The chimps in Jamie’s group have been supervising the expansion and renovation of their outdoor enclosure, Young’s Hill.
It’s been a few months since J.B. gave this detailed progress report on the project, and it’s been several weeks since Chad posted this update that the chimps would be temporarily without access to The Hill. J.B., volunteers, and the team from Sage Mechanical have been working around the clock since then to quickly make the necessary additions and improvements (including moving the lookout tower to a new home). Staff have tagged in this week to help put up the last few sections of fencing and clean up the area in preparation for chimpanzees.
The chimps remain interested in all the work, but they seem to be less anxious and more curious now that Young’s Hill appears ready. We still need to conduct a comprehensive safety and security check, but it won’t be long before we let them go out and explore their new backyard.
Jamie viewing the new enclosure:
A new path leading to the Young’s Hill perimeter:
Ponderosa pines next to the new fences:
The new access gates:
Annie watching Chad and J.B. working:
The shady new location of Carlene’s Tower:
New vegetation planted in an irrigated section of Young’s Hill:
The driveway up to the new Young’s Hill gate:
The view from the new perimeter:
Foxie watching curiously:
You may have noticed the construction materials scattered around outside the enclosure. There is still much work to be done on the other side of the hill, and we’re not really “cleaning up” as much as we are migrating to the other side. From their south-facing greenhouse enclosures, the chimps in Cy’s group monitored the construction of the sanctuary’s second open-top enclosure, lovingly named The Bray.
The Sage Mechanical crew shifted their focus to The Bray as soon as they finished their work on Young’s Hill, so they were working right in front of the chimpanzees today. The chimps acted like spectators, bringing their breakfast chow up to the platforms in order to get the best view. Some of them even asked their caregivers to serve them their meals out there instead of in the interior hallway.
Katelyn serving Terry outside:
The unfinished Bray containing a few familiar structures:
Jose from Sage Mechanical working within view of the chimps:
J.B. working with Chad to install the final section of snake exclusion fence:
Gary’s arsenal of power tools:
The crew transporting fence posts with the telehandler:
Gordo watching Gary’s telehandler go by:
Ryan’s Lookout, a new installation that will be a keystone structure in The Bray:
Keep a close eye on the blog this week for further updates!
