Jamie often interrupts our cleaning routine to request a drink of water from the hose. She’s quite persistent; we’re usually not allowed to resume cleaning until she’s had her fill. Today, while Debbie and I were cleaning the front rooms, Jamie distracted us for probably fifteen minutes. We’re happy to serve, of course.
Archives for November 2013
Happy Chimps
The chimps here are so photogenic and always look happy, as you can see below:
Every once in awhile we do catch them when they’ve perhaps woken up on the wrong side of the nest:
The Great Baked Pumpkin
Variety is the spice of life and we try to provide that for the chimpanzees even in their meals. Most of their diet is designed, as much as is possible, to simulate a natural chimpanzee diet and, as such, consists of primarily fresh fruit and vegetables. This is supplemented with nuts, seeds, and chow to provide protein sources.
Now it can, on occasion, become a challenge to accommodate personal preference in addition to providing creative variation whenever your options are fruit or vegetables. Often the refrigerator is full of squash varietals, especially during the fall and, as it happens, the chimpanzees are not that fond of raw squash.
I’m not sure who first thought to bake the squash but whoever it was deserves chimpanzee food squeaks! It turns out that, although the chimpanzees would rather not eat squash raw, if you bake it it becomes an exciting and delectable treat. So, in the spirit of fall baking and for the sake of a little novelty, I decided to see what happens if you bake and serve pumpkin for dinner. The result?
Seven thrilled chimpanzees, with the accompanying food squeaks of joy. Baked pumpkin, for the win!
Baked pumpkin dinner:
Here is Missy (on the left) and Foxie (on the right) being served some delicious baked pumpkin in the greenhouse:
Jody (on the left) and Jamie (on the right) enjoying the pumpkin:
And, last but not least, Annie eating her serving of pumpkin:
Annie’s foot clap
As the least dominant chimpanzee in the group, Annie is often a little anxious (though much less than she was five years ago). So I always love to see her feeling relaxed and confident. One of my favorite Annie quirks is her foot clap, which she often does while relaxing on her back.
First snow
It’s been a pretty mild fall / beginning of winter, and we finally got our first snowfall at the sanctuary overnight. It was just a dusting, but Missy was VERY eager to get outside for a taste.
Jamie also went out quickly to get a snack.
We were wondering if the colder weather might slow down Jamie’s desire to walk around the hill. The answer is no. So far four walks and counting. She did wait until the snow melted, though. Missy joined Jamie on one of her walks. She gave us a big head start then ran full-speed up the hill. You can see a photo on her Facebook page.
Speaking of Facebook, a few weeks ago we asked on our Facebook page how fans became interested in chimpanzees. The answers were really interesting. One person recalled the video of the chimpanzees at CSNW first experiencing a big snowstorm, which was shared on a couple of news stations.
The video, which is now almost five years old, is posted below. That was before we put the panels on the greenhouse, so really before they had a greenhouse, and long before they had the 2-acre Young’s Hill. The chimps are leaning out of front room #4 into what we called the outdoor area then. Listen to those happy food squeaks and watch the prehensile lips in action!
The Chimpanzees’ 12th Man Blue Friday Seahawks Party
The Seattle Seahawks have had a great season so far, and we decided the chimpanzees should be part of the 12th Man Blue Friday activities! Seahawks and chimpanzee fan Melanie Kelsey helped us out by buying some decorations that volunteer Patti picked up. The decorations were a big hit with Burrito, as you’ll see in the video below.
Perhaps on game day this Sunday, when the Seahawks play the Minnesota Vikings, the chimps will let out their loudest pant-hoot to contribute to the loud and proud tradition of the 12th man. Go Hawks!
Hanging Around
It seems that Foxie is upside down as often as she’s right side up. She loves to climb to the ceiling of the Greenhouse and hang by her feet, and she often swings on the fire hoses as through they’re trapezes. Today, she has carried around this plastic frying pan in her mouth for much of the day, and didn’t even put it down for her acrobatics.
