Today was a quintessential early spring day in Cle Elum that started with great gusts of wind driving snow across an otherwise peaceful green landscape. This attempt of winter to make a resurgence was no match for the sun, however. The snow was gone by midday and the scenery was back to being spring-like.
It’s been just a few days since Willy B, Mave, and Honey B first got access to the two new playrooms. They are still experimenting with the new space and trying out different areas. It will be fun to discover what their favorite hang-out spots are.
Today, Mave laid down to groom herself in a puddle of sun on the catwalk of Playroom 3 (also known as the Marmot Room because of the marmot silhouette painted on the wall downstairs in honor of a special supporter).
On the other side of the building, I found Jody in one of her all-time-favorite spots on the lower platform in the original greenhouse doing much the same as Mave.
Not one to spend much time lounging, Jamie was busy perusing the sanctuary’s site plan…
If you are on Facebook, you might have caught a Live Lunch Service (recorded video available on Facebook here). We hope to do more of those live videos in the future, most likely on a random and spontaneous schedule.
Whether you are more in the mood to relax or all about keeping active, if you are a local supporter, I have the thing you need to do this month!
Get yourself to Gallery One in Ellensburg and check out the display of designs that were submitted to last month’s art contest. Note – Gallery One is currently open at a limited capacity – check out their Covid protocols for more information.
You won’t go home empty-handed – there’s merchandise available for purchase that features the winning design of Fabulous Foxie by artist Thyra Rutter. There are also brand new postcards of all ten of the current chimpanzees; plus a really great display of information that the creative students in the Primate Awareness Network at Central Washington University put together. If you are not local, you will miss out on the displays, but you can still get stickers from the top four People’s Choice winners and merchandise of Fabulous Foxie in our online merchandise store.
Have fun shopping!
Mave is so beautiful! I enjoyed the live lunchtime feed and seeing all the chimps and their lunchtime antics. So much character and each one with their own personality, I love them so much and thank each of your team for giving them such great care! It shows in their faces, and that is a credit to all of you!
Thanks so much for the links, Diana. I’ve never been on FB, so I appreciate the chance to catch a lost opportunity to “have lunch with ” my favorite chimps in the world!
The tomatoes in the garden can’t grow fast enough, lol!
I’ve got some tomato starts under grow lights in the office. Fingers crossed! 🙂
Thank you, Caroline!
Marvelous Mave’s poses remind me of cubist sculpture. Both Mave and Jody look very cozy soaking up the sunshine. I just about screamed seeing Jamie with the blueprints! I hope there is no mention on how to operate the hydraulic doors on those prints or you’ll arrive tomorrow to find Jamie opening up the sanctuary. ; )
I wish I could visit Gallery One to see the original illustrations from the contest. The tote looks fantastic (so do the stickers)! I am saving todays facebook luncheon for my morning coffee. Can’t wait!
What a cutie pie Mave is….so pretty. I’m wondering if this new found courage to explore the new playrooms will give the two Californian girls the encouragement to go outside now? I know the endless big sky is a lot different to the safety of a roof, but as we know, they’re always surprising us.
Beautiful photo’s of Mave in that very complicated Yogapose called “the Mavis”; I have not mastered that one yet!
And Jamie is checking to see if all the work is done properly according to the blueprits…you hà ve to check on those humans all the time….(sigh).
The Mavis truly is a signature pose for Mave. We’ll all have to practice it. I think Jamie approved of the site plans!
I was mentioning the exceptional beauty of Mave and the most handsome Willy B to my daughter one day. She wondered if the other chimps perceive attractiveness the same was that we humans do?? What do you guys at the sanctuary think? I know that size, teeth, strength are prized attributes among the chimps. But what about beauty??
I have often wondered this too! My guess is that they don’t perceive attractiveness the same way as humans. I think human perceptions of attractiveness are all wrapped up in cultural norms and pressures that chimpanzees are not subject to. Not to disparage her physical appearance, but I often think of Flo, who was the strong, well-respected matriarch of the F-family at Gombe when Jane Goodall began studying the chimpanzees there, but may not be considered the most attractive to human eyes – https://news.janegoodall.org/2015/09/29/the-famous-chimps-of-gombe/3/
I do think that, like humans, chimpanzees have their individual attractions. Willy B seems to enjoy videos that include Jamie. And of course Jody and Annie seem to swoon over Willy B far more than they did Burrito. That could be based on his looks or his size, perceived power, etc.
If I didn’t know how wonderfully adamant CSNW is about human and chimp safety…..I would swear you gave Mave a beauty treatment before taking those stunning photos of her!