Cattail forage
June 18, 2012 by J.B. -
The chimps are able to find plenty of native plants to eat on Young’s Hill but they still love cattails, which only grow by the edge of the pond on the sanctuary grounds. So once and a while we cut some down and hide them throughout their enclosure.
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I can’t believe how well they adjusted to the grass and earth underfoot. I remember how hard it was for some of them just walking in the greenhouse!
This video is so oddly peaceful. I think it’s the birds singing and all that green grass underfoot. I could watch them stroll around out there for hours!
Who is that walking with the cattails in her left hand? Adorable!!
Assuming you are referring to the last clip of the chimp who is walking bipedally (upright) – that is Annie. She often walks bipedally on the hill because she is uncomfortable walking through the grass 🙂
Watching Annie walk upright like that just cracks me up. You can just hear her . . . ouch, ick, gross, dirt, rocks, sticks . . . . Bless her heart.
Lovely to see them so at peace, enjoying the outdoors—sun, birds singing and special treats to find. Thank you.
I love seeing them out and foraging through the grass on a Sunny day. Annie is hilarious with her tip toe stride.
Beautiful!
I understand why they wouldn’t be used to walking in the grass, but is it really uncomfortable? What is the land like under the grass; is it rocky, sandy, or prickly? Would Annie walk like that to exert a little assertiveness – like, “don’t mess with my cattails!”
I don’t think that it is uncomfortable for her in the physical sense. The ground does get very dry and prickly in the late summer, but this time of year it is pretty soft. There are many instances of former lab chimps being afraid to walk on natural substrates. For whatever reason, they get so used to metal and concrete that it takes them a while to adjust. I think Annie’s bipedalism is a sign of her overall psychological discomfort with moving through the grass. She is becoming more assertive these days, but she tends to walk bipedally when she it outside whether she has something valuable or not.
Wonderful to see them in the wonderful outdoors. Tall grass,rolling hills, and free to enjoy it all.