Luke discovers his hidden musical talent

Blog and video by Kalli Kohnen, Photo by Annie Muckelrath

Musical Enrichment

One of the greatest challenges in caring for such intelligent animals as chimpanzees is providing them with enriching experiences. Every day, the chimpanzees at Project Chimps receive morning and evening food-based enrichment devices, but caregivers are always looking for more ways to keep the chimps mentally engaged. With 79 chimpanzees, each with their own unique personality and preferences, care staff often find that different chimps react differently to new enrichment.

Last year we began inviting local musicians to perform for the chimps to see what they may or may not respond to. A violin performance received quite the response! We took guesses on which kind of sounds the chimps might respond to positively and we tried both classical and contemporary tunes.

It was Bach that got their attention the most.

Additional musicians with other instruments and styles were lined up to visit this year but the coronavirus pandemic has interfered with these activities, we hope to resume in the near future.

This past week, we brought an electric piano into several of the villas for the chimps to investigate. Some chimps, like identical twins Buttercup and Charisse, were immediately interested and could not wait to tap out a few notes. Others, like Emma, were more interested in trying to take it apart. (For the chimps’ safety, we removed the piano before she could cause any damage.) Two chimps in particular, however, had very strong reactions.

Not a Fan

29-year-old Precious has very little tolerance for nonsense, which is exactly what she thought of the piano. She sat off to the side for a few minutes while other members of her group in DJT investigated, but eventually she decided enough was enough. In a classic show of chimpanzee contempt, she called an end to the enrichment session by throwing a handful of poop at the piano. Receiving her message loud and clear, we removed the piano from her villa and sanitized it for use at another villa.

It’s a Hit

We then brought the piano to Chimps Ahoy for Kirk’s group to check it out. We had a feeling a few of those boys would enjoy the piano, but we could never have guessed how 33-year-old Luke would react to it.

As with many retired lab chimpanzees, Luke has some anxiety issues. He seems particularly distrustful of anything new, including people, food, and enrichment. But when we presented the chimps with the piano, Luke was the first to investigate. We could not believe our eyes – this usually anxious chimpanzee bravely chose to explore something new!

Watch this video of Luke’s very first time approaching the piano.

To us at Project Chimps, this is what it is all about: giving chimpanzees the freedom to choose. Sometimes it looks like Precious telling us to get that piano out of her sight. Other times it looks like Luke surprising us all with an unexpected show of courage and curiosity. Either way, we are honored to be part of their journey.

A quick note on the video, and the process of piano enrichment:

For the chimps’ health and safety, we sanitize the piano before and after each use. Since the piano contains small parts and electronics, we place the piano outside the mesh of their indoor, climate-controlled bedrooms. This way, when they wander in from their outdoor porches and habitats, they can choose to either safely interact with the piano through the mesh, or ignore it in favor of a nap or a game of chase with their group mates.