Looking for Cy, Lucky, Terry, Gordo, and Rayne? Better lace up your hiking boots and prepare for a workout because they’ve been spending their afternoons at the top of the Bray.
wildlife waystation
Building Upon the Foundation (PRT)
Following my recent blog about Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) with Rayne, I thought I would do another PRT blog today with a new topic… Injection training!
Injection training is extremely helpful in case of emergency or routine procedures, where the chimpanzees would undergo anesthesia. Sometimes these procedures are planned and we can work on injection training for the months/weeks leading up to the procedure, or occasionally there is an emergency and a chimp needs to have an anesthetic procedure the same day. Therefore, we try to consistently work on injection training with the chimps, as we never know when their PRT skills will have to be put to use.
For injection training, we use a blunt needle as we are just practicing. We ask the chimp to present their arm (either left or right) by using the gestural cue for “arm”, then use our clicker to reinforce them presenting their arm. We will then ask them to hold the position while we pick up the needle syringe. We then let them know what we are doing by saying “poke” and press the blunt needle to the arm. As soon as the chimp allows this, the clicker is used to let them know that is what we wanted and then we follow with a reward (in the video today, it is peanuts). Injection training can be scary and nerve-racking for some chimps, so we typically give them more of a reward than we would with an easier task.
All of Cy’s group (who previously lived at Wildlife Waystation) do so well at PRT. It is clear that their former caregivers have put a lot of time and effort into PRT, and therefore, have built a strong foundation with all of these chimps. Thank you so much to all of their previous caregivers if you’re reading this!
Dora:
Burrito:
Welcome to the Bray
(or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Step on Grass)
It finally happened. Cy’s group stepped out of the chute and entered the Bray.
It was a very different experience than watching the Cle Elum Seven enter Young’s Hill for the first (or even second) time. It may be because the Californians are a newer group than the Seven were at the time, or perhaps it’s because the Waystation chimps had spent more time outside of cages when they were young (and, as noted in a previous comment section, as adults in some unauthorized cases). In any case, while there was less hugging and screaming as they entered the habitat, watching them explore was every bit as emotional.
Willy B’s transformation from fearful and agoraphobic to Conqueror of the Bray is a testament to the power of friendship. Every minute we spent worrying while integrating his group with Cy’s was worth it to see him follow his friends out into the grass.
You’ll notice that Honey B, Mave, and Dora did not join their friends outside yesterday. That’s OK. I believe they will soon, as they will also benefit from Rayne’s confidence and the boys’ leadership. But if it takes longer, that’s OK too. They will get there in their own time.
Our most heartfelt thanks to all of you who made this day possible, especially to our friend James, in whose memory the Bray is named.
Play, Soul Sister
For today’s blog post, I’m sharing this video of Dora being casually goofy with caregiver Grace.
Enjoy!
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P.S. I apologize for the title pun. I don’t even like that song.
The Perks of Be(friend)ing a Wallflower
Not all of the chimps like to be in front of the camera lens equally. Lucky and Willy B, for example, will scooch right up to you and your electronic device with gusto. Others prefer to nonchalantly observe the photographer from an intermediate distance, and a few chimps will even try to sternly poke the camera lens when they’re not in the mood for a portrait session.
Then, there’s Gordo.
Lately, I’ve been making a conscious effort to get portraits of the individuals who spend less time in the spotlight, and Gordo has been the most challenging of that bunch.
Gordo is a wallflower. Despite getting along with chimpanzee companions and human caregivers alike, he exhibits some introverted tendencies. It seems like his ideal afternoon would probably be spent lounging quietly on a lofted platform with an enrichment puzzle in his hands, avoiding drama and staying out of the limelight. This makes him one of the more difficult chimpanzees to photograph.
A couple weeks ago, I saw Gordo laying among his group-mates in the indoor front rooms. Everyone was avidly grooming each other, as they tend to do in the downtime that follows breakfast. Gordo was serenely looking down the hallway, clasping his feet and soaking up the warmth from the heated floors, and we eventually made eye contact. I nodded reassuringly, and he kept staring back. I slowly reached for the camera hanging around my neck and raised it up to eye level as if to ask “can I take your picture?”
Gordo coolly remained where he was and allowed me to approach. I gently knelt in by the caging, brought the viewfinder up to my right eye, and turned the focus ring until Gordo’s auburn eyes and platinum goatee were visible in sharp detail. After I got a couple good shots, I put the camera down and simply sat in Gordo’s proximity for a little bit, enjoying the moment. It wasn’t the fervent grooming or exuberant play that we associate with the sanctuary’s more extroverted residents, but his acceptance made my day nonetheless.
Play During Intros
The video says it all. It was a relief to see Honey B with Rayne and Lucky today and with Dora yesterday. She was different with each one of them, and of course it wasn’t non-stop play, but the play was definitely the highlight!
The Elusive Gordo – A Contrast in Characters
Jamie is a chimpanzee who does not hide anything. She’s not shy. This was evident even the first time we met her at Buckshire before her group of seven came to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.
She doesn’t hold back when she has an opinion about something. She can be challenging (she’s the only chimpanzee at the sanctuary who throws feces, for example), but we all appreciate that she is not only able to express herself, but feels quite comfortable letting the humans know if she wants something or is displeased with us. When she likes something she REALLY likes it, and it’s a joy finding those things (like boot books), and being able to enrich her life in very specific-to-her ways.
Here’s a photo I took of the boss today:
Gordo, on the other hand, has been very aloof so far.
He arrived just one month ago from Wildlife Waystation, and we are still getting to know him and the other five in his group. We were told that he takes some time to warm up to new people, and so far he’s definitely the least interactive with the caregivers.
The other two males in his group, Terry and Cy, are usually front and center and wanting to play chase. Upon seeing the caregivers, Lucky will present her belly for rubs, Dora likes gentle games where she touches the back of our hands with her outstretched fingers, and Rayne is showing herself to be a fun-loving friend.
Gordo is very interested in food, so when serving meals has been the main opportunity to interact with him. He will take food from us without hesitation, but it’s normally a very one-way transactional interaction.
I feel no shame in admitting that I have been on a mission to win over Gordo. I make eye contact with him (eye contact with chimps is a good thing, though that’s not the case with some other primate species) and attempt to instigate games of chase whenever I can. Most captive chimpanzees, particularly males, really like to play chase.
Often, Gordo is against a wall in one of the new playrooms or in a doorway, observing at a distance. The photo below isn’t very good, but it shows Gordo in one of his spots with one leg crossed over the other – this, along with the full splay, is a classic Gordo pose.
I’ve noticed that he’s also been hanging out in the corner of the far greenhouse. Whenever I pass by, I stop to talk to him for a bit. Often I don’t get much of a response.
I was beginning to wonder if I was perhaps coming on too strong, when, last Saturday, Gordo did grant me a game of chase. It was wonderful. And brief.
Today, Kelsi and I were being goofy with the whole group, and Gordo joined in the fun! I don’t know if you can tell how elated Kelsi was in these photos, but let’s just say she’ll be riding this high for awhile.
When he was done playing with Kelsi, I caught his eye and went out to the greenhouse hallway. To my great surprise, he walked towards me. On purpose! And I didn’t have food!
It was a great moment to kick off my weekend.
Thank you, Gordito.
