The chimpanzees’ open-top outdoor enclosure always changes a bit overnight. We do a daily morning check to make sure nothing has dramatically changed (like a broken fence wire) or a stray animal who can’t quite find their way out, but there are inevitably little changes that occur each day. This morning the sanctuary was cool and calm. The chimpanzees were eager to eat their breakfast that was being served in the greenhouse. Then through all the peace, came a noisy rustle in the brush above Young’s Hill. Having already done my perimeter check of the fence line, I knew that our neighbor’s horses were grazing the top pastures and consequently making a bit of commotion. The chimps needed to see the cause of the disturbance for themselves, so upon receiving access to their outdoor enclosure, all of them (minus Negra) raced up the hill to investigate.
Missy had no time to finish her watermelon, so she took it to go:
Jody led the charge to the top of the hill:
After determining that the all that noise wasn’t actually a threat, the chimpanzees relaxed and decided to head back in and resume their meal service.
On her way back to the greenhouse, Jody discovered a real threat:
I couldn’t see what she was looking at, but she hustled away immediately after this photo was taken:
A quick zoom in on the previous photo, shows a swarm of wasps. No Jodys were harmed in the making of this photo!
