The Cle Elum Seven are, on the whole, some of the most playful chimps I’ve known. I think its mostly due to Missy, who is always up for wrestling, chasing, or playing tug-o-war:
I don’t know if we’ve mentioned this before, but she really loves to jump off of things. Just today, she used a boat bumper as a springboard in an attempt to get Annie to play, and later she jumped off the deck to chase after Jamie (and get her blanket back):
As always JB wonderful action shots. I can hear the hoots and pants. And the smiley faces are too cute. What a little instigator you are, Missy!! Did she finally get anyone to play with?
I truly love them all and Missy just knocks me out..that girl.. total rapscallion! able to tug at your heart in a single bound!
looks like Annie’s kickin’ back watching the Missy show..ha!
as always, thank you J.B. Diana & Sarah for always sharing w/us!
I love it! Missy is so fun loving. I absolutely love the pics and videos of them at play. Thanks for catching those moments and sharing them.
I see photos like these and I think about all the years they were kept in cages – probably never laughing or even cracking a smile. And now? How much fun they are having – how free they are to play. To see them laugh or smile is to know the joy they feel. And the fact they’ve only known two lives – the before and the now – this is such a great life for them! (I wonder if Negra is so quiet because she remembers the wild…?)
I never get tired of seeing big smiles and hearing laugher (even without sound!!) I wonder if the relative smallness of the chimp house and the amount of enrichment stuff they have kind of fosters so much interaction. Who knows, new found freedom is pretty exciting. Maybe they just genuinely really like each other (most of the time!!!).
Wait — so who’s more playful — Missy or Foxie?
Yeah, Sara, it is something that’s just so thought provoking…..in those tiny, tiny cages, alone all those years……and now being outside, running, jumping, laughing and playing with their friends……