Party! Forage! Easter egg hunt! Rest! Repeat! This has been a beautiful and peaceful Easter Sunday here at the chimp house, but that said, it’s also been a day of non-stop celebration and relaxation for the chimps. Their day started off with a breakfast forage in the greenhouse consisting of Easter baskets filled with Easter grass (lettuce), strawberries, blackberries, clementines and watermelon. They also had Easter egg hunt #1 and gift bags filled with pistachios:
And this has been Queen Negra’s day! She’s been the first to show up at all three parties today and had been all over the place! She was so excited as we set up breakfast in the greenhouse as she watched from the playroom window:
And she found one of everything and the perfect spot to sit and enjoy it all:
Burrito enjoying his basket in classic Burrito style…
…head first:
Foxie enjoyed her basket and was smitten with her new Dora doll:
Jamie was all over the place and at one point we saw her climbing up to the top of the greenhouse carrying at least three Easter baskets, but we managed to catch her briefly:
Missy found a gift bag:
The chimps also had some wonderful handmade pinatas from a good friend of theirs and we’ve been giving them a few for special occasions. Burrito was completely in love with this one and carried it EVERYWHERE for the entire morning:
As the breakfast party wound down, Annie contemplated building a nest right in the middle of it all:
And so she did:
Jody managed to get to the top of the greenhouse where Jamie had left her stash of Easter baskets so was out of sight of the camera for the breakfast party, but believe me, she had a good time!
The chimps spent the rest of the morning racing around Young’s Hill and resting up for their Easter lunch forage and Easter egg hunt #2 on Young’s Hill. The weather was perfect chimp weather in the 50’s and it’s the first forage on the hill this year which was pretty exciting for us all! We’ll have photos of the rest of the celebration tomorrow!
But in the meantime, we’ll leave you with party #3 and the chimps’ Easter dinner. They enjoyed roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, onions, and red peppers topped with a smidgen of avocado and accompanied by a 2017 wild berry tea:
Burrito was okay with party #3:
Here he is looking for evening enrichment (tonight it was peanuts in Boomer Balls, wrapped in scarves):
And Missy:
However you celebrate Easter, or whether or not you choose to, we hope you all enjoyed a day as beautiful, peaceful and joyful as you all have made possible for the chimps. We are so full of gratitude to each of you for filling their days with hope, love and excitement.
Kathleen says
My Easter was not even half as exciting as the chimps. Since coming to CSNW I believe that Negra, Annie, Missy, Jody, Jamie, Foxie and Burrito are the luckiest chimpanzee people on earth. And so deserving too. Boomer balls filled with peanuts and wrapped in scarves to end this outrageously magnificent day of celebration?!! How do you humans keep coming up with all these great ideas?! Love the photos and was especially tickled to learn that Springtime Negra was leading the charge! This is certainly her time year.
Thank you Katelyn for this minute by minute update of the days celebrations. Great photos as always! Give my love to all and know I’m celebrating with you in spirit. ??????
Katelyn says
You’re so lovely, Kathleen, and certainly are here in spirit. Coming up with new enrichment ideas is the biggest challenge! We have some pretty creative people in this arena thankfully and as our Enrichment Coordinator, Keri, is often the mastermind behind many of these amazing projects. 🙂
Jo says
I love how full and exciting you make their days and the parties you throw are beyond compare!! Thank you soooooo much for sharing these wonderful photos and descriptions ~ they are just so adorable and it’s so special to be able to sneak a peek at them with your help!! Blessings to you all and hugs and kisses too XO
Elaine Reininger says
Great day with great pictures to prove it. I wonder if they see things in color. I hope so because your chimp parties are so brilliant in every detail from decorations to party plates and cup and food/drink. You people are the greatest.
Katelyn says
Thank you, Elaine! We’re grateful to you for caring about the chimps. And yes, humans and chimps (and all apes) do share the same color vision! 🙂
Nicole Moore says
Looks like they all enjoyed their amazing celebrations! You all make every day amazing for these wonderful friends! Sharing their day here made my Easter the best. Thank you.
Donna Oleksiuk says
As always, you gave the chimps a wonderful day of celebration. I know they don’t understand “Easter” but they do understand good food, fun things to do, comfort, companionship, stimulation
and variety, all of which you give them. This is love demonstrated. I am SO grateful for all you do for these amazing chimpanzees. Their life started off so horrifically and it is so good that at this point they have a rich life filled with so much love. Thank you for all you do !!!!!
Arlene and Michael says
What an amazing day at CSNW. You are all so creative and wonderful. The chimps looks so appreciative and happy. What wonderful pictures. Thank you for the detailed description Katelyn. How fun and rewarding it must be to see their excitement in person. XOXO
Katelyn says
Thank you, Arlene and Micheal! It’s the best feeling ever to see their joy, excitement and contentment. <3