Posts Tagged ‘chimp’
Chimps Ahoy: Hierarchy and Roles – Part 1 of 3
Chimpanzees are complex. Their social group dynamics thrive off the strength of their interconnecting web of relationships known as hierarchy. At Project Chimps, caregivers use three “levels” of hierarchy to help them discuss such a dynamic web: high-ranking, mid-ranking, and low-ranking.
Read MoreChimps Ahoy: Hierarchy and Roles – Part 2 of 3
The Chimps Ahoy group was really fun to watch! A majority of my time was spent watching a lot of grooming and napping—the two most common affiliative behaviors. This may seem like an uneventful behavior to some, but I got plenty of information on the relationships that the chimps had with each other.
Read MoreChimps Ahoy: Hierarchy and Roles – Part 3 of 3
From the beginning of my internship, we had our eyes on Justin and Rocko as possible enforcer candidates. Justin and Rocko are very dominant chimps that would usually be found around Kirk to show their high rank status.
Read MoreEnrichment Committee Facilitator: Meet Human Jill
Project Chimps has amazing donors that bring, or send, items we use for making our enrichment. The chimps receive a morning enrichment, a themed enrichment, and evening enrichment daily. Many of these items are made from your everyday “trash” that we in turn treasure. Learn more about the Enrichment Committee today.
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 MoreStop Keeping Pet Chimps
By Kat West We can all agree that chimps are cute. But we also know they are wild animals and shouldn’t be kept as pets. Not everyone understands this, however. Although it’s illegal in many countries like the U.K. it is still legal in the United States. The Captive Primate Safety act aims to change…
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.
Chimp Faces: Noticing & Reading Facial Expressions
Caregiver Aide Mackenzie explains the importance of closely observing the chimps, saying, “With the chimps we have to watch very carefully to determine how they’re feeling.” Staff must develop an understanding of the chimps’ baseline body and facial expressions so they can tell when something is ‘off’.
Read MoreFrom 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.
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