Burrito, the one male chimpanzee at the sanctuary, is turning 36 tomorrow!
When describing Burrito, I wouldn’t be able to count how many times I have said his age and then inserted the caveat, “but he acts more like a teenager.”
When he arrived to the sanctuary in 2008 at age 26, even then he was well into adulthood; but his boyishness was apparent. Actually, it was apparent to me when I first met him at Buckshire.
Below are a few of the early photos we took of Burrito. There’s just something absolutely irresistible and, yes, cute, about this guy:
Don’t get me wrong, he is a chimpanzee and behaves accordingly. He has his Tasmanian devil moments (no slight or stereotyping of Tasmanian devils intended).
He still regularly spits on me when I’m operating doors, especially in the morning.
But often immediately afterwards he wants to play a game of chase or tug of war:
Burrito’s je ne sais quoi clearly reaches beyond those who are lucky enough to meet him in person –Â he has many fans, including official Chimpanzee Pals, out there. Being able to share Burrito’s youthful spirit is one of the very best parts of my job.
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to share the similar boyish charm of two other male non-humans at CSNW.
A few years ago, J.B. and I adopted a dog from Lady’s Hope Dog Rescue. He had been a stray and spent some time at a couple of different shelters before he caught the attention of Lady’s Hope. He was a handful for a variety of reasons, but he quickly started to remind me of Burrito in that boyish charm sort of way.
I mean, just look at this face:
This is what Wilson wants to be doing most of the time:
Coincidentally, Wilson was diagnosed with heart issues after Burrito’s diagnosis. They take some of the same medication. Thankfully, at this point, neither of them are symptomatic and likely have no idea that they have an illness.
Because J.B. and I occupy the house on the property, Wilson is a part of the sanctuary too. He and (even more likely) his canine companion and savior Abbey can often be seen in their yard by the house, checking in on who’s coming up the driveway and watching all of the goings-on across the property.
And now we have a third young male who lives at the sanctuary. We’re still getting to know Nutmeg, the one steer who is part of our new cattle family. Somehow, he also has this young-at-heart innocence that was immediately apparent and has won us all over.
He also has one of the greatest hairdos of anyone I’ve ever met:
Nutmeg dutifully ambles along after his mom Betsy, adoptive aunt Honey and more feisty cousin Meredith. Being a male born to a cow genetically bred for the dairy industry, he’s a big guy, but I don’t think he realizes his size.
I don’t know how we lucked out with these three or why they all have a similar enchanting youthful demeanor, but I sure am glad I know them.
I’ll end with a look back at a couple of videos that illustrate the easy task of enticing the silliness out of Mr. B.:
A big happy birthday to Burrito tomorrow! May your heart always remain young, and may you, Wilson, and Nutmeg continue to charm anyone who takes the time to get to know you.
joan douglas says
we are so lucky you shared this, what joy you all bring to us! bless you all!
Linda says
Rescues are great, aren’t they!? It’s like they know…..
Seeing that photo of Nutmeg really communicates his size like no other photos I’ve seen so far! He must be close to rivaling that Australian bull!
Mr. B is so darned cute…I always think Burrito’s like that first boyfriend you had as a teenager……you know he’s not necessarily reliable, and your parents think he’s a bad choice, but he’s just so darned happy, and you have to love him for his joie de vivre, –you just can’t say no to him! Every time I see that slinky, I think of his ever-tapping feet! And the fact that, while some chimps go side to side, and others nod when excited, Burrito does both at the same time!
Happy, happy Birthday, Mr. B! I hope you get lots of yummy food, sparkling cider, and lots of chow biscuits that Jamie won’t steal! I hope that none of the girls tackle you into a corner tomorrow when they look for reassurance! I hope they take you along on the patrol! And I hope to hear you laughing tomorrow night! 😀
Jackie says
I fell for a silly, goofy, but loveable boy like this in high school. We just celebrated 30 years of marriage.
Tobin says
Congratulations on 30 years of marriage. But, does your husband chew on
wooden blocks and play tug of war with blankets?
Jackie says
So far no, but one never knows.
Diana says
Ha! Congratulations on your recent anniversary!
Linda says
I missed this! Congrats! Your parents were wrong! ÑD
Linda says
Sorry, that was supposed to be a smiley face, but I had toggled to Spanish keyboard, and forgot to toggle back.
CeeCee says
What a lucky girl you are, surrounded by such charming, handsome boys 🙂
Love that pic of Wilson’s beautiful face.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BURRITO !!!
Linda says
Also, I was thinking how appropriate it was for you to choose January 6th to celebrate Mr. B’s birthday, because it’s Epiphany, and this guy truly is a gift!
Jackie says
I totally agree with you Linda, Mr. B is a true gift!
Diana says
It is a perfect day! It happens to be his actual birthday. For a few of the chimpanzees, we have their real birth dates. Since he was born in a laboratory, we have his. I’m sure no one knew then what was in store for Burrito in his life.
Kathleen says
I have been looking forward to Burrito’s B-day. (Thank you for always noting the chimps birthdays on your CSNW calendar.) I enjoyed the old photos and link to the 2008 post about him. Surprised me that even in those horrid conditions Burrito readily engaged in a round of chase with you. That he had joy still inside him, that no matter how harsh his life was at that time, they couldn’t take that joy away from him. I’m sort of reeling imagining you both playing chase at Buckshire. The beauty of sharing his pleasure in the moment and the pang of heartbreak. Wow…. But then I look at Burrito’s photos, and I have to smile because there is no doubt about it, Burrito oozes charm and adorableness. Happy Birthday sweet, funny boy! Chase on……
And you know I love seeing a photo of big ol’ smiling blocky headed Wilson (be still my beating heart). Volunteering at a pit bull rescue I am surrounded by these glorious, goofy dogs and Mr. Wilson is just the kind of boy I fall for all the time, — joy packaged in a camel brown coat with a wee touch of naughty! How wonderful Lady’s Hope Dog Rescue kept him safe until you discovered him.
And Nutmeg is spectacular looking (hairdo and all!). His head appears to be about one third of J.B.’ body. I look forward to learning more about this new guy.
Vicky Rokstad says
I hope he gets spaghetti for his birthday. The video of him enjoying a bowl of spaghetti many years ago is still my all time favorite. Love the boy.
Tobin says
I love that video, “Burrito’s Spaghetti Dinner” too! He eats everything off of his plate
(and then some!)
Tobin says
Do Wilson and Abbey ever accompany the human caregivers when Jamie leads them on a walk outside of
Young’s Hill? How do they like their new bovine neighbors?
Diana says
Hi Tobin! Wilson and Abbey are too high-energy for the chimps’ taste. Annie in particular does not like rowdy dogs. Our last dog Honey B was a Chow Chow (a photo and painting of her on in the photo of Wilson with J.B. above). She was very mellow and not at all concerned about the chimpanzees, so we did walk her around the hill. Missy would sometimes try to get her attention to play chase, but Honey B didn’t seem to notice.
Diana says
The dogs are curious about the cows and vice versa. They seem amicable or at least tolerant when they are in their respective yards, which are adjacent to each other. When we walk the dogs, however, Betsy goes into high alert mode and watches them like a hawk.
Arlene and Michael says
They are all so loveable…and handsome?