We all know that daylight saving time can have an effect on us, but did you know it can also affect the chimpanzees?
On the second Sunday in March most of America “sprang forward” to accommodate the beginning of daylight saving time. And just as you might have been thrown off, the circadian rhythm of animals that depend on humans were also thrown off. If you live in a country that practices daylight saving, did you notice that your companion animals were less enthused to get up in the pitch black? Perhaps their appetite for breakfast was lower than usual?
Harley tries to sleep in and Amy slowly wakes up during the early dawn hours.
We’re all a little jet lagged
Just like you, your pets lost an hour of sleep and are still adjusting. Daylight saving time has an effect on wild animals and pets, leaving them feeling a bit ‘jet-lagged.’
Similarly, many wild animals set their routine to sunlight. They rise with the sun, and they prepare to sleep when the sun sets. These animals will simply adjust their behavior to mimic the sun.
The chimpanzees here at Project Chimps felt the change.
It’s too early for breakfast!
They know the sounds our team makes as they prepare breakfast; the human voices that float towards their sleeping heads as we approach the villas and the rev of a mule cart that is driving the bins of freshly prepared vegetables their way. Yet, the sun hasn’t peeked through their windows, the robins and wrens have not started their dawn song. Surely something is wrong! Perhaps the chimps think they are dreaming.
Before the time change, the chimps’ bedrooms were already lit with sunlight before breakfast, but this week the caregivers have to turn on the overhead lights to do their morning safety check and begin the breakfast service. Oscar curls up in his nest of donated wood wool and tries to sleep in. Kareem, normally the first to greet the caregivers and accept his veggies, sits in his nest and lazily yawns, not quite ready for the meal.
Oscar tries to sleep in the early dawn hours on his nest of donated wood wool.
Those silly humans
Our days take a little longer to get moving while we wait on the sleepy chimps to accept that, yes, it’s really time to wake up even though the sun has not risen. And at the end of these longer days, they are amused that we think it’s time to wind down for dinner and start creating the evening’s nest. Surely, if they could talk, they would say, “the sun is still up, silly human!”
Just as humans eventually adjust to the time change, so will the chimps.
With warmest regards,
Ali Crumpacker
Executive Director
Villa 4 Chimps Now Live in Harmony
Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll to name Villa 4 last month!
More than 2,300 votes were received with the majority (over 700) of participants selecting Harmony Villa as the new name!
We love it too!
Join Us for One or More of our Spring Events!
Our first-ever Chimps Rock! is on April 26th and 27th will feature two days of art and discovery for kids and kids at heart! Inspired by The Kindness Rocks Project, children and adults are invited to paint a rock with messages of inspiration after touring the sanctuary and enriching the lives of the chimps.
Cheers for Chimps! Join us as Fannin Brewing Company unveils a new brew to benefit Project Chimps, Saturday, April 13th, from 2 to 8 p.m.
Each ticket holder will receive a limited edition Project Chimps 16oz glass, one pour of the new apple lager and one dish of our award winning Chimp Chili with live music from Gopher Broke. Reserve your ticket here.
Become a Discovery Days Exhibitor
Project Chimps hosts Discovery Days twice a year in May and September.Guests travel from all over the world to attend this event, which sells out months in advance. More than 500 ticket-holding guests receive behind-the-scenes tours our chimpanzee sanctuary.
You can help to fund a new life for former research chimpanzees by becoming a Discovery Days exhibitor or sponsor.
Reserve your space today! Booths start at just $50. Non-profits are free!
Looking for Discovery Day attendance tickets? May is sold out, but tickets for September are still available here. You can also join us for Chimps Rock! in April.
Plush Chimps “Adopted” by Former Research Chimps
For Amy and Noel, the plush toy was a temporary “baby.” For Collin it was a projectile to be thrown against the wall. Former research chimpanzees react very differently to plush toys donated for their enrichment.
Their reactions are informed by the chimpanzee’s personality, age, sex and past experiences in captivity.
Project Chimps recently received a donation of 12 plush chimpanzee toys from MelissaAndDoug.com. The plushes were distributed to various groups of male and female chimpanzees now living in permanent retirement at the Project Chimps sanctuary.
Harley, a 10-year-old female chimpanzee, surprised her caregivers when she “adopted” one of the plush chimps as if it was her baby.
Harley in a moment of tender embrace with her donated Melissa and Doug plush chimp.
“Since her arrival from the lab in late 2017, Harley had never really played with toys or plushes,” said chimpanzee caregiver Crystal Alba. “At first she tested it by hitting and kicking it and then she adopted it as though it was a real baby chimp.”
What happened next was even more interesting. Read more on our Chimp Chatter blog.
Do you have a young Project Chimps fan in the family? Get them a shirt to show their chimp love!
They'll love wearing it at school and at home - or to one of our upcoming family-friendly events! All proceeds help to provide care, food and enrichment for the former research chimpanzees at Project Chimps.
Actors Mallory James Mahoney and Bryce Gheisar wore them on their recent visit to Project Chimps. Get yours today!
Sandi, Jill, and Mimi volunteering at Chimp or Treat last October where guests were invited to attend in costume to entertain the chimps and learn about the sanctuary.
Project Chimps volunteer Sandi Boone has always been an animal lover; and while she has a background in accounting, she may have never calculated that her love for chimps would multiply exponentially.
It’s difficult to not fall in love with all 59 residents of Project Chimps, but one former research chimp in particular is extra special to Sandi.
But who is Sandi's favorite chimp? Find the answer and learn more about Sandi's volunteer adventures on our Chimp Chatter blog.
HELP THE CAUSE
You can help us or continue to help us provide for all the chimpanzees currently in our care; all it takes is a small donation. Thank you.
