At my house, we traditionally have our Thanksgiving Day meal at lunch because usually we all eat so much that we need a nap almost immediately, but then can get up later and have leftovers and pie! In the spirit of family, I incorporated some of that tradition into the chimps’ day, only they had brunch instead (so they can still have room for their Field Roast dinner and dessert tonight!). Their Thanksgiving Day Brunch included small plates of sweet and regular baked potatoes, Brussels sprouts, onions, pumpkin, cranberry sauce, and some delicious blueberry pomegranate juice. They were going crazy watching us set it all up!
The chimps were so excited when they went into the playroom that a small fight broke out. Chimps are very emotional and sometimes excitement can lead to aggression, which is exactly what happened today. Chimps’ emotions are very strongly tied to their limbic systems, meaning they have less control over their emotions- so when they feel something, they truly feel it and sometimes it gets out of hand (which is why the most predictable thing about chimps is that they are unpredictable). Not surprisingly, like a true Queen, Negra stayed out of things while everyone else worked it out. In fact, while everyone else was screaming and running around after each other, Negra was quietly sitting in her nest enjoying her Brussels sprouts. The argument only lasted about 2 minutes and soon everyone was quietly enjoying their Thanksgiving brunch together.
Negra enjoying her Brussels sprout stalk while sitting in her nest in her favorite spot in the playroom:
Jamie loved the Brussels sprouts!
Missy enjoying a little onion
Burrito was so excited! I wasn’t able to get too many good photos of him today because he was moving around so fast collecting his favorite foods! Here’s a photo of him mid-chew, enjoying the delicious baked potatoes:
Annie enjoying her sweet potato:
Here at CSNW, we have a lot to be thankful for! It’s been a spectacular year and so much of that is because of our generous donors and supporters! In addition to Emily Ruch and Marcia Douthwaite, who both sponsored today, a special thank you goes out to Robyn Petticrew and Barbara Bakaletz, who both made recent donations to help ensure a spectacular day for the chimps! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
What a feast–it looks delicious. You all are so creative. Thank you for your loving care of these seven. I can just imagine their excitement watching and listening to the preparations!
wow, that looks so yummy. I wouldn’t have minded eating it myself!
Looks like a fantastic day for the chimps! Thanks to everyone who contributed!! We talked about them at my dinner table as we, too, enjoyed brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes
So glad they all had such a wonderful Thanksgiving, minus the minor skirmish. I hope all of you did too : )
My Thanksgiving plate looked almost exactly like theirs, including the Field Roast!
It certainly did look like something to get excited about! That photo of Burrito captures the look of joy perfectly; I can just see him bouncing around in excitement for all that was offered.
There are more than some of us that give thanks to all of you for being there to take care of this special group.