Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

reassurance

Lil’ Bit of This, Lil’ Bit of That, Lil’ Bit of Terry

by

For today’s blog, there really isn’t any theme or story. Just a random assortment of photos I was able to capture today before our monthly staff training.

Honey B, Rayne, and Lucky watch as staff prepare to start our monthly escape drill.
Willy B enjoying his lunch chow in front of the window looking into the Oakwood Greenhouse.
Burrito waiting for his neighbors to make an appearance in their Chute.
Mave comforting Dora after Willy B spooked her. If you are wondering, yes. Mave and Dora hug… A LOT! Scared? Hug. Happy? Hug. Unsure? Hug. Playful? Hug. Mad (at someone else)? Hug. Sad? Hug. Bored? Hug.
A missed opportunity? Yes. This photo is blurry, but had it been in focus it would have been amazing. However, either way it is too good not to share!

Rayne looking as beautiful as ever in the front rooms.

And then there is Terry…

Whenever I seem to be in a jam for photos or blog material, I can usually count on Terry to bail me out of it. I mean, come on. Look at this handsome face!
This year, Terry has also become accustomed to snow snacks!
Terry seems to have developed a taste for the wintery treat!

Don’t forget to check out our wish list! Christmas is fast approaching and things are being added almost daily to help us throw them a wonderful party this year! We are also in need some of the Shutterfly gift cards. We use these for multiple things, including purchasing Jamie’s custom made book of the caregivers’ XtraTuf boots.

Someone to lean on

by

Annie has always had a nervous disposition. In the years immediately following her arrival at the sanctuary, she was prone to bouts of acute anxiety akin to panic attacks. Thankfully, these have become less and less frequent over the years but they still occur on occasion. While it’s hard for us to say exactly what sets them off, they appear to be triggered by tension or ambiguity in social relationships. It’s hard to be a primate, as we all know too well.

This afternoon, I spent some time photographing the chimps as they quietly patrolled the hill, foraged for browse, and climbed the various towers and play structures. At one point I noticed Annie nearby with her hair standing on end. I could tell something was wrong.

She began to pant-hoot softly, each hoot trailing off into a whimper. Alone, she walked hurriedly to a climbing structure and began to climb the ladder. But she turned back before reaching the top.

Soon her whimpers grew into screams.

Her walk became a sprint.

She was alone and desperate for reassurance.

There’s only one person that Annie looks to in moments like these.

Just then, Missy emerged from the greenhouse and into Annie embrace.

And like that, Annie’s face began to soften.

And her breathing began to slow.

As Katelyn mentioned recently, the relationship between Annie and Missy can be complicated at times. Thankfully for Annie, there are still times when it is predictably straightforward and simple. Because Annie is the kind of person that needs someone to lean on.

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.

Hierarchy

by

Yesterday, during the party, Negra and Jody found themselves eating from the same pinata.

web_Negra_take_pinata_from_jody_GH_jb_IMG_3614

Negra, being dominant to Jody, decides that she’d rather not share. As Negra pulls the pinata away from Jody, Jody gets upset and begins to just slightly bare her teeth out of fear. Negra then displays a facial expression known as a full open grin. As you can see, her upper and lower lips are drawn all the way back, exposing all of her large and powerful teeth. This is a sign of fear or excitement, and is often seen when social conflict breaks out.

web_Negra_fear_grimace_take_pinata_from_jody_GH_jb_IMG_3615

Jody responds with a full closed grin. Her lips are drawn back like Negra’s, but her jaw is closed. She is upset that Negra has pulled rank, so she goes to Burrito and Foxie for reassurance.

web_Negra_and_Jody_fear_grimace_pinata_GH_jb_IMG_3616

After being reassured by Burrito and receiving a kiss and a hug from Foxie, Jody returns to Negra, who offers her an extended arm in reconciliation. Jody accepts.

web_Negra_fear_grimace_extend_arm_to_Jody_pinata_GH_jb_IMG_3622

And the Queen gets the pinata.

web_Negra_eat_from_pinata_GH_jb_IMG_3624

As it should be.

web_Negra_hold_pinata_GH_jb_IMG_3625

This is all very similar to the conflict we showed a couple of weeks ago, but in this case all of the behavior was ritualized and no one was harmed in the process. As aggressive as they may be, chimpanzees are also very good at negotiating peaceful settlements to their disagreements. Part of this is due to their dominance hierarchies, which can help predetermine the outcome of smaller skirmishes without the need for fighting.

We mentioned before on this blog how difficult it can be to describe the dominance hierarchy at CSNW. One reason is that these seven chimpanzees had little social experience before coming to the sanctuary. They had to start figuring out how to be chimpanzees when they were already well into adulthood, with no role models to emulate and no culture to absorb – just seven misfits trying to figure things out as they went along.

But another explanation is that the majority of the Cle Elum Seven are female, and in the wild, the hierarchy amongst females is often less linear than it is for males. In some communities, the females seem to be ranked in broad groups rather than by the individual.

I would say that is true for the Cle Elum Seven. It’s clear that Jamie, Negra, Jody, and Burrito are dominant individuals, but among them, it’s not always clear how they are ranked. The hierarchy is complex, fluid, and context-dependent. For example, Burrito’s dominance displays are respected and tolerated by all of the females, but Jamie can steal his lunch with impunity. Jamie gets upset when Jody gets a hold of prized food, but she is not always successful in her attempts to steal it away. Negra always submits to Burrito, but she steals from Jamie and Jody. Honestly, it can get confusing.

Nevertheless, we refer to Jamie as the alpha of the group because she regularly fights for dominance and usually gets her way. Negra, on the other hand, seems to earn respect without trying.

All she wants is her night bags, a quiet nap, and occasionally, someone else’s pinata.

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.

When the going gets tough

by

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.

web_Jody_tall_grass_YH_jb_IMG_2671

The others sensed her alarm and began to gather around.

web_Burrito_Foxie_tall_grass_YH_jb_IMG_2679

But Jody wasn’t looking for their help. She knew exactly who she needed on her side in a situation like this.

web_Jody_approach_Jamie_reassurance_YH_jb_IMG_2692

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.

web_Jody_kiss_Jamie_reassurance_YH_jb_IMG_2693

web_Jody_arm_around_Jamie_reassurance_YH_jb_IMG_2695

Together, they joined up with Foxie and Burrito to patrol the area.

web_Four_chimps_patrol_YH_jb_IMG_2718

web_four_chimps_Jody_Burrito_Jamie_Foxie_patrol_YH_jb_IMG_2730

web_Four_chimps_patrol_YH_jb_IMG_2723

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?

web_Burrito_hide_behind_tree_Jamie_Foxie_YH_jb_IMG_2763

web_Burrito_hide_behind_tree_YH_jb_IMG_2762

Or the boss?

web_Jamie_foreground_Burrito_background_YH_jb__IMG_2779