Dorothy Jo & Tilly
Why human oriented isn’t always good for chimps
We have “chimp chimps” and “human oriented chimps”. Chimp chimps prefer interacting with their fellow troop members over interacting with human caregivers. Human oriented chimps like to focus their time and energy on human caregivers.
Read MoreChimp Tattoos
At Project Chimps its not uncommon to see a tattoo here and there. Like many people some of the staff are tattooed. Did you know some chimps have tattoos as well? Why would a chimp have a tattoo? Chimp tattoos seem very odd. This blog will explain. We’ll also look at some of the interesting tattoos our staff have that celebrate their connection to chimps.
Read MoreFeeding A Shy Chimp
Torian’s caution influences her eating habits. She waits for all the other chimps to be fed before she’ll come get food. As Samantha describes it, “she’s going to wait until everything is gone before she gets a chance to lick the crumbs off the floor.”
Read MoreThe Role of “Auntie” in Female Chimps
Chimps have these ambiguous female figures too! Growing up without their mom, our orphaned lab chimps rely even more heavily on the guidance of older influences.
Older female chimps who take young female groupmates under their metaphorical wing, I call “aunties.” But really, they’re just old ladies showing young girls the ropes.
From Studying Chimps to Seeing Chimps
Studying chimps in her textbooks, India ultimately discovered, does not compare to meeting them in real life. She remembers her first day at Project Chimps clearly, because on this day she came face to face with a chimp for the first time.
Read MoreThe Perfected Hand Eating Techniques
No utensils? No problem. Chimpanzees use their hands for basically everything – including eating. They rely on their hands in the same way humans do, if not more! When it comes to eating, the chimps are always showing off their hand eating skills.
Read MoreMarlon’s Finger Injury
When there was a scuffle in the yard, Marlon appeared to have an injury to his finger. It eventually required surgery. However, he has made a fantastic recovery! Learn more about how Marlon has handled his injury. Warning *graphic images*
Read MoreDo chimps eat insects?
In the wild 2% of a chimp’s diet is made up of animal protein, and the majority of that is bugs! These chimps seem a lot less inclined to eat insects the way their wild cousins do. At least for now.
Read MoreA Chimp’s Guide to Stealing Food
Stealing food is a strategic business in the chimp world. While it may sound like a simple interaction, there are actually many reasons why chimps steal food – and no, it is not just because they are hungry. Here is a chimp’s guide to stealing food while keeping a clean slate.
Read MoreSpit and Spatter
A well-known behavior of chimpanzees is their act of spitting and, you guessed it – throwing poop. But why do they spit and spatter?
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