Sanctuary
Tool use
Chimpanzees are famous for their ability to use tools, but some individuals are more skilled than others. We know that human talent is a combination of genetics, early life experience, and practice, and the same is true with chimpanzees, I believe.
Jamie loves using tools. She could spend all day working on a project. I don’t think she’s as interested in the end result as she is in the process. Sometimes, when we are serving food, we accidentally drop a few pieces on the floor outside the enclosure. Jamie will spend the rest of the mealtime working to get those pieces, even though her caregivers are still giving out food.
Burrito, on the other hand, is just not a tool user. He has very limited patience, and he doesn’t seem to get that same flash of insight that spurs chimpanzees like Jamie to go fetch an appropriate tool. This doesn’t necessarily mean he is less intelligent. Most of the time, begging humans for help works just fine. But it does give you an idea why Burrito is not the alpha that he would like to be – Jamie is always one step ahead of him!
Snake!
Given their history in captivity, the chimps here at CSNW (unlike their free-living counterparts) have probably never encountered a real snake before, but when this toy snake (see video) went out as part of their enrichment one day, they treated it with a healthy dose of caution.
Foxie nesting
We just caught Foxie in the playroom nesting with a blanket! Hopefully, it’s just a matter of time before she’s nesting with many blankets.
Greenhouse update
I wish I had more progress to report, but the weather has been awful. Still, we’ve managed to start installing panels on the roof and we’ve nearly completed one wall. From the inside, the view is somewhat distorted but it lets in nearly all the light. We’re all excited for the chimps to have more space in the winter. Now all we need is some sun!
Burrito comes out of his shell
When it comes to play partners, Burrito tends to prefer his human friends. It is pretty rare to see him join in with the girls’ games (it’s hard to say why — perhaps he’s a little intimidated). Although he spends a fair amount of time grooming and being groomed by the other chimps, once things get playful, he usually withdraws a bit. So I was quite excited this morning when I caught him playing with Foxie in the front rooms. Apparently it looked like such a good time that Jody and Jamie tried to join in, too.
Foxie- the next “Lord of the Dance”
Today, I popped in a video of “Lord of the Dance”, donated by one of our many wonderful supporters and volunteers, Stephanie Perciful. We put it on our wishlist in hopes that Negra would enjoy it, because she sometimes enjoys watching her caregivers’ dance. So far Negra hasn’t shown much interest in it and is usually too far away to see it. Foxie on the other hand, seems to thoroughly enjoy it and looks like she kind of wants to join in! Someone recently commented that Foxie may be musically inclined- I think I agree. Thanks, Stephanie! I’d say Foxie seems pretty enriched!
Note- I orginally said that the video was donated by Tamela, but it was actually Stephanie who donated it! So sorry Stephanie and Tamela for the confusion! Guess I am indeed human. 🙂
