It’s no secret that Negra has a big place in my heart. I first wrote about my love for her in this blog post from 2008, before the chimpanzees had made the journey across the U.S. to come to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. She has many endearing qualities, including her enjoyment in watching her caregivers dance (as shown in the Dancing with Negra video from 2009), the multiple stages of her droopy lip, and her love of the night bags that we give the chimpanzees after dinner each night (there’s a short video of Negra getting her night bag here).
As mentioned in this post, one of my favorite sights is a very content Negra eating her night bag while the shells of the seeds in the night bag drop on her belly. Tonight, I finally got a few good photos of just this. Negra has lost a little weight at the sanctuary, but, despite our attempts at rationing her food, she still has a buddha belly. She actually eats quite a bit less than the other chimpanzees and isn’t as food focused as, say, Burrito, but she’s also the least active of the chimpanzees. I consider Negra’s shape to be a pretty endearing quality in itself.
I hope these photos make you as happy as Negra with seeds are her belly makes me.
That first photo reminds of those fat little buddha statues (although they really aren’t).
I know! I would really love to have a Negra statue some day!
Diana, these are fabulous pics. I am happy 🙂
Negra just has that effect on people 🙂
NEGRA is so beautiful! I really like the 4th photo. She has such a neat look in that one. Thank you for the photos Diana.
I call my cat Buddha Belly but not because he has a big one. It’s because he likes it rubbed. A very endearing name.
You’re welcome. Always my pleasure to share photos. So cute about your cat liking to have his belly rubbed.
I’ve noticed that most of the furry kids have pieces of their ears missing. Is that a thing they did at the biomedical prisons? Or is it more of rough play or acting out between them?
Beth – as far as we know, the missing pieces of ears have occurred during fights between chimpanzees. We’ve seen a couple of similar injuries here, though most were likely from years ago.
Thank you Diana for taking the time to answer my question. I thought it might be fighting or rough play, but you never know what other atrocities these beautiful creatures may have endured during their stay in hell (the bio-labs)! Thank you all so much for all that you do to give these chimpanzee’s their dignity and as much freedom as possible to live the lives they deserve and should always have lived. You’re all incredibly dedicated people and I consider you all hero’s in my book!
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Diana, this might be my favorite post ever!!! Thank you for these endearing photos or our Queen Negra. While I am “Missy’s Pal”, Negra has totally stolen my entire heart. In my eyes, she’s absolutely beautiful and these photos prove it. Just look how happy she looks in photo #5! Oh be still my beating heart! : )
Now I have to ask, does Negra brush off all the shell droppings from her belly when she’s done or does she just crawl into her nighty-nest and go to sleep so she can dream about her Night Bag!?
Kathleen – she doesn’t seem to mind the seed debris on her belly 🙂 Sometimes she’ll double check to make sure there are just shells, though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her brush them off.
Diana — Don’t forget how Negra likes to have the last word when there’s an argument, and will repeat that word until the argument is over lol.
Right – that is a very enduring quality too!
Ah, a gal after my heart – fond of her nighttime snack! I think it’s the best part of the day, and I shall be thinking of Negra this evening while I’m having my bedtime snack!