Alone Time
January 19, 2018 by J.B. -
Foxie is one of the more gregarious chimps I’ve known, but even the most social primate needs to be alone once and a while.
At CSNW, each day begins with a group activity – breakfast. When that’s done, the chimps typically head out onto the hill together. Jamie does her first patrol, Missy runs in all directions, Burrito obsessively follows whichever of the girls is cycling at the time…and eventually they head back inside together for some rest. But there’s often one straggler.
This morning, Foxie remained outside, as she often does, atop one of the towers. This is her favorite place to be alone.
I can see why this has become her spot. It’s a great place for her to bring her dolls for private games of make-believe.
Before we purchased the property next door, it was also the perfect location to covertly surveil our neighbor.
It’s a peaceful, private place. Just sit back and watch the river flow by and the cows graze.
Soon enough there will be excitement. There will be stress. There will be politics.
But for a little while, there’s just Foxie.
16 Comments
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i love this. thanks for posting this most solace message today. it is just what i needed to read today. foxie, you are the sweetest, precious girl. enjoy your “land of make-believe.”
I love her
What a wonderful and well deserved day for Foxie and her friends. xo
I don’t have a lot of money but do have access to a good amount of gently used toys and would like to send a care package. I’ve been following the chimps for quite a while now so I’m fairly certain I know what they like and what would not be acceptable, but I wanted to make sure you would accept a package of toys as a donation before I mail it off. Is there a list somewhere that states what they can and cannot play with?
Thanks!
Just like children, they just need time to play.
Beautiful, poetic post J. B. and thank you so much!! Just makes me feel so peaceful (with the world swirling around as it will do) Much love to you all….
Foxie’s secret Tree House on the top of the world, head in the clouds, friends in the Plam of her hands. I wish I had a place like this to escape to where I could daydream. For now, your blog is my perfect escape. Thank you J.B. for placing me high on the tower with my dear friend Foxie today! Simply beautiful…..
She just grabs my heart.
Loved this post. In the 5th picture she has her arm out with the doll in her hand as if she is letting her baby see the surroundings. I took my blood pressure before opening up my computer: 125/79. Took it a few minute later while looking at that picture and it went down to 118/76. I don’t think that’s a coincidence — pets (even those on a computer) do lower your blood pressure
This is so cool, Elaine! Thanks for sharing that little experiment.
Thanks for this, JB–this is a really beautiful post along with some really love photos. What a great way to start my day–quietly with Foxie.
Hey, Jeeb,
I love the way you’ve captioned each one of these photos, building tension until at last, we have release with your ending, in which you’ve juxtaposed the coming chaos, with the sweet peacein the here and now. Every once in awhile, we’d do better to follow suit.
Beautifully done. 💖
Oh, and P.S.
I was surprised to read that about Burrito. You said he was more asexual in his behaviour, not knowing really what to do with a female.
So, what *does* he do with a cycling female once he catches them? Play?
And one other question. Do female chimps living together like these ladies actually align their cycles as female humans do? It happens with us because of magnetism, believe it or not, but I’ll spare y’all the physics. 😉 But it did just occur to me that maybe their cycles eventually shift and align so they happen near the same time.
What are your thoughts?
Burrito doesn’t exhibit normal mating behavior but he’s certainly not asexual. Like a lot of nursery-reared male chimps, he experiences sexual arousal but his expression of that arousal is limited to masturbation. Why this is I cannot say…perhaps the arousal is at least partially innate but the development of mating behavior is formed through experiences during certain critical periods. In my relatively limited experience, captive male chimpanzees that don’t mate as young adults do not go on to develop the behavior later in life, regardless of opportunity.
The question of menstrual synchrony is an interesting one. The literature on synchrony in humans seems to have moved toward skepticism and even outright rejection of earlier findings on methodological grounds. Similarly, there was one paper that I know of that showed synchrony in captive chimpanzees in the ’80s but subsequent studies have failed to find significant results. Though we haven’t done a formal analysis, I don’t believe we see it here, and we track their cycles daily to help monitor reproductive health.
I am so inspired by the future plans for CSNW. Your hearts hold so much love, hope and promise for the future of primates and other deserving animals. The property you acquired looks like a pristine paradise, it is absolutely breathtaking. As is, a much needed preserve for all that thrives within. I wish you all the best as you move forward into your 10th year (wow!!) of providing HOPE. LOVE. HOME… SANCTUARY.
Wonderful!!!! She’s a dancer !! 😀 <3 <3