9:00am: Up the winding driveway…
Good morning, sanctuary!
Ellie the elk started the day in her favorite spot under the observation deck:
Volunteer caregivers Denice and Sandra set to work preparing breakfast:
Usually when we arrive for the day this time of year there are several chimps outside in the greenhouse. Today it was just Negra cuddled under a blanket:
Soon breakfast was ready!
Our typical routine is to serve a small snack in the indoor front rooms first thing to entice the chimps out of the greenhouse so we can close it off for cleaning. Volunteer caregiver-in-training Yuri offered the chimps some grapefruit while I closed and locked the doors leading to the greenhouse.
Negra is not always a people person, but this morning as she ate her grapefruit she was feeling extra affectionate as she offered her back to Sandra for a knuckle rub and offered Denice a kiss.
We all checked the doors and locks to make sure it was safe to unlock the greenhouse:
and then got to work!
Afterward Yuri double-checked locks on the greenhouse door:
and we started the first batch of dirty toys soaking in the tub:
and the first load of dirty blankets in the washer:
Then Yuri served the rest of breakfast in the greenhouse:
and wrote in his training notebook:
Next we tackled the playroom, which is the largest indoor space at the sanctuary. We cleaned upstairs:
and downstairs:
and when we were done, set up a little tea party for the chimps:
While we cleaned the playroom, the chimps enjoyed the warm greenhouse.
Annie:
Burrito:
We run through a series of safety checks before giving the chimps access to Young’s Hill each day, so I did those while Denice, Yuri, and Sandra wrapped up the playroom.
Foxie was the first to squeeze through the door to the hill as it was opening:
But she was quickly joined by Jody, Negra, Missy, and Annie:
Our last big cleaning task for the morning was the front rooms, which we started after a short break:
After some time outside, Foxie wandered into the playroom to spend some quality time with her dolls:
and Jamie requested a drink of water from the hose:
Since we had plenty of cleaners to handle the front rooms, Denice started on some kitchen tasks. She prepared some chow bags:
and put some potatoes in the oven for dinner:
After cleaning, Yuri and Denice picked some veggies from the chimps’ garden for lunch:
While Yuri served lunch in the greenhouse, Sandra kept the endless laundry moving along:
After lunch, it was finally time for some fun. Sandra and Jamie groomed in the greenhouse:
while Yuri and Burrito went for a walk around Young’s Hill.
After the walk, Burrito was in the mood for a little tug of war:
A little later in the afternoon JB, Diana, and Katelyn came up from the office and we did some PRT (Positive Reinforcement Training) with the chimps.
Missy presenting her wrist for Katelyn:
We ended the day with a dinner forage in the playroom. Jamie used a plate to collect her food:
Burrito:
Annie:
And finally, it was goodnight.
Thank you for this! I love getting a glimpse into the chimps and caregiver’s day!
Wow what a full day! thank you for sharing!
Well I knew it was a lot of work to care for the chimps but it’s so nice to see how the day progresses. I can also see the enormous value of the great parties you throw to provide enrichment and activities for the chimps. I did wonder however when you started with the drive in, does someone spend the night at the chimp house?
Hi Francoise. Our Co-Directors live in a house on site. And the entire chimp house is surrounded by an electric security fence.
So they can hear what’s going on? As in, if a terrible fight breaks out? Or is that something that just would not happen?
Well I knew it was a lot of work to care for the chimps but it’s so nice to see how the day progresses. I can also see the enormous value of the great parties you throw to provide enrichment and activities for the chimps. I did wonder however when you started with the drive in, does someone spend the night at the chimp house?
This is fantastic Elizabeth, thank you for your time to pull all this together (that’s a lot of work involved just in the post!). Whew, you all work so hard from start to finish only to start it all over again the next day. A labor of love. I would work as hard as I could if my payment was to have Negra share her affectionate side like she did with Sandra and Denice! These might just be the seven luckiest chimpanzees in captivity.
PS: I love the way you all have smiles on your faces as you complete your tasks for the chimps.
Gosh, I wish lived closer…would love to volunteer with you all.
Just wonderful! Thank you for sharing this!
I was such a pleasure visiting this last Sunday and now seeing what a whole day looks like 🙂
Thank you guys for a little glimpse into you and the chimps day and thank you for loving our cousins so much
Thanks for sharing, it was so interesting.
Hi there:
Thank you for this awesome post. It was so interesting to learn about all that goes on during a typical day. What an incredible amount of work !! Thank you so so much for all you do to provide the chimps with a loving, caring home. As someone commented above, I too wish I was closer so I could volunteer. I live in Vancouver, B.C. and my hope is to come down one day soon and meet you all. Again – thank you for the wonderful post and for all you do.
THat is certainly a full day!! IT is so good for people to see what it is you do for them. I woUld be tere in a heartbeat if i lived nearby??Such wonderful work you are doing.
What a great post. Thank you Elizabetth