For most lab chimpanzees, food comes in the form of a fortified pellet made from corn meal and rendered fat. Some chimps are lucky to get some fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to their “monkey chow”, but it is often only a few pieces per day, with very little variety. For comparison, I decided to look back at what the Cle Elum Seven have eaten over the last week. We still offer them a little bit of chow, so as not to switch their diet too abruptly, but you’ll see that they get to enjoy a large variety of produce, as well as some small, fun prepared meals:
Almonds, apples (fresh and dried), asparagus, bananas (fresh and frozen), blackberries, blueberries, bread, broccoli, brown rice, brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, carrots, cashews, celery, cherry tomatoes, clementines, coconuts, corn (raw and popped), garlic, grapefruit, grapes, green peppers, herbal tea, honeydew, kidney beans, lemons, lettuce, limes, mushrooms, onions, oranges, pasta with peanut butter & raisins, peaches, peanuts, pecans, pineapple, plums, pomegranate, potatoes (raw, cooked & mashed), red peppers, scallions, strawberries, tomatoes, vegetable soup, vegetable stew, walnuts, watercress, and watermelon.
Here’s missy enjoying the peanut forage this morning:
