Sometimes, no matter how sweet you are, you just don’t get what you want.
Posts Tagged ‘chimpanzees’
Politics, politics, politics
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012The case of the droopy lip
Friday, December 23rd, 2011Jody almost always has a drooped lip when she’s out on the hill. We’ve been referring to it as her “Young’s Hill Face”
Today, her droopy lip seemed to be mixed in with a bit of a sneer. Sometimes I sneer when I’m cold!
She sure does have a beautiful face though…
Adventures of a peanut butter jar
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011The other day, we put a mostly empty plastic peanut butter jar in with the chimps’ enrichment, which is something we often do when we’ve used the bulk of the peanut butter- the chimps spend hours trying to get the peanut butter remnants off the insides! Foxie was the lucky one who found it first the other day, and she took it on quite the adventure. First, she had it in the playroom. Later, she took it out with her into the greenhouse, and then she and her peanut butter jar went on a hike on Young’s Hill.
She took it with her as she climbed up and down a couple of the climbing structures and then around the perimeter, enjoying the occasional snack. At one point, Jody decided to start a game of chase. She got in front of Foxie and started playfully walking backwards, encouraging Foxie to follow her.
They played for a little while, but then Foxie got distracted and put down the jar. I can’t say if Jody had an ulterior motive for starting the game of chase, but it definitely seemed to work in her favor.
Jody enjoying the peanut butter jar in the greenhouse:
Brussels sprouts
Friday, October 14th, 2011
In anticipation?
Thursday, August 4th, 2011While all of the staff here at CSNW have a great deal of experience with chimpanzee behavior, we obviously can’t get inside the minds of the chimps and know what they are truly thinking. But, my non-scientific side of self sometimes really wishes I could!
One of the most frequent questions I’ve been asked since construction on Young’s Hill began is whether or not I think the chimps know that Young’s Hill is for them. Part of me wants to say “Of course! They must know that everything we do around here revolves around them, right?” I would have to guess that the installation of the climbing structures (which look very similar to the one in their current outdoor area) had to be a good sign for them, but again, we can’t get inside of their heads, so as smart as I know they are, I just cannot say for sure.
But I think we now have a pretty good reason to believe that at least some folks do, in fact, know.
During construction of the raceway (the tunnel that connects the current outdoor area to Young’s Hill), the chimps had to be locked out of the outdoor area. A couple of days later, J.B. was checking to make sure a key worked on one of the locks near the raceway (not the one that unlocked the raceway door, mind you). As soon as he pulled out the keys and walked towards the caging, Jamie, Jody, and Foxie all jumped up and started hugging and breathy panting in excitement! J.B. said that Jody and Foxie eventually walked away, but that Jamie sat at the raceway door gesturing towards him, banging on the cage, and tugging on the door for at least 10 minutes.
So, guess what, they know.
My heart sung when I heard about this! I’m sure part of me knew it all along, but it feels so validating and real now… and makes the wait for the day that they finally go out that much more agonizing!
So, when I took the following photos of Negra looking out towards the work happening on Young’s Hill today, I couldn’t help but wonder “Does she know, too?” I’d be willing to bet she does, and that they’ve all been “rolling their eyes”, so to speak (chimps don’t really roll their eyes), when they heard us discussing whether or not they “know” that Young’s Hill is for them.
No pressure, J.B. ;)
Thanks so much to J.B. and all of our hard working volunteers that have come out to help be a part of making “The Hill” a reality! You guys are going to make Negra’s day!
Sawdust
Sunday, July 17th, 2011Recycling at it’s finest:
Happy Birthday, Neggie!
Monday, June 13th, 2011Today is a very special, albeit emotional, day for all of us. Not only does it mark 3 years since the chimps’ arrived at their sanctuary home, the start of their new life, but it is Negra’s honorary birthday, so celebrations abound!
We started out the day with two of Negra’s favorite things: bread (yummy toasted apple cinnamon bread) and night bags. I don’t think there is a more perfect start of a day for Negra. J.B. hit the nail right on the head with our 3rd Anniversary Post when he said that when Negra receives her night bag, in that moment, everything is right in the world. She blinks her eyes in anticipation and is just so, so happy. I have to say it’s my favorite part of each day, as well. Here she is getting her unexpected “Night” bag this morning:
Supporters Dick and Robbi Brown faithfully brought lots of new toys for the party and we decorated the outdoor area with lots and lots of “Happy Birthday” streamers. We set up a lunch forage which consisted of mini bell peppers, lettuce (another one of Negra’s favorite foods), bananas, cherries, and pomegranates!
Negra went for the lettuce first (she’s got her priorities straight):
but she was also very excited about the mini sweet bell peppers:
Annie with her bananas. She had banana mush all over her face!
Pomegranates were a really exciting treat too, since they are out of season and we haven’t gotten them in a while. Here’s Foxie shoveling one in her mouth:
And Burrito, doing the same:
I love how red his lips get when he eats pomegranates!
Here’s the birthday lady gazing out towards Young’s Hill:
And of course the celebration is not over! Tonight, they are having corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, more bread, juice, and of course, as it has approximately 1,095 times, the day will end with another night bag. Thanks so much to all that contributed to the party!
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!
Allies
Monday, February 21st, 2011Grooming is a very important part of chimpanzee culture and serves to form alliances and strengthen bonds. The other night, there was a minor fight and Jamie got a couple of wounds on her foot and on her head. Missy is usually our most diligent groomer and often follows folks around trying to groom their injuries, which is exactly what she did for Jamie today. I suppose she could just be a clean-freak, or she could be strengthening her allies for the next conflict– it’s pretty smart either way.
Foxie in a nest
Monday, February 7th, 2011Last week was the first time any of us had seen Foxie build a true nest. Today, I witnessed her doing it again and snapped a couple of photos. I’m so proud of how far she’s come.
