Here are some photos Diana took this morning. We’ll try to post some video tomorrow.
Halloween Party!
Archives for October 2008
Link to Komo 4 News segment
Watch KOMO news segment online here: KOMO viewers pitch in to help chimp sanctuary
Theron Zahn presents Keith with a $1000 check from KOMO News viewers! Thank you KOMO 4 Problem Solvers!
Somebody’s ready for Halloween
Jamie put on a mask this morning. I only caught a few seconds, but here ya go!
Watch KOMO TV news tonight
Michelle Esteban of Seattle’s Komo 4 TV News, an ABC affiliate, has visited the sanctuary twice. She reported on the chimpanzees’ arrival on June 13th and she was there August 26th when the chimpanzees went into the outdoor area for the first time.
Through their Problem Solvers fund, KOMO TV has raised a bit of money for us. Michelle called yesterday to see if she could send out a crew this morning to do a follow-up story. It should air on the evening news (channel 4 in Seattle). If you’re local, I hope you can watch and tell your friends to watch too!
Grooming
Chimpanzees have massive, powerful hands, but they tend to be so gentle and delicate when they groom someone else’s face – especially around the eyes.
Storage Space
We’ve got pretty limited storage space around here. Every spare inch is used up. Apparently the chimps are trying to help us save space, too. Today while cleaning I found this stash (a troll and a duster) hidden up above the bench in one of the front rooms. The radiant heat on the loft (above the front rooms) makes the silver grooves you can see – a perfect spot to hide a troll and a tool from us! I suspect (although I have no proof) that Ms. Jamie is our organizer!
Play Initiation
Chimps have a number of different ways to indicate that they would like to play. If you read this blog regularly, you’ve seen a chimpanzee play face. This face (top teeth covered, bottom teeth exposed, bottom lip drooping) says “Hey, I’m about to slap you in the face and bite your foot, but its all in good fun – don’t take it the wrong way!”
But its not just the face that indicates a playful mood. Quite often, chimps use objects to get things going. For example, Missy sometimes likes to steal a blanket from Annie’s nest, and Annie quickly jumps up and engages in a game of chase. And around here, the wearing of socks is a universal sign that a chimp is ready to play. You can see the look in Missy’s face that says “As soon as I pull this sock up to me knee, it’s go time!”.
Foxie, in all her new found playfulness, has developed a her own unique way of initiating play with her human caregivers, and of course, it involves a troll. She pushes a troll through the caging so that it lands on the floor in the human area. As soon as we pick it up, the game of chase begins. She gets so excited when we chase her with the troll that she will sometimes do standing back flips or climb to the ceiling of the outdoor area and hang upside down while rubbing her feet together. Occasionally, she pushes the troll out when we’re not looking. When this happens, she claps until we notice the troll lying lonely on the floor.
This morning, Foxie must have been feeling creative, because I think she invented the “I have a troll on my head, so it must be time to play” signal.
