Waiting for the boss
October 17, 2014 by J.B. -
The chimps spent most of the morning inside due to the rain. When it finally let up, Missy ran straight for the far corner of the hill. Something was up.
Jody followed after her but seemed nervous about getting too close.
They both looked around for reassurance.
Annie was perched safely on the bridge, and showed no interest in putting herself in danger.
And Neither Foxie nor Burrito showed any willingness to come down from their platform to join the patrol.
Finally, Missy spotted Jamie at the bottom of the hill and asked for her help with an outstretched arm.
Jody’s hair was standing on end (also called “pilo erection”), showing her nervousness. She approached Missy for reassurance.
Neither seemed to have the courage to get any closer.
At one point, Missy got spooked and decided to bolt, leaving Jody all by herself.
Lucky for her, help was on the way.
With Jamie on the case, Missy decided to rejoin the group.
They headed toward the top corner of Young’s Hill.
As it turns out, the subject of their apprehension was a hawk that had been roosting on one of the fence posts. The chimps promptly scared it away.
Jamie is so cool in moments like these. While Missy ran around frantically and Jody looked on helplessly, Jamie calmly strutted her way up the hill, totally confident in her ability to protect her home from invaders. I guess there’s a reason why she’s the boss.
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Brave Jamie!
Wow! This was captured so well in the photos. Very interesting … Thank you for posting.
cool hawk photos! This story in pictures definitely defines why Jamie is the boss..
Yay Jamie!!! Taking care of her friends!
Great chimp-manship and wonderful team work amongst all the chimps who were involved in guarding their property , themselves ,and their chimp house,
it great to see these precious beings behave and act more and more like wild chimps,
I love it!!!!!
Great info J. B. Thanks for sharing the interactions of the chimps and how they went about protecting their territory. I tell you, that Jamie is one cool boss lady!!!
Again, it’s so wonderful to see the chimps displaying normal, wild behavior here in the Sanctuary. That they feel so “at home” here that they are inclined to protect it. Just another example of an extremely, successful Sanctuary. You all must be so proud…And again, our gratitude!
And btw…great shot of that hawk!
OK everyone…. Jamie is here… everything is OK….
One of my all time favorite posts is when Missy heard a noise out in the hill and called Jamie for back up. She not only stretched out her arm, but waved it in a “come here and hurry” fashion. Then they used a tool to try and flush out the predatory (?) ground squirrel. It’s a great video and I’ve shown it to everyone I know. Is that little guy still around?
Hi Kerri – There are still some squirrels living on Young’s Hill. Over the years, the chimps have killed a few of them when they got into the greenhouse, but I don’t think they’ve managed to catch any on the hill yet.
Wow, you are the master of suspense! Great photos too, the chimps looked so small in their outdoor space I felt nervous for them. I love the image of Missy holding out her hand to Jamie and the image of Jody all alone looking so scared. I am going to design Jamie a Super Girl cape to wear. Jamie, our heroine.
(…..and I would enjoy seeing the video that Kerri mentioned.) ; )
Hi Kathleen – Here is the blog post that Kerri was referring to: https://staging.chimpsnw.org/2011/10/calling-for-backup/
Thank you J.B. for the link, what a great video. Do chimps always stand up when on “high alert”. Does this posture indicate from a far to other chimps that ‘something is up’? Do they do it to look bigger? Love Missy’s body language — head bobbing and arm reach and wave. Who needs language when you can say so much in a short time frame with a few motions and movements?! ; )