Recently, I saw a video from a study of chimpanzee cognition in which chimps were presented with a peanut inside a clear tube that was mounted to the outside of their enclosure. Within a short amount of time, the chimp began filling the tube with water so that the nut would float to the top. Genius! So, yesterday I decided to see how these guys would handle the problem and zip-tied a couple of nut-filled bottles to the outside of the caging. Clearly, my method of attaching the bottles wasn’t quite as elaborate as the one used in the study, since the chimps could just turn them over, but it did keep them busy and entertained for quite some time!
primate rescue
Foxie and Jamie’s epic play session
When Foxie first came to the sanctuary, she was pretty shy. It was clear she did not want any of the toys, blankets and other objects that we gave the chimpanzees every day. Then, she adopted a troll doll, which we named Trixie.
That’s when the troll soap opera began. At first, Foxie was very protective of her dolls and did not want anyone else to touch them. She’s come a long way.
In the video below, she is teasing Jamie with a game of keep-away. Foxie still has her limits, though, when it comes to her prized possessions. And perhaps Jamie has softened up a bit when it comes to Foxie and her dolls.
It’s a longer video than normal, but it will make a bad day good and a good day better, so take a break for a few minutes and watch it.
Annie’s waist warmer
Last Saturday, while playing with Missy, Annie put a bright pink fleece head warmer around her neck and wore it like that for 2 days. On Monday, her “neck warmer” became a “waist warmer”. It is now day 5 of waist warming! Pretty fashion-forward!
April Fools’ Day
We decided it would be fun to celebrate April Fools’ Day with the chimps today. While we didn’t throw a full-fledged party, we did try to switch things up and do some wacky, unpredictable stuff. To start, we served dinner for breakfast. (Their traditional breakfast of smoothie and fresh fruit will be served for dinner, of course.) Negra, especially, loved the rice with apple puree in flour tortillas, and everyone was beside themselves when we brought out night bags at the end of the meal! Later, we thought we’d take a midmorning nap with the chimps. While Burrito thought playing was a much better idea, Jamie came over right away and enjoyed some quiet time with us.
As I write this, Jackie and volunteer Pam are preparing a dinner (or breakfast?) of banana smoothie, pears, oranges, and peanut butter waffles, and the chimps are keeping an eager eye on the process through the kitchen window. The Cle Elum Seven’s first (celebrated) April Fools’ Day seems to have been a success!
Play
Studies have found that adult chimpanzees (like adult humans) don’t play as frequently as young chimps. Annie and Missy have been too busy playing to read those studies.
Today in honor of Chris
Happy Birthday, Chris! Thank you for sponsoring today for your birthday. What a great gift for the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees!
check out the Sponsor-a-Day calendar on our Donate page.
For all you Negra fans
Another great greenhouse day. The ladies groomed and played out there all day, switching partners frequently.
Negra hanging out in the greenhouse sun:
Missy grooming Negra while Annie groomed Jody nearby:
Missy starting to turn the hand grooming into a little game:
Negra responding by playing back:
Missy sticking both of her feet up for Negra to play bite:
Negra taking a mid-morning nap:
It’s been said before, but each day I am amazed at how the greenhouse has transformed the Cle Elum Seven’s lives. Thank you again to Karen and Don Young and all who made the greenhouse possible!
