Taking things apart
February 13, 2011 by Elizabeth -
One of the practical problems of running a chimpanzee sanctuary involves creating a space that the chimps can’t destroy. Their superhuman strength combined with intelligence, curiosity, and a penchant for destruction keeps us on our toes. We’re very careful to maintain a safe (and sturdy) environment for the chimps, but sometimes there’s not much you can do when Jamie decides she wants to remove one of the baseboards, as in this video.
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So the question comes to mind….are baseboards absolutely necessary? I think we know Jamie’s opinion!
Clearly, Jamie’s using her Sunday for some DIY home improvement projects. Next she’ll be welding with JB. 🙂
Maybe she’ll put it back up….. I’m sure she could if she wanted to!!!!
lol cheeky girl ! i agree with Kate , get her to knock a few poles out in young,s hill x
She clearly didn’t like that gap in the baseboard. Maybe she was just doing quality control.
That’s our girl! I agree with you Gayle, give her a hammer and she’d probably try to put it back. Chimp Eden are constantly dealing with “chimp damage,” I’m just glad she didn’t use it during a display.
Ha..Jamie, 1…………. building maintenance (JB), zip….
Oh our Jamie! Back to work, J.B.
Maybe she thinks J.B. doesn’t have enough chores to do…LOL!
wow! those nails sticking out were making me very nervous! How do you get that away from her if you needed to? I mean, for her safety? Do you just have to wait until she gets tired of it and hope for the best? And are chimps susceptible to tetanus? that girl means business, when she sets her mind to it! I’m always in awe of their strength and ingenuity!
Jamie lost interest in the baseboard after only a couple of minutes and abandoned it. We were able to close off and enter the area to retrieve the baseboard. If the chimps somehow got a hold of something that posed an immediate and serious threat, we would entice the chimps away from the object by throwing an impromptu “surprise” party (with lots of exciting food) in a separate part of the enclosure. Once all of the chimpanzees had evacuated the area containing the dangerous object, we’d close it off, enter, and retrieve the object.
Because the chimps are unlikely to voluntarily relinquish a prized object — especially if they know it’s something they’re not supposed to have — we are very careful about what enters their enclosure. All enrichment is checked for safety by two separate staff members before it’s given to the chimpanzees.