Under climate threat, Chimpanzees learn to shelter – 08/10/2023 – World

When Michelle Reininger went to bed on June 15, she wasn’t worried about the weather. The last time she checked, the forecast called for scattered showers. But in the middle of the night an emergency alert rang on her phone: a severe storm warning. The forecast was for winds to reach 80 km/h. People should take shelter in their homes. “I thought: Is this a joke?” she recalled.

Ten minutes later, the storm started and she lost power.

By 5am, the worst was over. Reininger dressed quickly in the dark. He needed to check in on his charges, the more than 300 residents of Chimp Haven, the nearby chimpanzee sanctuary where she was director of the colony.

As soon as she left the house, the toll of the storm was clear to her. “Wherever I went there was a tree crossing the road or downed power lines,” Reininger said. She and her colleagues, who were also on their way to work, soon discovered that a tree was blocking the main road to the sanctuary.

The group met at a convenience store. While formulating a plan, Reininger received a text message from the maintenance supervisor, who had found an alternate route to Chimp Haven. Not only had the trees fallen on the roads, the supervisor said, but a large pine had fallen in one of the chimps’ habitats. The upper branches rested on top of the 5.5 meter wall that surrounded the enclosure, creating a ramp that the chimpanzees could use to escape.

For their own safety and that of others, chimpanzees needed immediate protection. “It had to be done now,” Reininger said. “There was no time to lose.”

raising the alarm

Chimp Haven is a nursing home for research chimpanzees, including many owned or supported by the National Institutes of Health. Before coming to Keithville, many had been used in HIV or hepatitis research; others were involved in studies that focused on cognition or behavior. The sanctuary, which is set in 80 hectares of forest, aims to provide the chimpanzees with a peaceful place to live out their remaining time.

But extreme weather poses a growing threat to that peace. “It’s been so weird the last few years,” Reininger said. “The weather just… comes on suddenly.”

In recent years, the area has been hit by torrential rains and hurricane-force winds. Tornadoes passed with bewildering frequency; in December, two people died after one of them landed in Keithville. The danger is predicted to increase as climate change overwhelms storms, making hurricanes more intense and heavy rains more frequent. Droughts, floods, forest fires and heat waves are growing threats.

So Chimp Haven is now conducting extreme weather practice exercises to teach the chimpanzees to move indoors quickly when staff raise the alarm. Being able to call chimpanzees on command will help the sanctuary protect them before a storm hits, keeping them safe — and preventing them from escaping if new opportunities suddenly present themselves.

During a recent winter storm, for example, the pits that serve as natural barriers began to freeze over. “We could have an escape situation if the chimpanzees got close,” said Rana Smith, president and CEO of Chimp Haven. “Or the ice could break and they would fall into the water, which would be an unfortunate situation.”

The sanctuary has 30 social groups, each living in their own designated space, and some emergencies may require that only certain groups be protected indoors. Then Chimp Haven assigned a unique auditory cue to each group being trained. “Which led us to research different types of sounds,” said Jordan Garbarino, supervisor of the training program. A cowbell ringing means Flora’s group needs to hurry inside, for example, while a blaring bicycle alarm means the chimpanzees in Daisy’s group need to take cover.

Trainers begin by desensitizing the chimpanzees to the sound, handing out bananas, chips or other treats as he plays. Then they move the snacks inside. Chimpanzees that enter the house when they hear the alarm find “fodder” – a mixture of popcorn, peanuts and sunflower seeds – and are given another treat, such as a popsicle. Once the animals are reliably coming in at the right time, employees begin closing and locking the doors. Then they train the chimpanzees to complete the process faster and faster.

Five groups, which include 65 chimpanzees in all, are at different stages of training. The 19 members of Flora’s group were the first to be fully trained, but they still regularly practice recall to keep their skills sharp.

During a routine exercise a few days before the June storm, the chimpanzees showed what they could do. Clara Loesche, an expert in animal care, climbed onto the roof of a low concrete building. From that roof, the five-acre wooded habitat Flora’s group called home looked almost empty.

Then Loesche began to play the rattle. Suddenly, chimpanzees came out of the forest, bouncing across the lawn and scaling adjacent buildings. Loesche went downstairs, looked at his watch, and put a walkie-talkie in his mouth. “Ten seconds until the doors close,” she said. Exactly ten seconds later she closed a large metallic bolt.

“This is wonderful!” she exclaimed in a singsong voice. Less than two minutes had passed since she started ringing the bell, and 18 of the 19 chimpanzees were safe. The only one who resisted was Flora, a shy 41-year-old female who was slow to accept the training. She had been performing well over the last few months, Loesche said, but today she lingered at the door, hesitating to enter.

On this particular afternoon, they decided to leave Flora outside. But if there had been a real threat they might have persuaded her by offering a safe, private room or even better treats. “In a real emergency,” Garbarino said, “we would do anything to get them in.”

Fright, then relief

Three days later, the storm and the damage it left behind became that emergency. With the news of the fallen tree, a possible escape route for the chimpanzees, several employees left for the sanctuary, climbing the tree that blocked the road.

Chimp Haven was hit hard. The tree-lined walkway at the entrance was damaged. Trees were snapped in half and branches covered the ground. The power was gone and would remain so for six days straight.

Officials rushed to the habitat, unsure whether the 15 chimpanzees who lived there, all members of Daisy’s group, were still safe after “not knowing where they had been all night,” Loesche said, “whether they were lost, whether they had been struck by lightning”. Team members had dart guns ready in case they spotted an escaped chimpanzee.

Fortunately, most of them were gathered near the building, so the employees decided to lure them with food. They began to spread fodder and feed, which attracted some chimpanzees inside. A caretaker rushed to get frozen grapes and strawberries, which attracted more animals. Popsicles conquered the rest.

With the exception of two: Destiny and Jeff Lebowski. Both were known to be reluctant to enter and unmoved by treats. So the team changed tactics.

The buildings and enclosures at Chimp Haven are connected by a network of mesh-enclosed elevated walkways, or ramps, which are used to move animals to different locations. Most monkeys love to use the ramps, which are normally locked. “When you allow them into an area that they normally don’t have access to, it becomes very exciting for them,” Reininger said.

Perhaps Destiny and Jeff Lebowski were willing to run into a ramp? They showed little interest in the first two that the employees opened. But the third ramp, which led to a courtyard inhabited by another group of chimpanzees, proved irresistible.

“They came in right away,” Loesche said. Employees closed the ramp door, temporarily locking them inside. Finally, the 15 chimpanzees were protected.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves