Stirring Up Trouble
February 4, 2016 by Elizabeth -
Jamie does not live in the moment. She is a thinker and a planner. Sometimes you can see her wheels turning and you have to wonder what she’s up to. As the leader of her group she performs frequent dominance displays, but with Jamie, they don’t always seem to be about dominance. Or at least not solely about dominance. Sometimes it seems that Jamie displays because she’s bored and wants to stir up a little excitement.
This happens a lot when all of the other chimpanzees are settled down, quiet and doing their own thing. Jamie struts around the room, assessing the situation and planning her strategy.
Then her hair stands on end, she pant hoots, drums on her go-to plastic barrel, and ends by screaming and throwing the barrel across the room.
She then quickly looks around to see if she got anyone riled up. If not, she tries again. And again. Eventually the other chimps can’t help but get caught up in the excitement. Pant hoots are like yawns to chimps – they’re contagious. Once the chimp house is a cacophony of noise, Jamie seems to feel like she’s done her job and she’s finally able to settle down.
7 Comments
Subscribe to the Blog and
Get Notified of New Posts First!
If you like what see, be sure to subscribe. Personally written by the caregivers themselves, 365 days a year, you’ll get an insiders glimpse of all the goings on at the sanctuary. Follow us!
Drama Queen.
I love it when she just starts screaming at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason.
Perfect blanket for the occasion! And what a “who me” face!
Jamie certainly looks very satisfied with herself in these photos. After all those years of boredom and sitting around confined, doing nothing, you can’t blame her for wanting to stir up a little action in the chimp house. I never tire of looking at her bright-eyed face.
What a kick! What an instigator! How does Negra react to this ruckus, does she join in or just brush Jamie off as a noisy juvenile? Reminds me of my grandchildren ??????????
Negra is pretty much Jamie’s opposite, in that she just wants everyone to shut up and leave her alone. 🙂 She does her absolute best to ignore any drama whenever possible.
Maybe in a previous life, she was the social director on a cruise ship…..
I love the innocent look she has on her face.