Yesterday, as I was helping clean the Playroom, I noticed Foxie sitting at the door that leads to Young’s Hill.
Was she contemplating going outside? Was it too cold for her? Was she just waiting for somebody to return? I admittedly stopped cleaning and watched her for a few minutes. After some time, others began to return from their patrol around the hill.
Jody returned with some fresh picked greens.
Then Jamie returned with Burrito right behind her.
After their return, almost everybody spent the rest of the time on the top platform waiting for us humans to finish cleaning.
It’s hard to say what Foxie was thinking or why she herself didn’t choose to go outside, but today was different.
When cleaning was done today, Jamie requested Kelsi and Anna to go on a walk with her.
They were soon joined by Missy and Burrito. All three of them thought it was an amazing idea to sprint up the hill, which included making Kelsi and Anna sprint as well.
While Jamie, Missy, and Burrito were running around with the human caregivers, I caught two familiar figures out of the corner of my eye.
Jody and Foxie decided to have their own little adventure.
The Adventures of Jody and Foxie aren’t quite like the others. They can be equated to being like two old friends taking a walk in the park. Really just a casual stroll through the outside enclosure. If someone takes an interest in something, the other stops and waits for them.
Foxie decided to try to climb one of the structures. As she did, Jody waited for her.
When they were done with their adventure, they headed back inside the Greenhouse.
Right around the time Foxie and Jody decided they had enough adventure, the Trio’s adventure was coming to an end as well. It should come to no surprise that Missy was the first one to make it back. She usually sprints the entire hill, leaving everyone else in her dust.
Jamie and Burrito were not far behind though.
You may have noticed Jamie’s attire might have changed from the beginning of their adventure to the end. Both Anna and Kelsi told me she started out with a scarf, then half way through it turned into a waistband, and at the very end it turned into a sash. We never know how the chimpanzees will react and interact with the different enrichment items they are provided. Sometimes they are a hit, sometimes they fall flat. Jamie though has an ability to shape the items in such a way to her liking. We don’t give her instructions on how to use an item or force her to interact with it. It’s always her choice and her way. I cannot wait for Jamieween to arrive!
And here are some bonus photos I just wanted to share from earlier in the week:
Jamie is very trendy in the fashion world.
Who wouldn’t want a scarf/belt/sash ?
It should be a top seller this holiday season 🙂
Great pictures today ! Thank you.
Thanks for taking me on an adventure too. Dear Foxie, she does look small and cold in that first photo. I love how she sits right in the middle of the runway not budging as the others push past her. Your description of Jody and Foxie on their strolls is very endearing. Nice to know they have this friendship and similar styles of enjoying Young’s Hill. And I enjoyed each bonus photo (Especially Negra and her big celery stalk).
However, when my eyes spotted the photo of Jamie and her long, bright red scarf I burst out laughing. And my brain was shouting “Wait! Chad! How can you not comment on Jamie swinging that fall attire?!” It was killing me. Thanks for the explanation at the end. Kelsi and Anna must have been hysterical as Jamie kept switching out her scarf to fit her fashion desires. Seriously, this just kills me, or why I love Jamie beyond words.
So cool that everyone gets to “Choose their Own Adventure” or not and choose the way to rock an accessory while retaining the prerogative to change one’s mind.
I’m curious — and concerned: over the past few weeks I haven’t seen much of Negra out on the hill or, even, much outside of her nest (the above photograph notwithstanding). Is there a health reason for this? Or, as the weather has cooled, does she prefer to stay indoors? I hope that the game from about a month ago where Jody (with Burrito and Foxie’s seeming encouragement) was playing rough with Neggie didn’t cause her to take to her bed.
Hi, Tobin! We do daily health checks on all the residents here: monitoring their appetite, monitoring their behavior, and taking daily temperatures. It more so has to do with the fluctuation of this Fall weather as the temperature go from temperate to chilly over the span of a day it seems. She plays and is active (for Negra) indoors. Today, as I was playing with Burrito, she came down from the second level of the Playroom to (casually) push Burrito aside and decided to play with me. After a few minutes of this, she lost interest in playing with me and turned her attention to play with Burrito. And though people like Burrito, Jody, Foxie, and the others play with Negra, they usually are careful in not being too rough with her. Negra on the other hand, can be a very rough play partner in comparison.
Of course, we have to remember that Jamie changing up her accessory requires her own special skill: making some kind of knot to tie it!
Glad Foxie still has someone to hang with, even on days when her adventure pants are in the laundry!
Having worked with the Waystation chimps as a volunteer for many years, it’s a pleasure to see how you have improved the lives of the 3 from WW. Everything about their lives now is a plus and it’s great to see that they get individual attention and lots of love! I miss them, but know that they are happy!!
Ooohhh! I just adore this post. Thanks so much, Chad, for all your efforts and for the info re the poop process at the sanctuary. Of course, I’ve wondered but was too skittish to ask, even though I think it’s a natural curiosity for us out here in non-contact chimp-space. I loved your comment about Jody and Foxie being like “2 old friends taking a walk together in the park” — such an endearing image and turn of phrase. I love being a part of the chimps’ everyday “doings” (not only the poop part, of course!) through the images and words you each share with us. And during these very difficult challenging times on so many levels having the blog and its comments and photos every day is truly a beacon in the darkness for me right now. Of course, amongst all the great shots and commentary this time, there’s Jamie in her red “outfit” sashaying along. And Honey B w/ her peanut-buttered magazine with pics of GOATS (my 2nd great love in addition to chimps!). So here’s my question for you: What does Jamie do to request the humans go on walks on the hill with her? How do you know that’s what she’s requesting?
Hi, Marya! That is a great question and may be answered more thoroughly in a future blog posting. But not to leave you waiting, the quick answer is that Jamie usually makes it clear she wants to walk. She first starts with a simple bang on the caging to get our attention. We ask her if she wants to walk and will indicate through gesturing that is indeed what she wants. But she won’t go until the right human(s) are presented to her with the right combination of boots. When the right combination of human(s) and boot(s) are made, she will race to Young’s Hill waiting for us to run around to the hill to meet her outside.