Jamie chimpanzee is a person with many talents. One of her extraordinary skills happens to be an almost total awareness of her surroundings. Not many things slip by her. She regulates all activities at the sanctuary, and makes sure everyone knows about it. While Jamie can’t actually access places like the highway, neighboring houses, and the sanctuary parking lot, she knows just where to go in her domain to get the best views of all the goings on.
Looking out the barn doors, Jamie can see part of the garden and the trailer that houses the sanctuary’s clinic.
When she enters the portrait studio, Jamie has a good line of site on the kitchen with the parking lot and barn out the window beside her.
And let’s not forget about the 360 degree panorama views out on the Young’s Hill structures!
Sometimes she can be quite stealthy about her surveillance, often appearing out of what seems like thin air to put an end to an interaction that caregivers might be having with one of the other chimps. Today I caught her keeping a watchful eye on caregiver Lizz as she played chase with Burrito.
I’ve never thought too much about her diligent supervision until last Saturday, when she alerted us of the brush fire that had broken out on a hill not too far from the sanctuary. At that moment, I was very thankful to know such a dedicated governor as Jamie chimpanzee.
