Springs storms are rolling through the area today and in typical fashion we go from sun, to cold wind, to rain, to hail and back to sun.
But spring hail (if you live in Cle Elum :)) brings the first tiniest of spring flowers:
No matter the weather, Missy asks to have the barn doors at the end of the playroom open and checks the garden every day!
And every time we open them up for the chimps to have a peek, it creates quite a ruckus and Missy is thrilled. She and Missy immediately began chasing each other around the playroom, laughing:
Jamie was keeping a close eye on the approaching storms from the chimp house windows after an aborted attempt at walking around the hill. She left me standing half way up on the windy hillside calling after her as she high-tailed it back to the greenhouse. Maybe she’s becoming a fair weather chimp?
It’s been a quiet afternoon with the unpredictable weather and the chimps have mostly congregated together in the toasty greenhouse to groom. If you are new to chimpanzee behavior, grooming is extremely important in chimp society. It’s a way to clean themselves and one another as well as to attend to any wounds, but it’s primary importance is that of building and maintaining their bonds with one another. Chimps use grooming to build relationships in the hierarchy and “get in good” with the more dominant chimps, it’s how they maintain bonds with friends, it’s how they soothe and calm each other and it’s how they make up after a fight. And here at CSNW, sometimes the chimps will choose to include their caregivers in their grooming. The chimpanzees relationships with one another are always the priority, but it’s always special when they include us.
Missy likes to groom herself with a small stick (seen here grooming her own arm) and invited me to do the same. For safety reasons we never allow our fingers to pass through the caging and the chimps know that if they want us to groom them or give them a knuckle rub, they have to press their body against the caging. You can’t see it here, but I am only using my forefinger and thumb to hold the tool – we keep as many fingers as we can tucked back for safety…That leg!
Here Annie (using her lips on her arm) and Jody are self-grooming:
Burrito was resting in the corner while Foxie groomed him, but he eventually moved down to groom with Jody:
The chimps have been loving the greenhouse today and even after an exciting dinner forage of roasted onions, pears, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes, they all took their evening enrichment of peanut butter in containers out to the greenhouse to enjoy. This is pretty unusual because they are typically building their night nests about this time. Keri and I said goodnight and received “crickets” in response. π Goodnight chimps! Goodnight friends of chimps!
Donna Oleksiuk says
Beautiful photos !! Thank you SO much. Also loved the story, as always π <3 <3
Katelyn says
Thank you, Donna! I love the one of Burrito and Jody looking up together – so sweet. π Thanks so much for being part of their lives.
Jo says
Beautiful post and thank you so much ~ I hope you know how much we all appreciate these windows into the chimpeople’s world, and yours as well! Hugs to you all!
Katelyn says
Thank you, Jo! We love sharing the chimps’ lives with you all and are thrilled that you enjoy being part of that.
Beverly Donovan says
So many wonderful pictures today with great captions.!
Katelyn says
Thank you so much for following the chimps’ lives, Beverly!
Arlene and Michael says
What a full day. Sweet dreams and good night to all of you as well:)
Katelyn says
Thank you, Arlene and Michael – we so appreciate you both!
Kathleen says
What a wonderful post, love all the photos, especially the larger ones of Burrito and Jody. And like Missy, I am looking forward to the first warm, sunny day when that big barn door can be left wide open! So sweet the way she keeps hoping.
I have to ask about your last line : “Keri and I said goodnight and received βcricketsβ in response.” Crickets?! Qu’est-ce que c’est?
Katelyn says
It is sweet! Missy climbs to the very top of the caging and peers over trying to see if her beloved tomatoes have miraculously appeared yet. And crickets! It’s a slang term used to point out silence – when you expect a response from someone and it’s so quiet you could hear crickets. Like that awkward silence after a bad joke, or in this case, that awkward silence when caregivers say goodnight to the chimps and they have better things to do than respond (or aren’t even there!). π
Kathleen says
Thanks Katelyn! You never know what you are going to learn reading the CSNW Blog. Crickets!
Cheryl says
Thanks for sharing that.
Francoise says
A lovely post, thank you so much. It sounds like the chimps had a wonderful active cozy friend-filled day. Did they get through the day without any B-displays? If only people could get along as this family does.
Katelyn says
Thank you, Francoise. B-displays are the norm of the day, but surprisingly he was pretty mellow yesterday. However, the ladies filled in the gap with a brief argument at dinner. Such are the lives of chimps. π