Quite an Earful

By Violet Bishop

An Earful

Chimpanzees can have a variety of abnormal behaviors. And some of these behaviors are a little odd. For example, Genesis loves to put things in her ears. Anything small enough to fit, she will place inside. Whether it’s walnut shells, mulch, chickpeas, or (sometimes) feces, Genesis does it all. She’s quite an earful. 

Why does she do this?

Genesis puts items in her ears no matter her mood. If she’s stressed, she will put something in her ear. If she’s calm and relaxed, she will also put something in her ear. It is possible that when Genesis came from the lab, the behavior started due to stress and developed as a coping mechanism. However, since she has come to the sanctuary, she also puts things in her ears when she is happy and content. It is more of a habitual behavior instead of a stress reliever. She seems to enjoy the feeling of having a small object in her ear. 

In addition to putting small “ear-sized” items into her ears, Genesis also likes to make them move around while they’re inside. She will drop something in, wrap her arm around the top of her head and flip the top of her ear, so the object bounces around inside her ear. Then, she puts her hand over her ear to ensure the small item doesn’t fall out.  Caregivers see her doing this with her earful at various times throughout the day. 

Similar to Humans

Chimps and humans are both very curious. Young children will sometimes put small items in their ears or mouth out of curiosity. Polyembolokoilamania is the condition in which one inserts foreign objects in body orifices, which can include the ears. While Genesis may not have this specific condition, we see similar mannerisms between chimps and people. Curiosity plays a big role in why chimps and children place items in their ears or mouth.

Documentation and Prevention 

Due to Genesis putting foreign objects in her ears, we have trained her to present her ears for routine checks. Through operant conditioning all of our chimps are trained to present body parts. Body presentation is important if we have to check on an injury, or in this case, look in Genesis’ ears. If we notice that she inserted something during the day, we will check both her ears at the end of the day to make sure nothing is stuck. We also document when and what she places in her ears because it is an abnormal behavior. 

Thankfully, when Genesis puts items in her ears, it has not caused any physical damage. The only time there has been a health concern was when she decided to put feces into her ear. Genesis became fond of putting her excrement in her ears only for a short time. But during that time, there was a risk of developing an infection. When this was happening, we checked her ears more times throughout the day and flushed her ears with saline. The saline ensured there was no residue left behind.  

Because Genesis’s behavior hasn’t caused any damage, we aren’t actively trying to prevent her from doing it. She seems to enjoy it, and we don’t want to cause her stress by trying to stop it. However, if we notice that she is putting more items in her ears than usual, we will give her extra enrichment to ward off boredom. More enrichment provides her with something else to do that is still entertaining.  

Genesis is quite an earful, and her quirky behavior is what makes her special.

You can help Genesis find new items to play with by purchasing an item off of our Amazon Wishlist.