Yesterday was the day after Jody’s eyelid repair surgery. She spent most of the day sleeping off the anesthesia after making a giant nest. Yesterday she wasn’t so interested in food or drinks, but was taking sips of water.
I know that chimpanzees are known for their quick healing and tough spirits, but even I was surprised what a difference a night made for Jody. This morning, the swelling around her eye had gone down considerably, and she was alert, active, and hungry! She was especially happy to be offered some lychees that an old friend brought her and was eager to dig into some pineapple. She took a little smoothie too:
It was also clear that she was very interested in being back with the rest of the chimpanzees:
Dr. Erin Zamzow came to assess things and decided it would be best to give her another day of healing on her own without the drama and focused attention of the other chimps.
Jody decided maybe another day alone wasn’t so bad…
Her friends still got to visit her while she was in her private quarters. She and Foxie played a little game of tag:
and Burrito gave her a kiss:
We made sure that Jody had lots of food puzzles and other interesting things to do and that the other chimpanzees were able to go about their daily activities, like Missy running:
Jamie hanging out in the tunnel on the hill:
and Burrito allowing me to photograph his handsome self:
