Beautiful Jody has been in the spotlight on the blog quite often lately. But what a treat, as we often don’t get to capture her closeup on camera. Jody is someone who has always taken her leisure and comfort very seriously since living in her sanctuary home. She loves nests heaping full of soft blankets, the warmest of spots to rest and enjoy her meals, and as much as she loves her family, she truly enjoys her alone time as well. One example of this is that she truly gives zero cares as to if we need to enter a certain area of the chimp house to clean if she happens to be enjoying that area. As she should, of course, but you have to smile at her complete commitment to do whatever she feels like doing. She’s an inspiration! I mean, what a wonderful thing seeing her, or any of the chimpanzees, making choices and claiming agency over their home and how their day runs.
If you’re newer to the blog you may not have had a chance to read one of our posts that give more detail to our cleaning routine (which we do daily), but whenever possible we like to try to clean the chimp house beginning with the greenhouse (since this is the area the chimps access Young’s Hill through and once they hunker down in there in warm weather it’s a feat to get them out for the rest of the day!). Of course this time of year that routine commonly switches to cleaning the playroom first because the chimps are indeed enjoying warmer sunlit mornings in the greenhouse and are understandably reluctant to leave so we often serve breakfast there before they head outside.
After we’ve cleaned the playroom, the trick with a toasty greenhouse is getting everyone to accept the invitation to come in for a forage snack so we can THEN hopefully close off said greenhouse for cleaning. Today I was relieved to see that everyone was pretty happy to come inside for a popular food puzzle of raisin boards (small pieces of wood with holes drilled in them that we put raisins inside). But as soon as I’d closed off the greenhouse Foxie sat by the door and continued to peer through the window and she and I looked at each other and I knew. “Foxie, Jody’s still in the greenhouse isn’t she?!” Well, even though I knew she was out there, despite multiple trips out to look for her and repeatedly calling her, I couldn’t find her! I even stood at the fence to Young’s Hill thinking maybe she’d gone on an adventure, calling, “JO! Jooooooo!!” Nothing. Finally, after scaling the ladder to see if she was at the very top of the greenhouse with one last, “Joooo??”, up went one tiny heel of her foot in the air. There she was alright, with zero cares about leaving her toasty nest. Classic Jody. So as I wrote this we were plotting and planning how to get in there to clean at the end of the day while the chimps had dinner inside. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. Because truly, what a gift to be at their service, bend to their needs, go with their flow. What a gift to see their hearts happy.
Absolutely glorious that they have, and exercise, some control over THEIR space… and what a wonderful representation of how important it is to the people who care for them that the 7 get to do what they choose.. as much as possible… just wonderful!
Makes my heart happy to see they are happy and have choices in their daily lives.
Bless you all, you the caregivers. Definitely, these lovely chimpanzee people deserve all the comfort, joy, choice, quiet time, brain challenges, etc. that you so clearly give them. The photos you post are so very beautiful, as is the writing in your posts. Thank yoiu.
Aw, Jody, who’s always looking out for the others to come home safely, now has the favor returned by Foxie……..they wouldn’t leave her behind……:D
I like how she peels that leek! Must make it last a long time….
I was hanging on to your every word as usual Katelyn. And I know how diligently you all count heads to locate all seven chimps when you need to close off rooms. Do you ever feel a little anxious when you can’t find somebody? So many places they can disappear to.
I had to giggle when you wrote “…up went one tiny heel of her foot in the air.” Too sweet. I hate to laugh at your expense but there you are calling to Jody “Ollie ollie oxen free” and I can envision Jody in her big cozy blanket nest, snug and peaceful, raising her little foot like a flag of surrender as if to say “Alright already, I’m over here now leave me to my peace and quiet please.” : ). Jody is very precious. Thank you for loving and caring for her like you do.
How amazing that Foxie alerted you all to where Jody was. And I loved the little foot waving in the air bit.
What absolutely adorable photographs of my dear Jody, and what a great post to celebrate Jane Goodall’s birthday!