Staring directly into a chimpanzees eyes is considered a threat, so I don't stare at her while she's looking at me, but from time to time when we are grooming or in close quarters I sneak a glance at her eyes.
(photo from CSNW's website.)
I think all of the Cle Elum 7 are beautiful, and I make a point of telling them that every time I see them, but lately something about Missy has got me bewitched. Her brow ridge, the lines on her nose, her white patchy face, it's all beautiful.
Yesterday (yes I know, tuesday. Not my normal day, but in an attempt to be at the chimp house more than once a week, I'm going 3 times a week!) was a weird weather day. Warm and muggy and eventually a little rainy. It was a good day to sit outside near the greenhouse while everyone (even miss Neggie!) was relaxing and grooming each other.
I just sat on the bench above the greenhouse and took in my surroundings. Ellie the Elk was outside the chimp area in the shade relaxing and so were all the chimps. One of those afternoons where you try to take in as much of the scenery as you can, attempting to make a mental picture for later. "A perfect day at the chimp house" or some other cheesy title would probably be fitting.
Missy approached me for grooming, presented her shoulder and we began our afternoon session. I picked up a stick and began grooming her side where she asked. Scanning the area a few times, Missy and I caught each other's eyes a few times. I would look at her and she would look away, she would look at me and I would look away, carefully trying to not offend the other. Missy turning around to glance on the hill was the perfect picture, I only wish my eyes could capture moments like it. She looked so peaceful, but alert at the same time.
(photo from CSNW's website)
Missy and I just sat in the heat and groomed for a while. I am overwhelmed with happiness that Missy now lets me groom her. Grooming is such a social friend activity, and it means a lot that Missy has enough trust to let me do this. She kept picking and scratching at the other side of her body, and finally I said "What's going on Miss? Can I see?" and she turned around and presented the other side of her ribs, revealing a red patch of skin she was scratching. "Just a little overgroomed I think, Miss" as she settled back down for more grooming.
This act might not sound like a huge deal, chimpanzees are intelligent and understand what you say to them. In sanctuary, these chimps are given the choice of what they want to do. In their former lives, they were kept in cages so small that they had no choice to present their side or arm or leg; they were instantly knocked out with drugs and used in whichever way their human captors needed. Missy willingly presenting her side is a sign of trust. She knows I'm just going to look and not touch. It's a big deal, to me at least.
Thinking back to my first few shifts at CSNW I remember hardly seeing Missy. She was so fast, running out of view almost as quickly as seeing her. I remember thinking, "Missy sure is a chimp's chimp." And that much still is true, but she also does have and enjoy relationships with the humans around her. My favorite aspect of Missy play is that she makes you run and work for it- I think she enjoys watching the exercise part of the play. Her facial expression during some play looks like she is hardly enjoying it, a bluff sometimes I'm sure.
(Photo from CSNW's blog)
Another Missy -ism I adore is her fervent head-shaking when a food is of high value. She can shake her head faster than any human I've ever seen when a high-prized food item is being served. She is quite a fan of tomatoes, and apparently mushrooms (eating in the photo). She's a quick chimp, often running past Jamie and I while we take leisurely strolls around the hill, and I often hear her feet slapping running around the playroom with Annie or often times, Neggie.
I admire Missy's strength, much like the other chimps, for putting up with some shitty humans in the past but also her overall strength and resilience in her new life. She is finally free to roam her large outdoor enclosure at her leisure, and does so rather quickly, and I'm so glad she has the opportunity to do so now. I'm thankful that she is letting me into her life, even if it's just to exercise me in a game of chase, or clean the dry skin and bugs from her skin. There's truly nothing better.
Expressing emotions about animals is often frowned upon, as we are taught in school to approach things objectively. Jane Goodall received tons of shit for naming the chimps of Gombe, as she was there to study them, and all case studies should have numbers and not names (said some old dudes who bore me). But I didn't meet Missy as a "subject" or a "number" or a "case." I met her as a friend. And I sure as shit tell her all the time; I sure do love you, Miss.
<3
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