Movie Night
by Madelyn Kos
It is a special night at Project Chimps when movie night occurs. And yes – movie night is exactly what it sounds like! The chimps relax and eat popcorn while watching an entertaining film after dinner.
Decisions, decisions
Movie nights at the sanctuary happen once a week, or sometimes every other week depending on everyone’s schedule. After lunch or dinner, when our caregivers finish cleaning and sanitizing the enclosures.
The chimps watch a variety of different movies. Sam, one of the caregivers who organizes movie nights, mentioned how picking out a movie for the chimps is probably the hardest part of the whole activity. There is a large stockpile of films to choose from: Disney, Pixar, Planet Earth, animal documentaries, cartoons, Curious George, and Jane Goodall documentaries are just some of the options.
A common favorite among the chimps is any chimpanzee documentary, for obvious reasons.
When movie night starts
When the chimps watch their movie, they watch intently. They sit in lines in order to get the best view. Some even lie in their hanging half barrels for a more comfortable view. Sometimes popcorn is given out, or should we say scattered. Once the movie starts, the chimps settle in and begin their movie.
Every chimp has a different reaction to the movies shown. Some enjoy documentaries over cartoons, some dislike certain animals, and some have specific mannerisms while watching. (And some choose to not watch at all.) Kivuli loves the Jane Goodall documentary. Every time Goodall appeared on screen, Kivuli would nod his head at her, which is a chimp’s way of saying hello!
Chloe loves all movies, except when there is an elephant involved. When Chloe first saw an elephant on screen, she started alarm calling. It is safe to say that the movie got turned off immediately.
Some of the chimps have specific mannerisms when they watch a film. For every movie, Danner sits and watch the movie, but holds onto his toes the entire time. On the other hand, Leo gets excited about the movies. When the live action Grinch movie is played, Leo starts spinning around out of happiness and excitement.
Why movies?
The main reason for movie nights is for enrichment.
It is important to have different types of enrichment for the chimps, so they can live their best lives. Other types of enrichment may include food and sensory enrichment, as well as tech days. Movie nights are just a part of a rotating schedule of getting the chimps involved with stimulating activities. Plus, the chimps really love movie nights!
Learn more about our enrichment program in this video.
