Today’s sponsor-a-day is in honor of chimp house volunteer Cari Parker from Stephanie Fowble. Hope you kick back and have a special day, Cari!
Archive for March, 2011
This day is for Cari Parker
Monday, March 14th, 2011Calm
Sunday, March 13th, 2011Although Annie is at the bottom of the hierarchy and has her nervous moments, for the most part, the girl knows how to relax.
How to initiate play
Saturday, March 12th, 2011Given the fact that Foxie is probably the most playful chimp I’ve ever known, normally one would not need the following instructions. But I suppose they could be good to keep around, just in case. :)
Jody and enrichment
Thursday, March 10th, 2011Jody is a very casual kind of lady, which is probably why she gets less blog attention. She doesn’t play with toys too often, rather she usually inspects things for a moment and moves on. The other day she had an enrichment-loving afternoon, I suppose, and I caught her spending quality time and even playing (in her casual, Jody-kind-of-way, of course) with a toy dog and later, a popper toy.
Jamie
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
A relaxing day for Negra
Monday, March 7th, 2011Today was sunny and beautiful, so the greenhouse was a prime spot for everyone, especially Negra.
You may have heard us talk about Negra’s spot in the outdoor area, which is the southern most end of the deck. The sun beats in the greenhouse in that spot so it’s almost always a warm and inviting place to nap.
Negra spent almost the whole day relaxing there…. and today, no blankets were necessary!
10:00am-
(I think the next one is my favorite. I love the pointed toe!)
2:00pm- Yep. Same place… only this time, she looked like she was practicing her “happy baby” yoga pose:
She finally came inside to her other favorite spot and curled up with a soft yellow blanket:
Focus
Sunday, March 6th, 2011
Foxie’s expressive tongue
Saturday, March 5th, 2011Some videos need no introduction -
Problem solvers
Friday, March 4th, 2011Being the master problem solver she is, one would probably guess that Jamie is super skilled at raisin boards. And they would be right.
Raisin boards are wooden blocks with holes drilled in them that we stuff with dried fruit (because of their size raisins usually work best, but I used dried apricot pieces and dried blueberries in the photos below). We occasionally pass these out (with small skewers or sticks) as an evening “enhanced enrichment” activity, because not only does it encourage tool use and problem solving skills, but it keeps everyone busy and entertained for quite a while. Jamie often uses a technique similar to sewing- she pokes the stick slightly through, grabs it on the other side with her teeth and pulls it the rest of the way so the raisin either skewers on her stick or just falls out. It’s pretty fascinating, actually.
Jody does occasionally use tools, but she usually just pulls the fruit out with her teeth- a method that is also quite successful.
Primate Patrol alert – Capital One
Friday, March 4th, 2011Join Primate Patrol: www.primatepatrol.org/join
Capital One exploits chimpanzees (again!)
Primate Patrol has received the disappointing news that Capital One is currently running a commercial featuring a young chimpanzee “actor.” This is NOT the first time Capital One has had a chimpanzee in their advertising. Despite a growing public awareness about the ethical problems with using chimpanzee “actors” in entertainment, Capital One still chose to make another chimpanzee commercial.
Please send a polite letter to Capital One asking them not to air this commercial. Your letters can make a difference – just this year, two large companies, Dodge and Pfizer, chose to alter their commercials that featured live ape “actors” and pledged to never use primates in advertising again after hearing from concerned advocates.
Let them know that chimpanzees cannot be trained for entertainment by positive reinforcement alone, and brutal training practices in the entertainment industry are well documented. Remind them that in addition to welfare concerns, using chimpanzees in the media seriously hinders conservation efforts of free-living chimpanzees.
You may send your letter to the CEO of Capital One, Richard Fairbank at richard.fairbank@capitalone.com
You can also view this alert on PETA’s action webpage.
Sample Letter to Capital One:
[Date]
Dear Mr. Fairbank:
I was extremely disappointed to hear that Capital One has chosen to air a commercial featuring a young chimpanzee. You should know that great apes used in entertainment are torn away from their mothers as infants, often repeatedly beaten during training, and then discarded when they become too strong to be managed.
Using a chimpanzee for a cheap laugh sends the message that these amazing beings are simply props. Surely you are aware that chimpanzees are endangered species in critical need of protection? You are exploiting chimpanzees for your own profits and this is an unacceptable business practice.
Please make the compassionate decision to remove the commercial from the air, and please consider to never exploit great apes for entertainment purposes again. Thank you for your consideration of my comments on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
[Your city & state]
If you send an e-mail to Capital One, please remember to BCC Primate Patrol at PrimatePatrol@ChimpSanctuaryNW.org for tracking purposes. Thank you!
