I had a lot of hope for the weather after yesterday’s brief reprieve from the winter weather. As I began to drive to the sanctuary today, that hope began to dwindle. A fresh layer of snow had accumulated overnight and there were grey clouds as far as the eye could see. Earlier in the day, all my plans to shift the chimpanzees from one area to another so we could clean their enclosure was altered multiple times. The chimpanzees just refused to leave certain areas, making it harder for us to clean. I began to accept this day was just an outright bad day. Then our veterinarian Erin arrived. She came by and did a checkup on Burrito to see how his recovery was coming along. When she came back into the foyer area, she gave me the best news of the day. She determined Burrito was well enough to be reunited with his family once again!
It was at this point, the entire day turned around. The clouds had cleared up. The sun came out and melted some of the snow. And the chimpanzees began to cooperate and move into the areas we needed them to so we could clean. It sounds like I’m making this up, but believe me, it happened like this. Our incredible volunteer staff today rolled up their sleeves and really busted their bums to ensure the enclosures were cleaned quickly and thoroughly so we could reunite Burrito with the girls. When it came time, I opened the doors to reunite them and there was excitement. Foxie and Burrito almost immediately engaged in a game of chase, before settling down and starting a very long grooming session.
While Burrito and Foxie were grooming, Annie and Missy shared their excitement by engaging in a silly game of play wrestle.
When they were finished, Annie decided it was time to bask in the sun’s rays through window.
Jamie on the other hand found a new way to relax while watching her neighbors from the Playroom window.
While Jody foraged nearby.
Though today started out sort of rough, seeing Burrito back in the Playroom with the Girl Gang made every bit of today worth it.
