Our human family is growing by leaps and bounds lately! As many of you know, Jennifer will be joining us starting next week. But we have a new addition today as well. I’m so excited to welcome Katelyn to our team. She is our new office manager, and I’m looking forward to her support and assistance as our no-longer-small organization continues to grow and expand. Katelyn already knows the chimps because she’s been a Level 3 volunteer for a while now. She’ll also be training on being a Lead Caregiver, so you’ll be meeting her as a new blog writer soon. In the meantime, feel free to welcome her here or reach her by email at [email protected]. Here she is this morning trying to make a good impression on her new bosses by giving them some gum.
With Foxie: 
And everyone knows this beautiful chimp below is the real boss of all of us:
Congratulations, Katelyn! It couldn’t happen to a more-deserving individual. See, everything DOES happen for a reason!! — Patti
YAHOO…. way to go!
Congratulations Katelyn!
Welcome to your promotiom Katelyn, and yes you are so lucky to be a part of the chimps lives!
How long does it take the chimps to get used to new caregivers?
Hi Benjamin. Good question. It depends on a lot of things. If a caregiver already has experience working with chimps, it generally goes a little quicker. But the training itself takes at least a few months, and usually longer. The chimps often put folks through an “initiation” as they’re getting to know the new person, but since Katelyn was already a volunteer caregiver she’s made it through that test.
Katelyn – when Jackie told me you were the one that was awarded the position, I was so thrilled for you! It’s a perfect fit for everyone. Congratulations to you, the chimps, and the sanctuary. I’m SO envious!
Congrats Katelyn. I look forward to working with you again in the very near future.
So very glad for all of you!!!
I’m curious if when feeding the chimps, in the blog recently about “hand to hand or mouth”, if there is any consistent pattern in the way they take food? Does their status in the hierarchy have anything to do with how they receive food? Maybe her highness insists you feed hand to mouth? Or foxy is too timid to come into the crowd and maybe takes them to her hand and leaves?
Hi Kerri. They’ll all take food both ways, but we always try to serve to their mouth if possible because it’s the safest way to do it. Negra often gets frustrated with me if I try to serve to her mouth, but everyone else is usually ok with it.
Congratulations Katelyn!
Well done!
Thank you so much, everyone!! I am thrilled and honored to be a part of such an amazing team! To be able to spend my days helping to care for seven of the people I love most in the world is incredible to me. A dream. 🙂
Congratulations dear sister, I am so happy for you. I know how much you love the Chimps and how this has been such a longtime dream for you. I expect those photos you promised me of your beloved “7” and in return I will keep you supplied with photos of your little grandniece. I am glad you followed your dream and it became reality. I am so proud of you, and again CONGRATS!! Love you.
Dear K friend!
I am so thrilled to see you working your first day at you dream job. They have hired one very compassionate chimpanzee caregiver and I just know you’ll shine at this job!
So glad you get to spend day in day out with the 7 people you love so so much!
Love Melanie
PS: Will catch up soon. I want to hear all about your new job!