Had to share this last photo of the day. Negra and what’s left of the pumpkin:
Archives for October 2009
Birthday/Halloween Video
As promised!
Happy Halloween-Birthday, Jamie!
You can give both Jamie and her caregiver Elizabeth a birthday gift through Elizabeth’s birthday wish on Facebook!
Below are a few photos of Jamie (and her special pumpkin) from the morning/afternoon party. Jamie thanks Robbi, Stephanie P., Tamela, Margaret, Cari and Jeanie for the birthday goodies.
Stephanie brought Jamie a pair of cowboy boots for her birthday and she loves them! She picked one up right away and has been carrying it around with her all day. You can see the sole of the boot in the photo above – it’s tucked into Jamie’s groin pocket. It’s very windy today, but Jamie and I just played chase outside for a couple of minutes – a sign that she is in a great mood! J.B. will post a video in just a bit showing more of the party. Happy Halloween everyone!
Smiling?
For me, going to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video to look for a movie is always an interesting experience. It never fails- I will see a movie with a chimp on the cover “smiling”. This facial expression that we, as humans, understand as a happy face is not a happy face for a chimpanzee. A “human smile” displayed by a chimpanzee is actually a “fear grimace” and is displayed when a chimp is afraid or excited. When a chimpanzee is used for entertainment purposes, they are trained to fear grimace for the camera. I thought, in this regard, I would post some pictures to demonstrate the difference between a fear grimace and a chimpanzee smile.
Below is an older picture of Jody displaying a fear grimace. If I had to guess, I would say she was afraid someone might steal her watermelon…
Here is a picture of Jody with a playface or a chimpanzee smile. THIS is a happy chimpanzee:
and a happy Foxie:
Blankets needed at WAO
Wild Animal Orphanage (also known as Animal Sanctuary of the United States) is a sanctuary in San Antonio, Texas under new leadership. They are currently seeking donations to help their animals and prepare for the winter. WAO is home to former biomedical research chimpanzees, some of whom J.B. and I met on a visit to the sanctuary in 2001.
CSNW is fortunate to have a wonderful support network that has provided the Cle Elum Seven with an abundance of some of the items on the WAO wishlist. So, instead of sending your blankets, clothes, sheets and towels to us, please send them to WAO for the chimpanzees, smaller primates, and other animals living there – they need you too! They have posted their wishlist on the homepage of their website: www.wildanimalorphanage.org
Dirty work
Much of each day here at CSNW is spent cleaning. At 8:30 every morning, we invite the chimpanzees into the front rooms (four adjoining rooms adjacent to the playroom) for breakfast, and if everybody chooses to come in, staff and volunteers then enter the playroom and begin a thorough cleaning. The process usually takes about an hour and a half; during this time, the chimps occupy themselves in the front rooms by playing, nesting, or watching us clean (Jamie, especially, is always very interested in what we’re doing). Once we’re all finished and locked up, the chimps move to the playroom and we repeat the cleaning routine in the front rooms.
Here is a video of the daily playroom cleaning routine. It’s exhausting for sure, but it’s all part of providing a nice home for the Cle Elum Seven.
New view
The chimpanzees got to check out the new window today. The window replaced an extra door that went from the playroom to the outdoor area. J.B. still had some work to do on the outdoor area side, so we went out to say hello to the chimps through the window. In the meantime, the Poppoff crew was still hard at work in the mud (but no rain today) getting things ready for the foundation that will be part of the greenhouse structure going over the outdoor area. Workin workin again!
Jamie, of course, was the first to inspect the window
Jody was also very curious
It’s difficult to see, but Jamie and J.B. are “touching” hands through the glass in the photo below
For context – here is a zoomed-out view. The new window is to the left, the chimp door that we use from the playroom to the outdoor area is to the right. The two windows on top are just above the catwalk in the playroom.
Foxie likes the new window too
Many of the chimps watched J.B. working all day. Below is Jamie making sure J.B. is doing a good job (or maybe seeing how things come apart!)
