Jamie is the supervisor of all of us here at the sanctuary, chimps and humans alike, and today Jamie had many projects for me. Thank goodness I had her direction to structure my day. All of the chimpanzees are well aware of the daily routine and are amazing time keepers. And not just at mealtime. They typically know when it’s time for them to be given access to each area after we complete cleaning and if we are running behind, they start showing up to let us know. And as you can imagine, nothing gets by “the boss.”
Jamie followed me throughout the cleaning of the front rooms today, supervising my cleaning skills and making sure to request numerous drinks from the hose at each door. When it was time to give the chimpanzees access to the front rooms, I asked Jamie which door she wanted me to open first. She immediately indicated her choice and we repeated this until all the appropriate doors were open. With cleaning done, Jamie let me know it was time for a walk around the hill. Immediately! Jamie typically has a specific boot in mind that she wants us to wear on our walks with her and sometimes it can take trying on several pairs in her collection before we find the one she wants. But you know have the right one when you put it on and she takes off running toward Young’s Hill! Today, this was THE boot of choice:
After taking several loops around Young’s Hill together, Jamie’s and my routine (per Jamie) is to sit together so she can groom the prized boot. When she has groomed the boot (and me) sufficiently, she indicates she is ready to be given the boot by running into the front rooms where I drop it in a shoot for her. Once in her possession, she gazes adoringly at the boots, hugs it to her and kisses it:
Jamie then let me know that she wanted to check out the chimpanzees’ garden (of course, with the boot in tow). Thanks to the hard work of volunteer, Denice, the chimps’ garden is in full bloom! Every day this week, Jamie and Missy (The Tomato Queen) have excitedly asked for cherry tomatoes which they can see growing outside the play room windows. Here Jamie is watching me pick some for her:
It’s hard to tell here, but I am serving her a few to try out:
And while Jamie looks like she has a huge smile in this photo, she’s actually getting tomato seeds out of her teeth. Nevertheless, I think she was still pretty pleased.
Jamie is one of the toughest bosses I have ever had, but I can’t think of a more rewarding job, or anyone else I’d rather work for.
Nancy says
I am curious… what if the boot she wants you to wear is a really bad fit? You know… way too big or way too small?
Katelyn says
Well, Nancy, I think that’s pretty much our problem, not Jamie’s! Haha. Most of us try on the boots we know will be the closest fit first, hoping she’ll approve. But if Jamie has something else in mind, she will usually wait until you show her the ones she wants. And then she will wait until you put them on. It’s my experience that she even stops before heading up the hill to look and make sure I am still wearing them! Sometimes, she’s less picky, but generally speaking, Jamie is a woman who knows what she wants!
Katelyn says
And just to add to that, it makes me (and I think all of us) insanely happy to be able to provide her with such choices and meet her requests. Even if it means wearing a wonky cowgirl boot around Young’s Hill. 🙂
Nancy says
I can just imagine how you tromp around the hill with a boot that doesn’t fit.. especially one too small. Or perhaps you are lucky enough not to have any too small…. 😉
Katelyn says
Oh, I think we are all usually dealing with ill fitting boots in one way or another, haha. But anything for the chimps!
Wendy Hadley says
This is a good one!
Kathy B says
Does she like all boots or just cowboy boots? I found quite a few pairs of boots at garage sales a couple of weeks ago – but not cowboy ones !!! I hope to get them out there this week.
Katelyn says
Jamie is interested in all footwear in general, but boots, and specifically cowboy boots, are definitely her favorite. We do have some safety protocol with enrichment, including shoes, so if you have any questions please feel free to email me at [email protected], or our Director of Operations, JB, at [email protected]. Thank you so much for always thinking of the chimpanzees, Kathy!
Mary C Otterness says
It would really be something to be supervised by Genius Jamie!