Like many basketball fans this time of year, the Chimp Haven care team gets into the spirit of March Madness by cheering on favorites and creating their own brackets throughout the tournament. And, as with any special occasion at Chimp Haven, the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary, the chimpanzees were invited to join in on the fun.
This week, Chimp Haven’s retirees made their Sweet Sixteen picks as part of a special enrichment activity designed to encourage curiosity, choice-making and engagement. Caregivers presented the chimpanzees with tournament matchups, and several eager participants weighed in with confidence, caution and plenty of personality.
Some of the chimps seemed more invested in the action than others. Pierre made an enthusiastic pick for Houston over Illinois, while Bryan took a little more time before choosing Iowa State over Tennessee. Sparky carefully considered two matchups, selecting St. John’s over Duke and Alabama over Michigan. Other predictions came from Murphy, who picked Purdue over Texas; Tessa, who chose Nebraska over Iowa; Wanda, who favored Arizona over Arkansas; and a group consensus from Pierre’s family that UConn would beat Michigan State.
“At Chimp Haven, enrichment is all about creating opportunities for the chimps to explore, make choices and engage with their environment in meaningful ways,” said Rana Smith, President and CEO of Chimp Haven. “Activities like this bring something novel to their day, encourage interaction with caregivers and groupmates, and let each chimp’s unique personality shine through.”
Of course, the sanctuary’s resident experts were well compensated for their time and effort with one of their favorite treats: bananas. Along the way, caregivers and groupmates added plenty of encouragement, camaraderie and pant-hoots worthy of the tournament itself.
While the brackets may be playful, the activity reflects an important part of life at Chimp Haven. Enrichment is a daily part of chimp care at the sanctuary, supporting cognitive, physical and social wellbeing through creative experiences that invite the chimpanzees to forage, investigate, solve problems and interact with one another.