Research
Washoe looking through a magazine |
All research at CHCI is non-invasive; the research either
does not disrupt the chimpanzees' lives or, should it be potentially
disruptive to the chimpanzees' daily activities, it is entirely
voluntary. If a research design proves to be upsetting to the chimpanzees,
the research is halted and revised to be less intrusive. Because
the nature of research involves contact with the chimpanzees, researchers
who work directly with the chimpanzees must be trained extensively.
We recognize that the presence of the researcher itself can
affect the chimpanzees' behavior. However, this is true of nearly
all
research. In some cases, the research can provide enrichment for
the chimpanzees, giving them opportunities to interact socially
with the researchers or to participate in a forage that they would
not otherwise have had.
Read more about the presentations
and theses that have developed
out of research at CHCI.
Chimps Throw a Blanket on CHCI Research
by Tennyson Egan, Shana Burack,
Anne-Ashley Field, Shira Reid,
Meredith Sherrill, and Jennifer Via. Friends of Washoe Newsletter,
26(1), 8-10.
It is a well-established fact that chimpanzees build nests in the
wild. Studies show that chimpanzees in captivity will also build
nests when given nesting materials. A study in 1962, performed
by Irwin Bernstein, examined what type of nesting materials
captive chimpanzees prefer. He offered them various materials,
including burlap bags, pine straw, cardboard boxes stuffed with
newspaper, hoses, palm leaves, chains and ropes. Bernstein selected
these materials solely based on their suitability for nest building.
Not surprisingly, the chimpanzees used palm leaves, chains and
ropes the least and used the burlap bags and pine straw the
most.
Over the course of this project, various complications arose.
Results from that data indicated that the chimpanzees preferred
blankets, followed by burlap sacks. Minimal contact was
observed with the other materials and individual differences
were noted. These results were used to better enrich the chimpanzees’ environment
by increasing the number of blankets
given to each chimp nightly. It was also decided to perform the
study during the summer 2004, in an effort to correct the
confounds from summer 2003. To increase video clarity,
apprentices picked out dark blankets, medium colored or
patterned clothing and light burlap sacks. As with a previous
study, one of the cameras continued to be a problem and a
full hour was not always recorded. It seemed as though the
age of the battery was causing this camera to turn off early.
Unfortunately, we could not fix this problem before the study
ended. Although the study was designed to record each
chimpanzee every night, there were occasions when one or
more chimpanzees chose not to come into the Night Cage Area.
This resulted in some loss of data, but remember, the
chimpanzees come first at CHCI.
If a chimpanzee stays out at night, a caregiver must spend the
night at CHCI. On one such occasion, Dar repeatedly asked the
caregiver for BLANKETS on a night that they received paper
and pillows, to which the caregiver replied SORRY. CAN’T.
Dar responded with GOOD DAR/GOOD BOY. The apprentices
and caregiving staff worried that by denying Dar blankets they
were giving him the impression that he had done something
wrong. As a result, the apprentices increased the amount of
clothing given to the chimpanzees for nesting. Nevertheless the
chimpanzees persisted in their requests for blankets and covers.
This time it was Washoe. At this point, the apprentices realized
that the study was impacting the chimpanzees’ well-being.
Therefore the study was not in the chimpanzees’ best interest
and was concluded.
CHCI is constantly making efforts to improve the lives of
captive chimpanzees everywhere. In the summer of 2003,
apprentices conducted a research project that examined what
nesting materials the chimpanzees at CHCI prefer. Each night,
video cameras were set up to record the three most common
nesting areas in the night cages. Caregivers would give each
chimpanzee two of the following nesting materials each night —
pillows, straw, shredded paper, blankets and burlap sacks.
These materials were chosen based on what the CHCI
chimpanzees had used in the past and currently use (pillows,
blankets and burlap sacks) and what other captive chimpanzees
typically receive (straw and shredded paper). In addition to
these materials, the chimpanzees continued to receive their
regular nighttime enrichment: clothing, toothbrushes,
magazines, toys, etc. Apprentices then watched and transcribed
the videos to determine which materials the chimpanzees
contacted and whether this contact was active or passive. They
determined active versus passive contact by examining whether
the chimpanzee actively manipulated the material with his or
her hands, feet or mouth, or merely touched the material.At the
end of the study, we collected ten of the expected thirty
days of data and those ten days were analyzed. The amount of
passive and active contact each chimpanzee had with the
various materials was summed. When blankets were paired with
another item, the chimpanzees only took blankets. Burlap sacks
were chosen second to blankets, and the use of paper, pillows
and straw was never observed. Loulis was the only chimpanzee
who contacted burlap sacks exclusively when also offered
blankets, and he is the only chimpanzee that was not crossfostered.
The manner in which each chimpanzee was raised may
have influenced these results. However, the rearing of the
chimpanzees at CHCI is not unique. Many zoos, biomedical
labs, and sanctuaries house chimpanzees who were raised in
human homes as pets, or in zoo or laboratory nurseries. Thus
other chimpanzees may share their preference for nesting
materials with the CHCI chimpanzees. This research shows that
captive chimpanzees should be given many options fr nesting
materials and individual preferences should be acknowledged. It
is speciocentric to assume that humans know what is best for
another fellow animal.
All studies at CHCI are unique because the chimpanzees are
given the choice to participate in research and their American
Sign Language abilities enable them to communicate with their
caregivers. This allows the chimpanzees to drive the research
questions, or in our case, end the research. As previously
mentioned, the first priority of research at CHCI is the
chimpanzees’ well-being. This is not the case at most institutes
where chimpanzees are forced to participate in experiments. The
apprentices who carried out this study are fortunate to be a part
of such a valuable and unique experience.
We would like to thank Tennyson Egan and Dr. Mary
Lee Jensvold
for all their time, patience and dedication. We also thank
Washoe, Tatu, Dar, and Loulis for their honesty and forgiveness.
Dialect 2004
by Shannon Reider. Friends of Washoe Newsletter,
26(1), 1.
This summer the dialect team entered yet another new phase. The
past several phases have examined the use of play, greeting, reasurance,
and grooming gestures used by the chimpanzees here at CHCI as well
as two free-living communities (one in Gombe and one in Kibale).
This year we looked at the use of "threat gestures." The
dialect team, which was made up of four summer apprentices who
are also
staying on as graduate students, looked for the presence (or the
absence) of 19 "threat gestures." Shared gestures between
communities may indicate that the gesture is a common gesture used
by chipmanzees,
while a unique gesture may indicate a cultural difference between
communities. Data was also collected on who was the actor and recipient
of the threat and of the threat gesture; the length of the gesture;
and if the gesture was used to initiate, maintain, or end a threat.
The dialect team was fabulous and worked very hard to collect the
hundreds of hours of data. Although the data is not quite yet
completely collected (there was more data than there was time),
this phase
is proving to be as interesting as the previous and the team will
keep working throught the fall to finish the data collection for
analysis.
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