As you may have seen over the last few days, we’ve been growing more and more excited for The Queen’s Brunch, our first ever virtual event celebrating the anniversary of the chimpanzees’ arrival to the sanctuary AND the birthdays of Negra (June 13th) and Honey B (June 11th). Naturally, I was unable to get photos of either of these two beautiful women, but! And as of today, online auction bidding is now open! Woot!! Hurry! Go look!
All proceeds will go to the direct care of the chimpanzees, as well as to our continued expansion so that we may bring more chimpanzees in need, home. Every single thing that makes it possible for these ten amazing chimpanzee people (and the family members to come), as well as our sweet bovine family, to live the lives in sanctuary they do is because of you. Every single thing is a direct result of your heart, your compassion and your dedication to helping ensure that their lives are full of joy, well-being, comfort, family and love. There are no words to thank you for all you’ve created here, for them, but from our hearts, we have the deepest gratitude for you.
In chimp house happenings, today was a bit scattered for the humans from the get go as Jody decided she wanted to make some changes to our daily routine. Of course, that’s one of many beautiful things about the chimps’ lives in sanctuary – the choice to make, well, their own choices about how their day will go and how they spend their time. As a result, I have some scattered springtime snippets from the chimps’ home to yours.
The mountain lupine that fills the sanctuary with the most beautiful, ethereal of scents:
Foxie decided to take her doll and brave the infamous spring winds rushing over the hill:
But quickly decided it was too much, hence the sneer face:
At which point she brought her doll back to the comfort of the greenhouse:
Missy loves a particular dandelion that grows around the sanctuary – the goat’s beard dandelion. She walked the entire perimeter of Young’s Hill with us this morning gathering armfuls and mouthfuls of the flowers which seemed to have bloomed overnight:
Sister honeybees busy at work on the blooming elderflowers:
Willy B continues to amaze and delight us in his growing comfort spending time in his outdoor enclosure. Today he could barely wait for me to open the gate and squeezed underneath it, heading out without an ounce of hesitation. And he even climbed up to the top of the climbing structure where he took a brief nap in the open air and sunshine! It’s incredible that he’s feeling comfortable enough to rest with ease in the most exposed location:
I was sitting outside eating my lunch today when I heard the loud chitter of baby birds being fed by their parents. I assumed it was one of the many swallow and wren families who typically take over the bluebird nesting boxes we have up. A supporter kindly made and donated these to us years ago, but I’ve yet to see a bluebird pair successfully hang onto one and they typically end up nesting in old woodpecker nests in the surrounding Ponderosa pines. Still, I can’t help but be happy to know any birds are using them to raise their families and so when I went to have a closer look I was THRILLED to see a family of bluebirds in the box! If you look closely, you can see one of the baby birds mouths wide open:
This spring the hillsides surrounding the sanctuary have been a literal sea of gold with the native balsamroot:
Burrito and Jody grooming quietly in the greenhouse:
Foxie and Jody enjoying their after lunch chow together:
And this! Staff caregiver, Kelsi, made this amazing book for Jamie! Almost all of the staff wear Salmon Sisters XTRATUF boots for cleaning and Jamie has decided they are THE boots de jour. This wonderful book is full of photos of all the boots, as well as each of us wearing our respective pair.
Because of the rubber, they aren’t safe for the chimps to have (in the event they were ingested) and while Jamie knows she can’t have them and doesn’t ask, she adores them all the same. She spends ages having us wear them in mixed variations, walking around the hill in them and just sitting with her so she can groom them. She knows every single pair we have and exactly which ones she wants to see at any given time (they each have different sea-themed linings). Let me tell you, she is CRAZY HAPPY about this book and it’s been the most amazing gift for her. She’s even figured out (of course) that she can use it as a guide for the humans. Today she turned to the page with the boots she wanted to see and shoved it under the door for Chad to fetch the boots and bring them on a walk.
From all of us in the chimp house to all of you out there, we’re hoping some of the ease and joy you make sure the chimps’ hearts are full of finds its way back to your hearts this evening.