Currently, the team is working to implement several solutions for monitoring heart health in the chimps. Like in humans, cardiac issues are common in chimpanzees, and Chimp Haven is committed to providing our residents with exceptional medical care. This includes monitoring their health through our Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) program. PRT gives our team a lot of opportunities to practice creative problem solving. With roughly 300 chimps in our care, we’re lucky that our team is well versed in the art of chimpanzee creativity.

The chimps are occasionally sedated for routine medical exams. During these procedures, we can collect extensive information about their cardiac health and compare this information to the data collected during awake PRT sessions.

Animal care facilities across the globe are using a variety of strategies to collect cardiac data. In late 2024, several co-workers and I attended a workshop to learn more about these methods and how we can share our data with other facilities. Since there is still a lot about chimpanzee heart health that is unknown, we value these opportunities to collaborate with other professionals. Some of the procedures discussed at the workshop included awake blood draws, blood pressure readings, EKGs, and echocardiograms. While we are still figuring out how to implement some of these methods at Chimp Haven, many of our residents have become pros at Kardia Mobile, a method for awake EKG readings. Nine of our chimps have completely mastered this behavior while 64 others are still practicing with their trainers. Others are working on presenting their body parts, which is the first step towards interacting with the Kardia Mobile equipment. We are so proud of all of them and will continue to work with all of them at whatever pace works for their chimp schedules. Although we offer delicious snacks for participation, we can’t blame them for occasionally spending time with friends over training with us.

Speaking of friends, we don’t separate chimpanzees from their group mates to train with them. We believe this is best for the chimps, but it can be another obstacle that requires our problem-solving abilities. You may know by now that chimpanzees are master mischief-makers. Sometimes we need several staff members to train with a group to prevent other chimps from interfering with, breaking, or stealing the training tools we’re using.

Because our chimps can be rowdy with our equipment, our maintenance department has worked to chimp-proof our Kardia Mobile stands. They’re also fabricating a “mesh sleeve” that the chimps can put their arm through to participate in blood pressure readings and blood draws. Their inventiveness never ceases to amaze us.

As you can see, there’s still much work to be done. But we’re excited to be on this journey with our residents. We’ll keep you updated on their progress. In the meantime, if anyone figures out how we can get a blood pressure reading on Inky while she’s lounging in the forest, we’re all ears. 

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Bischk is only 39 years old, but looks a few decades older than that, resembling the late great Maggie Smith in her role as Professor McGonagall. Her face is creased with wise wrinkles and dark brown eyes shine with clever intelligence, evaluating the world around her with unmitigated judgment. To stand in Bischk’s court is to be found guilty until proven innocent via covert handoff of dried fruit or popsicle. She is cunning and relishes mischief, stealing spoons and making people jump with a well-placed prod of her long fingers.

Her passion for causing trouble comes second to how much she loves to eat. With an enviable metabolism, she maintains a sleek frame no matter how much she eats, and her appetite is clearly communicated by her impatience when she sees food coming her way. Her demands are communicated via a charming lip smack unique only to her and an endearing pout, pushing her lips out at caregivers with her most convincing wet eyed plea, only to repay any generosity with a haughty jab of her fingers when you’re found empty handed.

When Bischk and I started our training together, she was eager to show me everything she knew, a flurry of limbs as she offered to present everything at once as fast as she could manage it. She found it faster to just try and guess what was going to be asked next than wait for the hand signal. The result of her intelligence was frustration with me when I refused to reward her for trying to mind read rather than look at my signal.

We went through a painstaking period of training for focus and attention, a foundation based on studio animal training. The first thing a dog actor being trained to work in films is taught is to look not at the treat, but at the trainer. That focus is critical to catching the next cue that will indicate it’s time to bark, beg, or roll over and fulfill their role in the scene. Applied to Bischk, who was training for medical behaviors, this was to enhance her attention span and patience. Session after session Bischk was peppered with treats for eye contact and attention to the hand signals being given. She both enjoyed and loathed these moments as this was a new request she hadn’t faced. Focus is an incredibly abstract concept to develop in an animal, especially in a chimpanzee who has a vivid inner life and motivations.

Another hurdle was Bischk’s proclivity for petty theft. As the embodiment of the idle hands saying, she often found it much more fun to steal the cue stick pointing at her body parts. She had good reason, often these items can be held for ransom, bartering plastic spoons for a peanut. While this was indulged at first, she started to try and take it more often, so we transitioned to letting this be her method of ending the session. It only took two instances of packing up after losing the cue stick for her to quit that habit. One of the things that makes training with apes so remarkable is how easily they connect cause and effect. It represents what intensely complex, social animals they are to be able to infer that something they do can cause a reaction in someone else, even in another species.

Without words we were able to come to an agreement that I would not work with her if she took the tools needed for a training session. And in turn, she told me clearly that she valued our sessions enough to set aside this hobby of hers (at least during training). It was a critical step to introducing the use of medical tools like thermometers and portable EKGs into her learning.

Today, Bischk is an entirely different trainee than when we started. She keeps her eyes on hand signals, looking to see what is being asked with immense patience. From a rough start at short, five-minute sessions, Bischk can now train almost indefinitely with ardent attention, as long as the food keeps flowing. Looking back at when this training relationship began with Bischk a year ago, it is impossible to imagine that she would ever have sat still long enough for a Kardia reading. Staying still is hard enough for people, it’s even more inspiring to see a chimpanzee do it, calmly seated with two fingers on the sensitive metal pads of the miniature EKG reader having her heartbeat monitored, without a word passing between us.

The post In Conversation with Bischk appeared first on Chimp Haven.

Pocket Peanut
It’s an obvious one, but you learn right away that all’s fair in love of food. One of the biggest hurdles of being a lower ranking chimp is that getting your daily banana isn’t so straightforward. So for us with low ranker chimp friends, having a pocket snack is the way to go. Whether it’s a banana, peanut, fruit gummies, or carrot, sometimes the illusion of being empty handed is the easiest way to hand off the goods.

Rendezvous
Every chimp’s home has a few hidey holes, corners where the rest of the group can’t see some chimpie easily or there’s a convenient barrel to stand next to. Some of the lowest ranking chimps are the cleverest and will walk new people to these secret spots where it’s the perfect place to get an extra snack and no one else will be the wiser.

Play It Off
For a lot of our chimps playing is their favorite thing in the world. Whether it’s with another chimp or a caretaker, they will drop anything to come bounce and laugh. For some of our big boys, they can be convinced to keep their hands off a friend’s snack with a couple stomps. You learn who your playful boys are by watching the group. When things get tense, our fun loving kids will get right up in a big, fluffy boy’s face and start bobbing their head, and suddenly the whole situation diffuses. Stomping has been the saving grace of many caretakers.

Bait and Switch
Some of the tricks of the trade aren’t even handled by caretakers. Chimpanzees are deviously clever of their own accord. One of the best tricks some of our chimp geniuses have shown off is peeling their banana along the side (not from the top like us) and the result is a very convincing whole banana. They drop this empty skin when they see the alpha eyeing their snack and nine times out of ten this gives them the exact amount of time to run off with the actual banana and eat while the alpha is left opening an empty skin.

Sharing is Caring
Often there’s just no getting around having a swarm of begging chimp faces and only having one piece of food. When the chimp who was intended to get that snack isn’t high ranking enough to shrug off the competition one of the nicest things about chimpanzees is that they can and will share. More often than not everyone is perfectly happy with having just a little bite of a treat and then let the majority of the banana go to the intended chimp. Sometimes the receiving chimp will even break off a piece to share with a friend giving them a pouty lip. Granted sometimes they know behind those big begging eyes is a tantrum waiting to happen. Better to give Maxi a piece of your banana now before she starts crying and rolling around on the ground.

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What this means in practice is that, as we work towards our chimp trainee learning a new behavior, we ask for small changes and adjustments each time we train until eventually our trainee is doing the correct behavior. In training Latoya, I was ready and prepared to follow this principal – and apparently so was she!

I have trained with Latoya for more than two years now. I initially started working with her because she was a bit of a “stubborn shifter.” (Shifting is the process of asking the chimpanzees to go outside each day so we can clean their bedrooms.)

Latoya was infamous for sitting right in the doorway between her bedroom and her outdoor yard, not allowing staff to close the door between the two spaces. Sometimes, as we offered her fruit or juice to come outside, she would leave just a few toes in the doorway as she stretched out to reach the treat we were offering. Yes – really!

In order to encourage Latoya to shift for us more easily, I created a shifting plan for her that incorporated positive reinforcement training. I already knew Latoya enjoyed training, so it seemed like a good idea to use it to give Latoya more control over how she shifts each day.

Following this plan, I always bring over a portion of her diet (especially if there’s broccoli – her favorite!) and ask Latoya to meet me just outside her bedroom door to train with me. Once she meets me – something we call “stationing” – I gently and slowly close the door. When the session is over, she receives the produce I’ve brought along with her coveted banana.

Since implementing this plan, Latoya now regularly shifts outside and meets me to train while allowing me to close the door. In fact, she’s gotten so good at shifting outside that she recently decided to raise the criteria for herself! LT, as she is also known, has begun to “shift out” her stuffed animals.

For most of the time I’ve known her, Latoya has periodically carried around stuffed animals. I’ve noticed she’s partial to ones that look like a specific small monkey with dangly legs, though she’s not too picky. (One of my favorite stuffed animals I’ve seen Latoya carry around was a large stuffed snake.)

Recently during shifting, Latoya sat in her doorway and looked around for a moment. I asked her to come station like always and instead…she went back inside.

“Oh no,” I thought. She’s not going to shift today. We’ve been doing so well!”

Suddenly, Latoya was back in the doorway, but this time with company: a small dangly sloth wearing a Santa hat. I assured Latoya that her “baby” could come station too, and after a few more seconds, she joined me like normal.

The next day, once again, LT went inside when I called, and retrieved a stuffed animal of her choosing (the Santa sloth was apparently unavailable on this day). She promptly dropped it outside the doorway, and then came to join me to station.

I don’t mind Latoya bringing extra guests to our shift training – I’m just glad she feels comfortable leaving the doorway each day and trusts me to close the door behind her. Thanks for letting me know it was time to raise the criteria, Latoya!

The post Latoya (and Her Stuffed Animals) Raise Their Own Criteria appeared first on Chimp Haven.

Chimp: Roxanne, 28 years old, living the Chimp Life since 2014

Personal Trainer: Rebekah Lewis, Positive Reinforcement Training Program Coordinator

Roxanne is a smart, enthusiastic participant in our positive reinforcement training program. When Roxanne’s vet team told me that she needed a personal trainer to maintain a more healthy weight, I was excited and motivated to help. You see, when Roxanne and I started working out together I was seven months pregnant with my little boy, and I needed to stay mobile and healthy myself.

Every morning, if you looked out at Roxanne’s enclosure you saw us: two larger ladies waddling up and down the grass together. Roxanne would walk with me, but she would also climb shelving and other yard obstacles when I asked her to. Some days we would even muster up a light jogging pace!

There were some days that I was just exhausted and she motivated ME to keep going, big baby belly and all. She would race ahead and look back at me as if to encourage me to keep going. Roxanne will also allow me to take her temperature and monitor her heart rate with a stethoscope, so I am her own personal FitBit!

We tried to always meet in the cool of the morning and I always brought some low calorie treats for motivation. After she finished an exercise set she would receive either a small snack of sugar-free juice and heart-healthy nuts or a little portion of frozen fruit.

Since I have been back from maternity leave we have continued our exercise commitment to each other, meeting almost every day to walk and train. We’re not perfect…sometimes we have cheat days, where she decides that the weather is not to her liking and she wants to sleep in, nestled in her hammock, and I’ll retreat to my office for coffee (with extra sugar!).

However, for the most part, Roxanne has been a joy to work out with and she has definitely helped me “lose the baby weight.” I thought I was her personal trainer, but I suspect she may really have been mine all along.

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When it comes to ideal candidates for training partners at Chimp Haven, 54-year-old Julius probably would not rank high on the list. As one of the sanctuary’s “Golden Oldies,” Julius is known as a bit of a curmudgeon, perfectly content to spend his days roaming his habitat or napping alongside his groupmates, and perfectly happy to limit his contact with caregivers to just the necessities.  

That is until he met his thoughtful and persistent match in Animal Care Specialist Ellen Brady-McGaughey. For the past two years, Ellen has made it her mission to earn Julius’s trust and improve his wellbeing through Chimp Haven’s Positive Reinforcement Training program – and along the way, she’s unlocked the secrets to a sweet and rewarding new friendship.

Know Your Partner…and Always Pack Peanuts 

“Julius is generally timid and reserved around people, and not at all interested in us humans,” Ellen shared. “As an older gentleman, he can get easily spooked if you move around too fast near him or make unexpected movements. When we started training together, I brought lots of really good treats so that he would associate me with good things, and anytime I was in his area I would swing by and give him a peanut, which he enjoys very much. I also tried my best to speak his language by greeting him more like other chimps would greet him (panting at him and extending my arm towards him), instead of like humans greet each other (for example with a big, loud, “Helloooooo JUJU!”). With time, he became more comfortable with me and even seemed curious that I could interact with him in that way.” 

Get Creative (and Patient) 

“I wanted to go at whatever pace Julius was comfortable with and make sure he enjoyed his training. We use a clicker to let the chimps know when they have successfully done what we’ve asked them in training, and at first Julius was startled by the sound of the clicker. So I got a clicker with volume control and turned it down low, and we slowly worked it up to where he is unbothered by a normal volume clicker. He was also unsure of my training tools – a white training bucket, a PVC target, and a plastic spoon to be used as a cue stick (to be able to touch him with to show him what I am asking for). He jumped when I first sat down with them, so I slowly showed him each thing and rewarded him just for sitting and looking at them. Gradually I would move them closer and closer and reward him each time he allowed me to do so.” 

Pant-Hoots are the Best Medicine 

“I remember the first time Julius ever panted back at me. It was at night, I had come in to do last checks on the chimps, and when he saw me walk in, he panted at me. I could not believe it. I thought surely he was confused, getting senile in his old age. But then a few weeks later I returned from vacation and I greeted him by panting and reaching out my hand – and he panted back at me! It made my day. It was clear to me that our relationship was growing and he was becoming more comfortable with me.  

“I started making time for play visits as well as training visits. I tried using a long-handled spoon to tickle him, which is one way we play with the chimps, but when he wasn’t comfortable with the spoon we made up our own game, which I’ve started calling “pretend tickles.” I pretend to grab at him, much like when chimps play with each other and will grab at each other’s hands or feet. I pretend like I’m grabbing his toes, or his hands, or like I’m going to poke him in the belly, and he thinks it’s the funniest thing. My hands are nowhere close to him but he acts like I am full on, actually tickling him, and I chimp laugh and he laughs with me and watches me pretend to tickle him. Maybe he thinks it’s hilarious that I’m so willing to make a complete fool of myself for him! The first time I made him laugh I was so excited because not only was Julius relaxed with me, but we were playing and laughing together. I just wanted to stay in that moment forever and keep playing until we couldn’t play anymore.” 

Celebrate the Wins 

“Julius moves at his own pace, and we have completely designed his training and progress around his comfort. Sometimes success is just him not running away, and honestly that’s huge progress on its own. Every baby step he makes, in training and in our relationship building, is so exciting and sweet.” 

What’s next for Julius? 

“My biggest training goal for Julius is to train him to use the KardiaMobile, which allows us to capture EKG readings while the chimps are awake, and to improve his mobility as he ages by having him move around more during our sessions. I’m so proud knowing that his quality of life is improving with each barrier we break. More than anything, I just want to continue to have fun and play as often as we can, and enjoy whatever time we have together. Julius is an elderly chimp and I know our time is limited, but I am grateful to have been let, even just a little bit, into his life and to get to be his friend.” 

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When it comes to heart health, the best patients are those who actively and eagerly participate in their own care – and just like with humans, not all chimp patients are created equal.

Maxi, for example, is a heart healthcare whiz. When Animal Care Coordinator Ellen Brady-McGaughey requests an electrocardiogram (EKG) heart reading, 35-year-old Maxi is quick to oblige, eagerly placing two fingers in just the right spots on a portable device.

Other chimps, like 55-year-old Julius, are not as interested. As one of the sanctuary’s oldest residents, Julius would (understandably!) rather hang out with his Golden Oldie buddies in his play yard than sit for an EKG reading. But for an elderly chimp like Julius, heart health is one of the most essential components of the medical care provided at Chimp Haven.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for human adults and chimpanzee alike, and with a large geriatric population, the Chimp Haven team explores every avenue to provide the chimps a long, happy, and healthy life at sanctuary.

By inviting the chimps to participate in EKG training, they can monitor the chimps’ heart health without the need for sedation, which often becomes more difficult on the chimps as they age.

Although Chimp Haven uses the same KardiaMobile EKG devices advertised for humans, the process of getting a reading for a chimp isn’t quite as simple.

“Chimps are like kids; it’s really hard for them to stay still,” said Rebekah Lewis, Chimp Haven Behaviorist. “And staying still is exactly what’s required to get a solid EKG reading to evaluate heart function using the KardiaMobile device. The device requires the patient to steady two fingers on a reading pad for at least 30 seconds. I’ve tried it myself, and even as an adult putting my fingers in there and holding perfectly still for 30 seconds or even a minute feels like forever. So that’s one of our obstacles.”

It’s a challenge Chimp Haven staff take on enthusiastically, meeting with their chimp training partners every week and celebrating each step the chimps take toward learning the new behaviors. They provide juice, belly scratches, and plenty of praise as the chimps learn to approach, touch, and then hold their fingers correctly on the EKG device.

Some chimps, like Maxi, catch on within days, while other chimps need a little more practice. Regardless of their learning style, staff work together to brainstorm and adjust the chimps’ training sessions. The sanctuary’s maintenance team has also gotten in on the action, creating custom training equipment that includes a special juice holder for the chimps.

“Cardiac disease is common across all great ape species, so the information we’re collecting at Chimp Haven has the potential to help chimps everywhere,” shared Chimpanzee Training Program Supervisor Jordan Garbarino. “Not only can we make our chimps’ lives better, but we can contribute to the crucial work being done to understand heart health in all great apes.”

As more chimps are trained to participate in EKG readings, a broader picture of their health will emerge, allowing their care team to provide preventative care, detect cardiac health issues earlier, and ensure they live long and happy lives at sanctuary.

The post Leading with Heart for Chimpanzee Health appeared first on Chimp Haven.

All Animal Care staff at Chimp Haven participate in the PRT Program, which pairs staff members with chimpanzees to train them for various behaviors and give the chimps the opportunity to voluntarily participate in their own medical care. Staff, for example, can train the chimps to present body parts for health checks or even to receive nail trimmings, laser therapy treatments to promote healing, or temperature monitoring. After presenting the correct behavior, the chimps are rewarded with a preferred reinforcer, which varies based on each chimp’s individual preferences (think tasty fruits or juice). Trainers can work with as many chimps as they feel they have time to engage with.  

I presently have eight trainees, and below are five of my star students!  

Levi 

Levi didn’t start out with much PRT background, but has quickly taken to it and learned so many behaviors! He has learned how to target (touching a PVC tube with a cap on the end, used to ask the chimps to move around their enclosure) and how to present his hands and lips. He is close with head and feet presentation too! Levi is so interested in training now that it’s not uncommon to see him waiting patiently behind me while I train with other chimps nearby, sometimes bobbing his head when I finally turn his way. He loves to train for any flavor of sugar-free juice and usually he gets to finish the bottle as a jackpot at the end of our session! 

Lil Rose 

Lil Rose has really started to blossom in her PRT journey! We’ve been working on KardiaMobile training utilizing a small, portable device made to obtain EKGs from humans. This form of training requires a lot of patience and trial and error as it requires the chimps to place both hands on the device very precisely and hold them there for 30 seconds straight to get a full EKG reading. Lil Rose has quickly mastered the two-hand approach and we’re now working on holding her hands in place for longer durations. Her favorite reinforcer is grapes, so once those came into the picture it was a fast process!  

Toya 

Toya has always been a PRT super star, but I want to praise her specifically for how far she’s come with her exercise training! Toya is a larger lady and weight management is one of her training goals. To add some extra exercise to her day, I’ll ask her to climb or stand to touch a target and then sit back down after. We call these her “squats.” She used to be hesitant to even stand up to target but now she’s climbing to reach it regularly! We even recently introduced a laser pointer target and she will travel across her room to touch the projected laser light. 

Tessa 

Tessa has also been one of my star trainees from the beginning. She knew many behaviors when I started working with her and she’s only continued to learn more! I truly do not think there is anything Tessa can’t do. Most recently we started working on KardiaMobile together. While this behavior is complex, Tessa proved a quick study yet again! Once she figured out I wanted both of her hands – it was on. Now we can obtain EKG readings while Tessa is sitting amongst her groupmates and receiving her preferred reinforcers – sugar free raspberry lemonade, dried fruit, and a banana jackpot.   

Latoya 

Latoya is one of my favorite chimps to train with because she is so deliberate and gentle with presenting behaviors. She is the most delicate with medical equipment as well and injection training has been no different! We’ve recently started working towards that behavior, so that she could willingly present her arm for injections of medications or vaccines if she needed them. I started by showing her a syringe with a cap on it and she immediately turned to present her arm – brave as can be. Latoya also loves grapes, so she was rewarded with many as a jackpot for this milestone. She can also be a bit of a diva, so sometimes after our sessions she gets a “mani-pedi” which involves me brushing her fingers and toes with a long paintbrush.  

The post Jordan’s Star Students appeared first on Chimp Haven.

Chimp: Cocoa Puff, 33 years old, living the Chimp Life since 2016

Personal Trainer: Hannah Jones, Animal Caregiver

About Cocoa Puff

I train with Cocoa Puff, a sweet, sassy, girl who’s full of personality. She’s pretty social, but also enjoys a good nap alone in the sun and time to herself.

Our “workouts”

The long-term goal of my training program with Cocoa is weight management, as we want her to be her healthiest self. Our main focus is increasing her activity levels by incorporating target training to get her moving.

Right now, I’m working on building her interest level in training and teaching some basic body parts. This will help her to be excited about training which will, in turn, give her the most opportunity for success.

When Cocoa chooses to participate in our training sessions, she does a great job and picks things up quickly, but she’s not always in the mood. My challenge, then, is to figure out what will make her the most excited to train and motivate more active behaviors.

Since we’ve started, I can already see improvements in Cocoa’s interest level. She seems more excited to begin our training sessions and interacts longer and longer each time, stretching a little more to reach the target.

Sometimes, when Cocoa is feeling extra energetic and playful, I play chase with her the length of her yard and back (or as much as she’s willing to do). Whenever Cocoa Puff is willing to get moving, I’m more than willing to oblige.

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One thing you should know about LaToya is…she doesn’t like to shift. Shifting is something that happens every morning so that staff can clean the chimps’ habitats: all the chimps in a group are asked to come outside while staff are cleaning their bedrooms.

During shifting, Miss LaToya is notorious for sitting in her habitat doorway and letting all her friends back inside (the little sneak!). As you can imagine, it tends to derail the morning routine for her group. So, Awbrea and Jordan set out to find positive ways to encourage LaToya to shift outside each morning.

The red target pictured is placed in the same place each morning and LaToya is asked to meet her trainer at that spot, where they’ll reward her with juice (grape is her fave), or a small food reward like a banana or apple slices. The goal is for her to sit and hang out with her trainer while staff is cleaning her bedroom.

Jordan recently saw some wonderful improvement in their training when LaToya came right out and met her at the target as asked – bedrooms were cleaned in record time, and Jordan squealed to LaToya about what a good girl she was while rewarding her with clicks and juice.

These little breakthroughs help strengthen the bond between trainers and chimps, and help ensure that they can trust and understand each other should an urgent situation ever occur.

Jordan says that Awbrea, LaToya’s primary trainer, has been dedicated to LaToya’s training, and that the foundation she’s built allows other trainers to step in and work with her successfully.

Wonderful work, and click/juice for everyone!

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Chimp: Crystal, 32 years old, living the Chimp Life since 2007

Personal Trainer: Robyn Gilles, Behavior Technician

About Crystal

Crystal is a very playful, enthusiastic chimps and always catches my eye by swaying side to side, inviting me over to her. She is very people motivated and if she wants your attention she WILL get your attention one way or another. She’ll make noises, and, if that doesn’t work, she’ll get some water and spit it at you – her aim is spot on! She is a distinguished chimp and will captivate you with her one eye.

Our “workouts”

Crystal is a bigger lady and it’s nice to walk with her since she really likes to participate. If she’s up in the cupola she will make her way down quickly to get attention. She loves our morning work boots, so when I found out she needed to lose weight I grabbed my boots and made her my walking buddy.

Knowing that Crystal likes to walk the perimeter of her yard to be close to staff, I set up an “obstacle course” to help increase movement I walk with her. The maze includes tires and logs so Crystal has to either walk around or over but either way she gets more steps in or using different muscles to step up and over the obstacle. Crystal’s reward for walking these laps around her yard is getting to touch/groom my boots which she loves to do. She also likes to get groomed with a long-handled spoon. This is a nice low calorie reward to help achieve her ideal weight.

I also like to give encouraging words to Crystal as we walk, like you would do for anyone on a weight loss journey. She even has her own theme song that I made up and will sing to her (Eye of the Crystal sung to the tune of Eye of the Tiger).

Since we started walking together, I’ve noticed a quicker pace that even occasionally works up to a light jog! Her initial group of nine has been introduced to nine other chimpanzees and this has also helped her weight since there is more activity going on in the group. Jonah, one of the introduced chimps, has even recruited himself to Crystal’s walking club!

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Long shadows stretch from the trees as I move along the narrow trail following my dog, Parker, closely. We are walking the “monkey trails” named for their proximity to Chimp Haven, though they really should be called the “great ape” trails.

We’ve started our hike early in the morning to avoid the dreaded Louisiana heat. The air is already damp with humidity causing my shirt to cling to my skin. Parker turns in my direction ears perked forward, alert, and listening to something behind me. I hear what has caught my pup’s attention as the voices of more than three hundred chimpanzees rises over the tree tops. I guess that my co-workers are probably feeding the chimps, a task that is also mine when not on my day off.

The cacophony of chimp sounds reverberating throughout the trees makes me feel as if I have been transported to the jungles of Africa. As Parker and I continue our hike, my mind begins to think back to when I first started working at Chimp Haven. Immediately my thoughts travel to a chimp named Hawkins, one of the first chimps I bonded with at the sanctuary, whose journey at Chimp Haven I have had the pleasure of witnessing from his very first day.

Hawkins arrived at Chimp Haven in early 2018 with two other males. Hawkins is a slim, light-faced chimp who had two characteristics that were immediately apparent: One, he liked to play chase, and two, he was a talented thrower. His favorite projectile, unfortunately for staff, is poop. The majority of chimps who throw usually stick with one style – overhand or underhand or some other variation. Hawkins is unique in that he has about four or five different styles, including several creative ones that involved clapping. He became an expert at keeping staff on our toes, and there were many a time when we’d scatter at the sound of his clap, knowing that something unpleasant was headed our way.

Shortly after Hawkins’ small group of boys arrived, Chimp Haven received a group of five female chimpanzees. The most distinct of the group was Hope, who has alopecia and is completely bald. There was also Lori who had a dark face and was very sassy; Leanne with her distinct mutton-chop beard; and last but certainly not least two rather chunky and round girls, Heidi, who gained the nickname “the bowling ball,” and Robbie, the larger and more assertive of the two who became known as “the wrecking ball.”

All chimps at Chimp Haven are housed in social groups, mimicking the way they live in the wild. We commonly have chimps arrive at the sanctuary in groups of five or less. These groups are observed, assessed, and introduced to other groups of chimps who we believe have compatible personalities. Soon it was decided that Hawkins and his boys would meet the five girls.

There are chimps who, when they are introduced to new chimps, astound staff with their social prowess. Watching them move throughout their new group is something like watching a dance whose mood is ever changing. They show proper submission to dominant chimps, hold their own against some who may need a little more discipline, and are gentle towards those that are more timid.

Hawkins is not one of these chimps.

In fact, Hawkins’s behavior upon meeting the five females confused humans and chimps alike. He ran toward the females, stomping his feet as if he wanted to play, but his facial expression never changed, and the girls – confused at his intentions – initially ran from him. When they were finally brave enough to allow Hawkins to interact with them, he alternated between playing, hitting and stomping his feet.

From all appearances it seemed Hawkins was also confused about what he was doing. Fortunately for him, Hope is the ultimate social butterfly. She was very patient with Hawkins, panting at him in greeting when he approached and reaching her hand out towards him showing that was friendly. She even went so far as to embrace Hawkins.

Eventually he began to calm down and even engaged in some calm play with Hope and Robbie. The introduction was a success and the little group of eight was in for many more adventures together.

Their next adventure would be positive reinforcement training.

Positive Reinforcement Training is a key component of caring for the chimps at the sanctuary. It helps with shifting (moving the chimps from one area to another so we can clean their enclosures), allows us to more easily asses and treat medical issues, and provides the chimps with enrichment by allowing them to use their intelligence.

At Chimp Haven we use positive reinforcement training, a method of training that rewards the chimps when a behavior is done correctly. To become a trainer, staff must go through several written tests. They are then assigned a mentor who teaches them to work with chimps who already know common behaviors, and then they are assigned a “naïve” chimp, which is a chimp who has never been trained before.

My naïve chimp was Hawkins. I’ve heard many animal care professionals say that nothing will teach you patience like working with animals, and in my years in this profession I’ve found this to be one of the truest statements I’ve ever heard. I’ve worked with many animals who were excellent teachers of patience, to which I am very thankful.

Little did I know, Hawkins was about to put all those lessons to the test.

With a training bucket filled with treats, a cue stick, a target, and a clicker, my mentor and I began our first session with Hawkins. All training at Chimp Haven is voluntary, so chimps always get to choose whether or not they want to participate. Hawkins, upon seeing all the new items I had, was immediately curious and came right over.

When it comes to training, the clicker is key in communicating with the chimp. When a behavior is completed correctly, we need an immediate signal to let them chimp know – the click is the fastest way of letting them know they’ve succeeded and a treat is on the way.

Generally one of the first things a naïve chimp learns is what the click means. This is known as “click and treat.” Simply put, you click and then give the chimp a treat so they begin to associate the click with a positive behavior and a reward.

When I first tried this with Hawkins, I clicked, then reached into my bucket to give him a treat. As soon as my hand disappeared into the bucket he rather rudely threw a piece of kale in my face.

So, I tipped the bucket up to show Hawkins what was inside. He made a happy, quiet hooting noise showing his interest.

I clicked again, and this time when I reached into the bucket, he threw a handful of hay in my face.

Often when a chimp is struggling to learn a new behavior the solution can come in the form of another chimp. Robbie, upon seeing that I had treats, had immediately plopped her bulk down next Hawkins. Hand turned backwards and resting on her hip behind her protruding belly, she regarded me with her usual stoic expression.

I once again reached into my bucket, but this time focused on Robbie and gave her a piece of fruit, which she happily accepted. I clicked and treated with Robbie a few more times while Hawkins watched closely.

Once again I clicked while focusing on Hawkins…and this time, he allowed me to treat him!

Robbie was also key in teaching Hawkins his very first behavior, which was “target.” Out targets are typically made of PVC, and we ask chimps to touch the target with their finger. This behavior can be helpful in asking chimps to move from one spot to another, as well as asking a chimp to sit still.

When I first showed Hawkins the target, he showed the same uneasiness he had with the bucket – and again responded by throwing various objects at me. So again, I held the target up to Robbie, and without hesitation she stuck her finger through the mesh and touched it.

This time, however, Hawkins was not convinced, and I had to do target with Hope and Spock as well as Robbie several times before he felt comfortable enough to try it himself. While Hawkins had watched the other chimps in his group do target with their fingers, he decided to put his own flare on the behavior. When I held the target in front of him, slowly and carefully he stuck his tongue out and gingerly touched the target with it.

“Good!” both my mentor and I happily cried as I clicked and then gave Hawkins his treat, to which he responded by happily galloping around the room to celebrate.

As our training sessions continued Hawkins would gallop after every click, knowing that he had done the behavior correctly. Contrarily, if Hawkins did not hear a click (meaning he had done the behavior incorrectly) he would respond with a deflated sighing noise.

As time went on it became clear that the little group of eight were accepting of chimps of all different kinds and oddities. They become the perfect home for many of our “oddballs” and today are a group of sixteen.

Spock has become the group’s alpha and Hawkins is also a high-ranking chimp, though there is some question as to whether or not he knows it. In January of 2020 Hawkins and his group reached yet another milestone when they experienced one of Chimp Haven’s forested habitats for the first time.

Today, Hawkins and his group continue to thrive at Chimp Haven. He and Hope have become friends and the two are regularly seen sleeping together in their yard.

Hawkins’s training has also come a long way and he now knows how to present almost all of his body parts. As Hawkins continues to grow and have more new experiences at Chimp Haven, I believe he will meet each one as he has in the past, with a smidge of suspicion, a little curiosity, and a whole lot of his very own brand of quirkiness.

One thing I do know for sure is that he, like every other chimp I’ve ever met, will always be full of endless surprises.

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