Grooming is a daily occurrence at the sanctuary. The chimpanzees groom each other, which facilitates social bonding, but they also groom themselves. Most of the chimps will use their fingers or lips for grooming, but Missy has a preferred tool: a splinter of wood that she “harvests” from one of the greenhouse climbing structures especially for the task.
And a photo of Missy’s foot, just because:
I loved seeing Missy’s foot “just because”. Her toenails do not look nearly as long as I
would have expected them to be, given that they most likely do not “trim” them. It was also
interesting that she reminded me of us using toothpicks. Believe it or not, watching these
lovely “cousins” on a daily basis just make each day great for me. Thank you all!!
I wish I had opposable toes!
I must echo both comments above. I would love to have the very useful opposable toe, and your daily postings add incredible joy to each of my days! Thank you so much!
I gave been thinking how silky and clean their fur looks…
Just look at that perfect little foot. Oh to give it a tickle! That’s one serious grooming splinter Missy created. Thanks for capturing and sharing this quiet moment with Missy.
Makes my day to see these too… I can see how that tool would be useful… clever friends these majestic people are! and what a cool foot pic 🙂