A huge storm is blowing into the Pacific Northwest and here at the sanctuary we have a much needed week ahead of rainy and blustery weather. We arrived to darkened skies and all the lights in the chimp house flickering. Perfect spooky Jamieween season weather!
All of the chimpanzees have stayed cozy and warm in their indoor areas today (with the exception of Burrito, who has been relatively undeterred by the stormy weather and making dedicated volunteer caregiver, Lizz, race to and fro around Young’s Hill in the rain and wind).
Beautiful Lucky:
Cy caught up on his reading:
Gordo sat out the afternoon portion of the stormy day from his box once again:
The chimps were very excited to get a visit from Dr.’s Erin (Zamzow) and Jen (Wallace). Terry arrived late and thought he’d missed them so Erin and Jen made sure to come back and see him:
Gordo finally left his box and Rayne immediately pulled it over to sit in for her visit with Jen (L) and Erin (R):
This box was prime realty today! During dinner Dora hopped in the box!
Bonus photos from caregiver Sam!:
Terry, with a mouthful of water (one of which he spat right in my eye this morning!):
Gordo!
In other news, our little bovine family, Honey, Meredith, Betsy and Nutmeg, were moved over to their winter pasture today with quite the hullabaloo, as cattle are wont to do with new pastures. J.B. sent me these stills of a video he took. Meredith (look at her tail!):
Nutmeg!!
And! There are only SEVEN days until Jamieween!!! We caregivers appropriately spent this dark and stormy day sharing spooky stories so now we have to just think of this sweet picture of a wild Nutmeg so that we can sleep tonight!
Patricia K says
Hurray for Liz treking out with Burrito in such stormy weather! It’s so great to see the bovines kicking up their hoofs with such joy and excitement!
Caroline says
What a day! I love how excited Gordo was to see Dr.’s Erin and Jen, and how he held court in the produce box!
Also have to thank you for the stills of Nutmeg etal, with the blurry background its like they are running at top speed. ?:blush:
Thanks again for sharing,
C
Tobin says
Oh, what a wonderful blog post! If only that rain could have fallen some during this past summer. Better late than never.
How wonderful to read that Burrito had a visit today from his very good human friend Lizz. I know that she is one of his faves (along with Chad, Diana, Keri, J.B., Anthony, ad infinitum). Meanwhile, Lucky, Gordo, Dora Terry, Cy and Rayne look absolutely fabulous in and out of their box. I know that the box reads “Peppers” on its side but, given Rayne’s occupation of said container, one thinks of a Grateful Dead lyric: “And it’s just a Box of Rayne”.
I can’t say that I am too surprised that a Deadhead might be in residence at the Sanctuary. Young’s Hill and vicinity just has that kind of (good) vibe, as witnessed by Nutmeg’s jump for joy in returning to his winter pasture.
Nancy D says
I love this last picture of Nutmeg. That box is certainly a prized piece of enrichment! I’m getting so stoked for Jamieween to see if the great pumpkin heist takes place again this year. The video from last year featuring the thief herself, Jody, is one of my all time favorites.
Debi says
Tobin…
A friendly Hello…
Your reference to the Grateful Dead (“And it’s just a box of Rayne”) has put the biggest smile on my face, & I thank you for that…
Tobin says
Much obliged. And why do I think that I may have once seen Rayne at a show? “I knew right a-way that she was not like other girls.”
Linda C says
Hi, Katelyn!
what kind of animal is Cy reading about these days? (am seeing this on my phone).
Thanks for sharing the fall colors!
Katelyn says
Hi Linda,
That book had a variety of animals, I believe. Cy seems to have a wide array of reading interests. 🙂
Kathleen says
Oh Katelyn, thanks for sharing the days adventures from your perspective — vividly and straight from your heart. Wonderful photos and it’s fun getting to know the new crew through each image. Gordo has the kindest eyes, always a boyish expression on his face. Rayne in the box, oh that face! Dr. Jen and Erin must feel pretty special to be greeted by everyone with such joy, but Terry’s enthusiasm was off the charts. Almost as good as the enthusiasm being expressed by Nutmeg. Wow and yeeha! The winter pasture is a crowd pleaser. I dare anyone to tell us that bovines do not feel emotions.
Any chance we’ll get to see J.B.’s video? (hint hint!)
Paulette says
And that’s a wonderful thing.Amazing photos! Gosh I don’t know who I love the most anymore. I just love them all so much! And that’s a wonderful thing.
Paulette says
ooops. Some extra words up top
Elaine Reininger says
Oh Liss you sure are a dedicated person to be running around in the wind and rain just to keep crazy Burrito happy.
Two Questions …
Do you caretakers ever say “NO” to their requess????? Also, book lovers Jamie and Cy never hold a book or magazine upside down. Are they R E A L L Y seeing what we are seeing and comprehending the photos.
Katelyn says
Hi Elaine,
The only time we say “no” to their requests is if it’s something unsafe or unhealthy for them. But they typically have a pretty clear understanding of what they are allowed to have. And if someone makes a request one of us isn’t able to meet at the moment, we enlist someone else who is available.
And with the magazines, yes, they are really seeing what we are seeing. Since we aren’t in their heads we can’t say for certainty exactly what they are thinking or comprehending, but everything they show us indicates that it’s similar, if not the same, to what we would think. I’ve seen Jamie look at pictures of boots and hold them up to her feet, or alarm call at photos of snakes. I’ve seen Tatu, who lives at Fauna Foundation and communicates in American Sign Language, ask her caregivers for things like cheese (which she loves) and when they “didn’t seem to be catching on” she brought them a photo of cheese. She also used to compliment me on what I was wearing and say exactly what she liked about it, for example “pink flowers”. The list is endless really. 🙂
Mary Garripoli says
The photos in todays posting are exceptionally beautiful. Looking at the intelligent, sweet faces of the chimps, my heart swelled. Just beautiful.
Oh, and btw, having somebody spit in your eye is no fun. Yikes.
Katelyn says
Mary,
Haha, no, it is not fun! And the chimps have impeccable aim! 🙂
Amy Bianco says
I subscribe to several magazines. Would the chimps enjoy Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Architectural Digest? I would be happy to ship them to you.
Katelyn says
Hi Amy,
They would, thank you! We use them for enrichment and put peanut butter in them, but Cy I suspect would love the fashion magazines and Jamie would love AD. She has a subscription to Dwell. 🙂 You may send them to:
Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW
PO Box 952
Cle Elum, WA 98922