them in an apartment for a year and that always ends badly.
We’re careful not to overstep our bounds with the chimps, however. Ultimately, we want them to rely on each other for support and in a social system as complex as the chimpanzees’, it takes a lot of work to build those relationships. But from the chimps’ perspective, it’s also good to have a positive relationship with the people you rely on. So we consider these little games of chase and tug-o-war just part of the job.
Playful spirits
No two souls can cheer me up quite like Annie and Missy. A couple of weeks ago, the BFFs were chasing each other around the hill, taking turns being the chaser and the chasee.
First Annie chased Missy
but she started to gain on her
as Annie passed, Missy playfully bit her shoulder
Then they played a little bit of peak-a-boo through the lexan panels of the cabin
