Nothing jump-starts your day like going in to say good morning to the chimpanzees and having Honey B greet you with a screw in her lips. Of course everything we give the chimpanzees for enrichment goes through multiple safety checks, as do their enclosures, so we weren’t too worried. Honey B handed over the contraband, along with tossing out a second screw, in exchange for an apple slice. We thought they were probably from a toy, but they turned out to be from a little DIY project Honey B had been working on which required an interruption to J.B.’s day off for a quick repair. I’m pretty sure Honey B and Jamie would rule the world if they combined the forces behind the marvelous miraculous individuals they both are.
Honey B’s been zipping and zooming and taking things apart all the day long. Perhaps her version of spring fever. This is an older photo of Honey B that Chad took which I love because it’s so Honey B, and I figured we all needed a visual of this amazing woman:
On that note, it’s a quintessential early spring day here in eastern Washington. After a bit of snow last night, the wild spring winds came barreling off the mountains and whisked the clouds away turning the sky bright blue and birds of all shapes and sizes have been gliding the windy currents. I saw a juvenile bald eagle get thunked on the head by a crow, the red tail of a hawk flashing like fire in the sun, and more robins than I’ve ever seen in my life searching the slowly greening grass for all the good things.
The seven have spent much of their day in the greenhouse where it’s been light-filled and toasty warm. After a brisk run around the hill with Jamie and Missy, we all met back in the greenhouse and dear sweet Annie surprised me by swinging down for a grooming (and selfie) session:
She was actually poking the phone camera’s shutter release here as she watched herself:
Dear, beautiful, Annie. Mesmerized by her image…much like us all.
Wow.. just wow.. Annie in the camera. Beautiful and heartwarming. Honey B will possibly surprise you one day with her own version of a new wing of the sanctuary.. in miniature I suppose. Thank you Katelyn
the upside on those screws is that she didn’t squirrel them away for other uses…..
My thoughts exactly. After observing all of the construction going on next to her living quarters, should we surprised that Honey B has learned the carpenter’s craft and has decided to build her own addtion?
An other option is ofcourse, that she has a stack of screws somewhere hidden away, to be used as trade for lovely juicy pieces of apple………
I love the little smile on Annie’s face when she pooks the camera with a stick to make a selfie….as if she says to herself “that is a job well done Annie”….
Thank you again for the very entertaining blog. It is always fun to read about the antics of the chimps.
So much the same, at times, and then so very different. I so enjoy reading about them. Spring has
sprung in Tn. already and we are thoroughly enjoying it. My two beagles are not fond of snow and cold.
Thus, sleeping inside waiting for the sun to come back. Thank you again. Love those chimps.
Barbara, it sounds like your sweet beagles subscribe to Negra’s line of thinking. She has been checking the status of her beloved spring grass though. 🙂
So, you never did say where those screws came from. What may I ask did Honey B deconstruct to end up with a screw or two?! And what was the tool she used to get the screw? Oh my she’s a funny one and yes, if Jamie and Honey B teamed up I’d hate to see what would happen. Maybe it’s a good thing the two groups are separated or you might enter the chimp house some morning and find ten chimps in your kitchen eating chow and making nut-bags-to-go with Jamie and Honey B at the helm. (Disclaimer: this could never really happen thanks to structural secure lockdown/safety standards of the building and J.B.s talents) ; )
Annie! Oh my gosh, this sequence of selfies is perfection! Best of all she looks so pleased with herself. So Jamie and Honey B (dressed in headband tool belts) can tinker with construction and remodeling (don’t forget Jamie reads Dwell to get her inspiration), while Annie, clearly the tech leader, documents it all. What a team!
These women are living proof why every single sentient animal deserves to be recognized for who they are and we must build sanctuaries. It’s the least we can do to undo the damage we’ve done.
Hi Kathleen,
I don’t know what tool Honey B used, but she was somehow able to get two short screws (of many) from the steel panel that covers one of the new (not yet complete) hydraulic doors which will lead to Phase 2 and peel the corner back a bit. Remember, I mentioned this is steel. There was no danger regarding security, but not a chimp friendly activity. Though Honey B might beg to differ. She also took the wheel off her skateboard and used a tool to poke holes in the plastic cover we placed over another new door outside her enclosure. She was *very* busy yesterday. Rightly so, the chimpanzees never allow us to forget who they are – highly intelligent, curious, creative, and mindbogglingly strong individuals. And as you beautifully stated, they deserve nothing less than being seen for the incredible and sentient beings they are. Like us all.
Thanks for the details Katelyn. Wow! Honey B!?! That WAS a very busy day indeed. Poor J.B., she’s going to keep him on his toes. I just knew Honey B was making mental notes when she was always hanging out on her firehose sling spying on the contractors on the other side of glass. Man, she’s a quick study. And yes, s-t-r-o-n-g too. Please don’t tell Jamie I said this (knowing Jamie she probably has access to a computer and reads the blog so I don’t why I said that!) but I am starting to think that Honey B could give Genius Jamie a run for her money.
Kathleen,
Well, you probably wouldn’t be surprised when I tell you Jamie (and Missy!) were involved in a similar project some years ago! 🙂
Thank you J.B. for coming in on your day off!
Beautiful pictures and blog – much appreciated Katelyn.
Happy spring everyone. 🙂