Posts by J.B.
All To Herself
The chimps were raring to go this morning. You could see it on Missy’s face. They set off up the hill. Notably absent was the group’s leader, who was momentarily distracted. No matter. Jody would lead the way. Missy was close behind. Annie, Burrito, and Foxie brought up the rear. A few minutes into the…
Read MoreMorning with the Seven
It was a nice, quiet morning for the Seven.
Read MoreLeadership
Jamie has always held a dominant position in her group but she’s generally not what one would consider a leader. Leaders don’t scream and throw fits when they don’t get their way or harbor grudges for days only to attack without provocation (see: Missing Toe, Jody). Jamie’s drive to be on top is fueled by…
Read MoreLearning to Trust
One the challenges associated with doing introductions, besides the introductions themselves, is getting all of the different individuals and groups where they need to be. You have to pull certain individuals from their groups temporarily and move them to the space where the intro will be held. Other chimps have to clear that area. While…
Read MoreSnippets
Here are a few moments that I captured on my phone throughout the past week. People often ask if it’s difficult to care for chimpanzees without being able to touch them outside of the very limited contact we have through the mesh. Perhaps it’s a function of the institutional cultures in which we were trained,…
Read MoreGrassy Gordo and the Honey B Holdout
One of the ways that captive chimps entertain themselves is by attempting to thwart their caregivers’ plans. Oh, you’d like to clean this area now? That’s unfortunate for you, ’cause I just decided that I’m going to live here forever. Honey B is the master of this. If you try to sweeten the deal by…
Read MoreAnnie’s 47th Birthday Party
Neither rain nor a brazen coconut theft could keep us from celebrating Annie’s 47th birthday. Happy Birthday to one of the sweetest chimpanzees in the world!
Read MoreUp Close and Personal
It will be a little while still before we are able to construct the two larger outdoor areas for Lucky’s group and Honey B’s group (we’re planning to begin this fall). In the meantime, Lucky, Cy, Gordo, Dora, Rayne, and Terry got their chance to explore “the chute”, which is a short tunnel that will…
Read MoreForaging
Now that it’s cooled off a bit, the chimps in Negra’s group are spending a little more time on the hill. We started the day with a breakfast forage, which lured Negra out of her nest and into the great outdoors. After spending a considerable amount of time foraging, she decided to take the remainder…
Read MoreUps and Downs
We did a number of dyadic intros today – some great, some disappointing. Honey B and Terry did not hit it off despite Terry’s best efforts, so that relationship will take some time to develop. Neither was injured but Honey B did end up with a souvenir from their encounter – a mouthful of Terry’s…
Read MoreNot Again
Before I go into detail, please know that Burrito is doing great and is expected to make a full recovery. Unfortunately, he was bitten by a rattlesnake again yesterday. I know, it’s hard to believe. It was only eleven months ago that he was bitten for the first time. Shortly before 8am, I heard alarm…
Read MoreIt’s Only Natural
Things have changed at CSNW. Many, if not most, male former laboratory chimps are what people in the zoo world refer to as behavioral non-breeders. In short, they were raised in such unnatural ways (e.g., in human homes or in nursery peer groups) that they never learned “normal” sexual behavior. This isn’t to say that…
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