It’s been another beautiful day in Cle Elum today so I set out a huge lunch forage on Young’s Hill. Everyone went right out, which is always a treat, but not only that – Negra was first! I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as she marched right out and walked over to one of the climbing structures that is a bit further away than her usual spots close to the raceway.
She grabbed a ton of greens along the way and found herself under the shaky bridge, which I am almost certain is an area she hasn’t explored yet.
Then, she just sat right down and enjoyed her lunch there.
This may not seem like a big deal, but Negra hasn’t adventured around the hill too much so we celebrate every step she takes in seeming more comfortable sitting in the grass with no bars overhead. And I’ve never seen her that confident out there! She didn’t ask for reassurance or seem concerned or nervous at all. That’s pretty amazing!
Oh and by the way, there were other chimps out enjoying the forage too. 😉
Foxie and Jody had a little picnic on one of the platforms today. That’s Foxie with the mouthful of lettuce – something she used to absolutely loath.
Missy loaded up on greens:
Annie with her mouthful:
Jody and Burrito seemed pretty happy about all the limes!
Burrito:
Jamie grabbed a huge handful of lettuce, potatoes, avocados, and limes and happily took her loot to the raceway, so I wasn’t able to get a photo of her mouthful, but rest assured, she had one!
Everyone seemed really happy and foraged out there for a pretty long time. I was thrilled to see all seven chimps out there for so long! And I just couldn’t take my eyes off of beautiful and amazingly confident Negra. After she’d munched on all the good stuff she could find in the bamboo, she moved over to the hammock area.
and sat where she could watch what was happening over at the house, probably for the first time taking in all that she can see from that side of the hill.
It was certainly a big day for Ms. Negra.
Although photos of Negra wrapped snugly (sp?) in soft blankets are wonderful, it is *SO* awesome to see this pictures and read that she was confident and not timid in her adventures outdoors on The Hill today. Thank you for the update and “Yay! Negra!”
Although photos of Negra wrapped snugly (sp?) in soft blankets are wonderful, it is *SO* awesome to see these pictures and read that she was confident and not timid in her adventures outdoors on The Hill today. Thank you for the update and “Yay! Negra!”
Don’t know how two of my posts ended up on here…..sorry for the duplicate (one w/ a misspelling).
What a beautiful site to see Negra out and about. Thank you so much for taking and posting her pictures. She so deserves to be happy and comfortable, as they all do. I am so happy for her!
YAY NEGRA!
Hail to the QUEEN. It is so good to see Negra grow in confidence and be out on the hill and do a little exploring. It is testament to the love and patience that her caregivers give her, to be able to do as she pleases when she pleases. I think this is just the start of Neggie on the hill.
Oh this makes me happy!
Thank you for the wonderful pictures!
FANTASTIC Negra! To be first out the door and adventuring out further than she has before is amazing! There is no doubt that her confidence is growing more each day. So wonderful to see. Makes me happy. Lord knows they all deserve the best after having been so cruely treated. Wonderful pictures of all the CE7. Thank you for sharing yet another wonderful post. Nice job Jackie.
The healing power of caring and compassion. Negra knows she’s safe now. This is so wonderful to hear. Thank you CSNW for making such a difference in her life! (and the lives of the other six, too, of course!)
Negra – YOU GO GIRL!!!!!
I was reading some of the first blogs about the “7” yesterday and thinking what an adventure you have all been on in the past four years! Both Chimps and humans experiencing the whole gamut of emotions. You all go about your work and play together as a matter of fact each day but when you stop and think…your charges are amazing in how they have adjusted and enjoy so much now not only with each other but with you humans, the same species that tortured them for so many years. They are certainly special, forgiving creatures! And you, who don’t think about it, are all so very special to commit yourselves to these poor, damaged Chimps and help them out of their both physical and mental prisons from the lives they lived before.
Spring is a time of renewal and your whole mission has been and continues to be renewal each day.
God bless each and every one of all of you! I know the humans feel it is a blessing to be able to do the work you do and that the Chimps love you for it.
Thank you for sharing it all with us. Happy Easter!
It is truly wonderful to see them all, especially sweet Negra so happy and enjoying the outdoors. Spring has sprung!!
So happy for our girl Negra! She is taking her rightful place on the hill, thanks to all of the support and care she gets from her caretakers and fellow-chimps. Job well done!!
I JUST LOVE that Negra decided that day was going to be “the day”. I imagine her working up to it in her own special way, and then deciding “today its ON”. Did she ever show any signs of needing reassurance, or do anything different when she came in? AND, has she been out much since then?