Happy Birthday, to all our friends out there who are celebrating this month!
While we do have Easter (April 9th) and Earth Day (April 22nd) ahead, April is one of those rare months in which we have no sanctuary resident birthdays so we are counting on you to go big! If you’ve been following the chimpanzees for any length of time, you should all be well instructed at this point on a myriad of celebration options and ideas. Just ask yourselves, “What would the chimpanzees do?” and go from there…well, within some form of reason. 😉
Officially, we’re several steps into spring here in the northern hemisphere. Unofficially, it seems that what has felt like an extra long winter for many, continues to be so here and there. Dependent on where one dwells in this county, you may be anywhere between welcoming this first weekend of April under a winter storm warning, or maybe something a little more spring-like at lower elevations. Maybe it’s just part of the whole April Fool’s theme. But really, that’s pretty apropos for the strange alchemy of winter turning to spring, vacillating between wild and calm, rest and reawakening, dark and light.
Whether you missed the news or not it definitely bears repeating, so feel free to revisit Negra’s inspiring and heart-lifting spring adventure here. I’d say Negra sums up the very nature of spring and all of the seasons of our lives in which it’s magic appears.
Fashion risk-taker and trend-setter, Annie:
One of my all-time favorites of Jody from an Easter past. What you can’t see here is that in her delight, Jody had stopped to give us all one of her endearing genital bounce greetings. (Now, I know many of you are now thinking you want to see this if you haven’t already. I’m sure there are other examples somewhere, but a good one is seen in this way, way back video of an exciting early years event, at 00:35 – it’s kind of Jody’s signature friendly greeting behavior). I have this photo hanging in my kitchen and unfailingly, it makes my heart sing every time I look at it.
Timeless Burrito:
Willy B and an Easter carrot:
Nutmeg and his mama, Betsy:
Sweet Terry:
Thanks so much to you all for being here through all the seasons of the chimpanzees’ and bovines’ lives, and not least of all, your own. We’re so grateful to you, and birthday or not, we celebrate you and everything you make possible in the lives of all who call the sanctuary home, every single day.
Happy Birthday, April celebrating friends! Happy spring!
Happy April, Katelyn, and all birthday revelers!
I have saved the subsequent picture of “Farner Jo”, where the look on her face says “look what all I got!”, so convinced that she got the best of the forage, always!
Indeed, we are rainy and dreich today, but a friend in MN woke up to no power and everything blanketed in snow. So I’ll not complain! April Fools, indeed
Happy April to everyone!
I enjoyed rereading Negra’s big climbing adventure! What a fantastic way to kick off springtime. I also enjoyed revisiting the blog post from her first climb. Negra is full of surprises (….perhaps why her belly is so plump, proving she still has more surprises in her!).
That photo of Farmer Jo is one of my all time favorites too. There’s something so endearing about Jody. And the photo of Willy B reminded me of Groucho Marx!
Looking forward to warmer days at the sanctuary!
What fun to revisit these pics and see so many chimp people living these moments. Such precious beings. Each is such an individual. Spring is the perfect time to celebrate their choices and the positive changes they’ve each made over their years together in sanctuary. I can just hear the bovines chomping on spring grass!
What a great selection of photographs on today’s blog post. And — oh! — that smile on Negrita’s face!