Spit and Spatter

by Madelyn Kos

A well-known behavior of chimpanzees is their act of spitting and, you guessed it – throwing poop. In movies and cartoons, chimpanzees are shown howling and throwing their poop at people for fun. However, this performance is less common than you may think! Spit and spatter is simply a form of communication (a few exceptions may apply).

Chimps display their emotions in various ways. In order to communicate their wants, needs, and opinions, chimps have come up with a few unique methods. Unfortunately for the caregivers, these methods can get a bit messy.

The Spit

Spitting water is a common behavior among the chimps in the sanctuary. The main reason chimps spit water is to get a reaction from someone or for attention. This behavior is completely friendly and playful. Sometimes, it can be seen as validation! Beverly, a caregiver aide, mentioned when she got water spit on her by Quintin. She takes this interaction as acknowledgement, evidence their relationship is growing. Beverly views this communication as a positive experience since he is not ignoring her anymore.

Haylee is well known among the staff as the water spitter. She is completely comical when doing this. The caregivers are aware of Haylee’s routine, but unfortunately, it is the volunteers who get splashed the most. Since the volunteers wear yellow shirts, it is easier for the chimps to distinguish them from the rest of the staff.

In order to avoid getting soaked, Beverly talked about how she usually tells the volunteers to give Haylee attention when she is not spitting water. This method works sometimes, but Haylee always finds an excuse to spit water somewhere!

When the chimps arrive at the sanctuary, they are nervous, scared, and unsure of their surroundings. Building solid relationships with the chimps is something that is incredibly important in order to show the chimps they are safe. It may take a few weeks to build that trust, but when the chimps start to trust in you, their beautiful personalities come out. Getting water spit on you is just one of the perks!

The Spat

During the time of developing relationships with the chimps, there can sometimes be tensions that arise. When a miscommunication occurs, poop may get thrown. Often when newer chimps get a visit from staff they are not yet familiar with, they become confused and sometimes throw their poop. While this action is rare, it does happen every once in a while.

Armond began throwing his poop when there were incidents with his food. When a caregiver asked him to scoot over with his food in order to make space for another chimp, he grew confused. With this confusion came frustration and soon enough some poop got thrown. Keep in mind this happened when relationships were still being built with the staff and communication styles were developing.

Sometimes Gertrude performs a “fake-out” which means she pretends to throw poop. When she wants something, she bangs on the mesh three times. After the third bang, the caregivers know she means business.

Protect the face!

In order to avoid getting messy, the caregivers are always provided with face masks, face shields, and safety glasses. Typically, new employees and volunteers wear protection as they are more likely to be splashed with water. While only a few chimps spit water, it is always good to be prepared!

Just like any relationship, communication and patience are needed for it to successfully form. This goes for creating relationships with chimps as well. We must learn body language, likes and dislikes, and quirks in order to form the best possible bond.

Spitting water and poop throwing might be involved, but this is never viewed as a negative process at Project Chimps. Instead, spit and spatter is just part of the evolution of relationships with chimps that sometimes gets messy!