The past couple of mornings have been our first breaths of winter dawning at around 18-20 degrees, frost covered land and bluebird skies. Beautiful. While the chimpanzees were being served breakfast I was completing the perimeter check of Young’s Hill (making sure their outdoor habitat is safe before giving them access to it). When I got to the top of the hill, the fields up there were breathtaking!
Once the sun comes up over the hill it warms up to some degree, but I wasn’t sure the chimps would do their usual dash onto the hill. But again and again, we learn never to underestimate their  joy of life and curiosity. Negra, naturally, chose to remain in a sun puddle in the greenhouse, but everyone else rushed onto the hill to soak in the beautiful morning light. Missy and Annie stopped briefly to check out construction noises before making their way to the structures to eat frost:
Burrito, extra floofy in the cold morning air:
After spending a good length of time sitting in the sun and licking the frost off everything they could find, everyone made their way back to the greenhouse and playroom to bask, quite literally, in the sunshine streaming through the windows. This entire day the chimpanzees have been utterly quiet, content and bathed in light.
Foxie sat like this, unmoving, for nearly an hour. Keeping an eye on me at the computer, soaking in all that sun:
Jamie remained in this position the entire time we cleaned the playroom. I thought she was asleep, but every time I looked, her eyes were wide as if in a daydream.
Annie, in all her grace:
I love everything about this post. The photos of our friends are phenomenal, and the grass is gorgeous! I particularly like the ones of Annie, graceful as can be and then with her big grin. Sounds like a very special day.
My thoughts, exactly. It is reassuring to see that Burrito’s winter coat still fits him well
since last winter.
Those are the most magical pictures of frost i’ve ever seen!
if I could have that on my Xmas tree I would, In fact, that is
just what I alway want my Xmas tree to look like!
And Annies feet making a heart shape is Beautiful.
Thank you.
Thank you, CeeCee. It would be the perfect decor! Annie loves propping her feet up in the sun. But, who doesn’t? 🙂
Wowza!! Phenom pix!!! Thank you so much Katelyn ~ you all ROCK! Love this slice of their and your lives!! Hugs and love to you all…
Thank you for the kind words, JoAnn! Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Wow Katelyn, these photos are beyond! I always say CSNW is Shangri-La, seeing the electrical, pixie-dusted morning grass proves it. Magic happens on Young’s Hill. And from the looks of these photos of the chimps I think everyone is under a beautiful magical spell. : )
Thanks, Kathleen. 🙂 It’s unlike anything I’ve seen up there lately, for wahtever, meteorlogical (or pixie-ological 😉 ) reasons. I had the same thoughts about the chimps seeming to be under some lovely spell of enchantment yesterday.
They’re beautiful, Katelyn……….the frost glistens like fairy lights on the grass! And the pics of Annie with her lovely “piano fingers” are awesome!
Here’s a question……as much as I see Mr. B. looking like he needs another “dude” in the place to hang with…..what’s the prediction for the situation when new chimps come, if there’s a male? If there’s a male who wants to be alpha who’ll go to the mat with Jamie, I would assume (perhaps wrongly so) that the CE7 would stick together. So adding in just one or two new chimps probably wouldn’t do. What happens if they don’t blend?
Hi Linda,
Good questions! As you might imagine, so much thought and planning goes into introducing chimpanzees and it tends to be a process that happens in steps. For example, hearing each other, but not seeing each other, then seeing each other, protected contact between individuals who are showing interest, etc. We’ve no way to say what will happen at this point and of course every individual and situation are different, but if for some reason the chimps are not able to be integrated, we’ve planned for that in our expansion to ensure that both groups will have the same amount of space and outdoor access.
Thanks for the reply, Katelyn, sorry I’m late in catching up to it, because the semester..:)
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Mr. B’s finding another bro to hang with!
That’s just what I needed today!! My girl, Annie, making, heart shapes! I love all of them. Annie, I sponsor! Many shots she’s laying just like me. Thanx again, for the beautiful, photos. I used to do photography. I would’ve loved, shooting shots of them. Pure joy. Bless all of you. Happy Thanksgiving to the staff who works tirelessly, for the cause. It’s very appreciated ??
Thank you for being Annie’s chimp pal, Vicki! She is so special. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well! We’re so grateful for the life you all make possible for the chimps. 🙂
Annie has a dancer’s instinct for form and grace!
Hi Katelyn,
Thank you so much for all these gorgeous pics–of the chimps and the rainbow grass.
And I love the word “floofy” describing Burrito–it made me laugh out loud!