While winter and spring dance together outside the chimp house today, the chimpanzees have been quiet and easeful inside. (I am quite sure I’ve jinxed things with that statement, but too late now). We arrived this morning to sunny skies only to have a brief snowstorm blow in in time for breakfast. By lunch ice cold winds pushed the storm southward at which point our raptor neighbors seemed to joyfully fill the sky. Two pairs of bald eagles, two pairs of red-tailed hawks, and a pair of ravens, all swirled together above the chimp house, their calls as piercing as the cold. Eventually two pairs of blue-jays joined in with their calls of mimicry. I just ran outside to fetch snow snacks for Missy and I see the next storm heading this way. The seven have been adamant we collect as many snow snacks as possible from the dwindling supply.
The chimpanzees have taken this all in stride, enjoying their sunny windows and greenhouses when they can, and curling into their blanket nests when the sun disappears.
Dora, Lucky and Cy! I had a couple of photos in which Lucky and Cy had chins raised in tandem, looking particularly tough, but little do people know it’s the tiny, cute lady in the back who is the tough one! Dora, much like her neighbor, Foxie, is definitely of the tiny, but fierce variety when she takes a mind to be. That said, she has been very playful today. She has a really endearing behavior of gently shaking her head at us in greeting (bobblehead-style), which moves throughout her whole body when she’s particularly happy.
After breakfast everyone decided to curl up and rest as the snow came down. Gordo decided to see what all the hullabaloo about Cy’s magazines is:
Heart-melter, Cy:
Resting head to head on the bench with Cy was his sister, Lucky:
Rayne (who spent most of the morning choosing to wear a silky scarf as a skirt):
Not everyone had time to lie around though. Miss Honey B was a blur, zooming in and out of the playroom and greenhouse while the humans took turns chasing along from outside the building:
As I type this, we can see sweet Annie in the cameras as she tries to see into the kitchen to see what’s for dinner, madly stomping her feet. That’s Annie-speak for, “I’m hungry! It’s dinnertime!”
Such fantastic photography, as usual!
Katelyn, thanks for these wonderful photos and the colorful descriptions of the goings-on today! I can just see the skies above you with all the energies and hear the callings of soaring raptors. And in addition to all the great images both on the screen and in my mind, I now can imagine Rayne in a “colorful skirt” whooping around being herself. What an image! Like everyone, we all have our “faves” and I have to admit, Cy is becoming one of mine (it’s the reading thing). And now I can “see” Annie stomping and expressing her expectations of the people — “hurry up, you humans, can’t you tell I’M HUNGRY?!!” I have such joy and gratitude for these pleasures of the day.
Well, then, feed that adorable, “dear, sweet” Annie! :laughing:
I can imagine that li’l head waggle…like watching a video where some village children in India ate some potato fingers that their grandmother just prepared for them (that’s how you know they’re tasty! :slight_smile:)
I hope we get to see that some day!
Rayne in a skirt! Does that mean she can tie knots, too?
Thanks for the.post, Katelyn! Give everyone a good night grunt for me!
That tiny cute lady in the back really surprised me the other day when she was on the new scale. She was better than the Samsonite gorilla!
Our beautiful bunch of chimp people! It’s always heartwarming to hear stories of Annie……she has just blossomed in so many ways in her forever home. In fact, they all have, but the ones who were so scared, lacking confidence etc have come so much further. Hearing of her demands for lunch, seeing photos of her exploring Young’s Hill by herself without needing the constant reassurance from Missy etc is magical. Go Annie!
Awesome pics! How you all manage to capture their unique personalities in pics is amazing. Between the pics, videos, and written descriptions, we can easily transport ourselves right to the sanctuary. I never imagined I could come to know and admire 16 chimpanzees via this daily blog. I adore each and every one of them. And heart-melter Cy has definitely captured my heart! They all have. Thank you for sharing with us.
Only in the skies above Young’s Hill would you see two pairs of bald eagles (amazing!), two pairs of red-tailed hawks, and a pair of ravens. I am sure they gathered to visit with the chimps.
Wonderful photos, all of them. I have seen photos of Rayne sucking in her lips before (or maybe she’s blowing out her cheeks!). Such a silly face she makes. Does she do this often, a little habit like Annie with her bird noises?
Lucky and Cy, being siblings, seems so special, especially since they appear to be close friends. How fortunate they remained together all these years. I mean, just look at them. They look so much alike.
Hi Kathleen,
Rayne does have the habit of sucking on her top lip. She is missing some teeth so it may be a habit developed from that. 🙂
Thank you for the vivid descriptions and wonderful pictures! <3
The first picture looks like a promo pic of a rock band, hahah! They all look so charismatic :smile::heart_eyes: