Chimps Watch the “Human Parade”
Guest Blogger: Project Chimps Volunteer Gordon Hewett
A very important goal of Project Chimps is to provide enrichment for the chimps to ensure they have plenty of activities and entertainment.
Enrichment takes the form of puzzles, challenging activities, toys AND human parades.
I became a volunteer tour guide at Project Chimps partly because of my pleasant experiences as a tour guide with this facility when it was a sanctuary for gorillas. I enjoy meeting and talking with people and I particularly enjoy observing the interaction between the animals and the people.
Who is really on display?
You may think that when you take part in a guided tour of the chimps residences that you are trying to see the chimps but do you realise that you are performing a very important enrichment role for the benefit of the chimps?
Think of your tour as your walk by the windows. You are the one who is on display in the “zoo.”
The chimps are extremely interested in watching humans parading outside windows of their homes. They really enjoy watching the array of different humans that parade past their home. Some of the chimps seem enamoured watching children.
Before coming to Project Chimps the chimps were born and raised in tightly controlled environments. They rarely saw the sky and likely never stood on grass in an open field. We do not know the complete history of all the chimps so it is difficult to understand what motivates each one.
The majority of the “people” they saw and interacted with, in their previous life, were dressed in sterile suits. Some may have never seen an open human hand before coming to Project Chimps.
Retirement at Project Chimps is a huge change in environment, treatment and experiences. The human parade is one of those new experiences.
Each chimp has a unique personality just like humans. This results in each chimp viewing and processing information about this “human parade” past their house in different ways.
Sometimes chimps will show great interest in the passing parade. Like the time when I saw a chimp named Noel take an intense interest in a small boy in the group. I am sure that both of them had “a moment.”
Do the chimps interact with humans?
The chimps may interact in some way with people. They will come to windows to get a better view. Sometimes interacting by coming to windows and displaying or knocking on the glass. Sometimes they will appear totally disinterested but don’t be misled, they are watching and processing what the human parade is doing.
One major difference between the chimps former life in medical research and their retirement in Project Chimps is that, in the research facility they were required to perform specific actions as the researchers dictated.
At Project Chimps they now make their own choices. If they wish to go outside into the 6-acre Peachtree Habitat it is entirely the chimps choice. Or they may decide they would like to remain in their “bedroom.”
This is why, while you are enjoying your participation in the human parade, you may see chimps through the habitat windows. The chimps may interact with the human viewers. The chimps may be watching you through the windows from their quarters in the shadows where you cannot see them. BUT they can still see you!
Marlon’s message
One of my favourite moments on a tour so far was when a chimp named Marlon saw humans at a window looking at him outside in the habitat. He decided that he needed to give the humans a message. He hooted, displayed then launched himself at the window (don’t worry the windows are bulletproof). I feel sure as he calmly walked away that all the humans got his message, “ I am in charge here.”
So please be on your best behavior when you are on display in the Human Parade that is called a tour. If you are joining us for a tour at one of our upcoming events or you book a private tour, just maybe I’ll be your tour guide. Look for a leather hat being worn by a bloke with an Australian accent.
If you’d like to join Gordon as a volunteer at Project Chimps, register online. To learn more about our upcoming events, sign up to receive advance email notifications.