This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Susan McKagan in honor of Billie Joe Armstrong for his birthday! Billie Joe and Adrienne Armstrong, Susan McKagan, and their family and friends, are such amazing friends to the chimpanzees and we’re thrilled to celebrate Billie Joe’s birthday here today!
The Armstrong family and their friends have been part of our chimp family for some time now and when they last visited in October, they worked hard to construct the chimps’ newest structure on Young’s Hill. The chimps love this structure and with the recent melted snow, this was one of the first lookouts they scaled to take in their surroundings after a long winter.
Susan, thank you so very much for thinking of the chimpanzees in your celebration of Billie Joe! What an awesome thing to do!
Billie Joe, from all of the primates here at CSNW, we hope you have the best birthday yet! Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for everything that you all do to make the chimpanzees’ lives better!
Jamie:
And special birthday hoots to you from the main man, Burrito!:
Happy birthday Billie Joe! A big thank you for all you do for the chimps as well.
He makes such a cute (talented) 44-year-old (and this from someone nearly his mother’s age!)……….
P.S. On the day last fall when Billie Joe, Adrienne, Susan and family/friends came to volunteer at the sanctuary, BJ was sitting on a bench playing the guitar for a couple of his chimp fans. Do the chimps react differently to instrumental music…live or recorded…….or to singing? I know that the caregivers often dance, but I was wondering about music itself.
Hi Ginny – The chimps definitely have a curiosity about live music, but its difficult to say whether it’s the music or the novelty of the stranger and/or the instrument. We’re going to be experimenting with the idea a little more this summer. We’ve played recorded music for the chimps before and they seemed mildly interested, but some of them, especially Annie, were pretty captivated by the private concert they received from Billie Joe.