Archive for the ‘Grooming’ Category

happy anniversary and thank you

Sunday, June 13th, 2010

We really can’t thank you enough for following the lives of the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees and helping to fill their new lives with love and happiness.

The last two years have been remarkable.

This video is for you:

Foxie and Jamie’s epic play session

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

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.

For all you Negra fans

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

Another great greenhouse day. The ladies groomed and played out there all day, switching partners frequently.

Negra hanging out in the greenhouse sun:

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Missy grooming Negra while Annie groomed Jody nearby:

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Missy starting to turn the hand grooming into a little game:

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Negra responding by playing back:

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Missy sticking both of her feet up for Negra to play bite:

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Negra taking a mid-morning nap:

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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!

Self treatment

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Chimpanzees spend a lot of time grooming injuries on themselves and others. In fact, we rely heavily on observation of their behavior towards one another to monitor their health. For example, a chimpanzee may develop a small abscess from a bite or scratch during a fight. Depending on the location of the injury, the caregivers may not notice it at first. But the chimpanzees sure do, and this will often alert us to its presence. And while we tend to be a bit overly cautious and provide oral antibiotics, the chimpanzees do a pretty good job of grooming and draining injuries to promote healing on their own. This makes sense, of course, because free-living chimpanzees often suffer injuries and do not rely on humans for treatment. But it is fascinating to watch. Missy seems to be the most adept at using tools (in this case a piece of grape vine) to groom herself.

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Annie and Missy

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Annie and Missy have such a strange relationship. They are nearly inseparable, but when Missy decides to groom or play with someone else, Annie appears to be jealous. Its very predictable – if you see Missy playing with another chimpanzee, you can bet that Annie is watching her every move from a distance. Sometimes Annie will sit back on her butt and tap her heels on the floor, which is a behavior she often displays when she is anxious. And while Missy likes to interact with the other chimps, Annie mostly keeps to herself when Missy is not around.

Today I was taking photos of Missy and Jamie grooming and playing together outside:

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And sure enough, there was Annie in the doorway, keeping an eye on things:

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Sun!

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

The chimps were outside bright and early this morning to welcome the return of the sun to Central Washington.

A new grooming medium…

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

I bet you thought the only use for a crayon was to color…

By the way, that sound you hear Jamie making is called Lip Smacking and is associated with grooming.

Grooming in style

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

Burrito and Missy spent some time grooming each other this morning while we were cleaning the playroom.

Lookin’ good, Jamie

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Today, Jamie spent some time brushing her hair, brushing a troll doll’s hair, and checking herself out in a mirror. Seeing Jamie doing such ‘human-like’ things makes us wonder about her childhood (her records only describe her as a ‘circus chimp’). She definitely loves being a girl; that’s for sure!! The song, “I’m so pretty, Oh so pretty…” comes to mind.

All hands on Negra

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

Negra was the recipient of some post-lunch groomin’ in the sun today. J.B. took a couple of photos. I like the second one so much, I decided to focus in and “artistify” it.

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