There are a lot of important roles here in the chimp house that have to be filled daily that staff members rotate through. We have our lead caregiver who shifts Jamie’s side of the building and writes the blog, a second shifter that shifts Cy’s side of the building, a second staff role that is in charge of meds prep and receives safety checks, and a cattle care role who is in charge of cattle for the day. Everyone cleans and helps with the task list, but these roles change up how your day looks.
Each role has its challenges, from chimps not shifting to cattle trying to steal each others food. The second staff role, though, can definitely be challenging- depending on the day, the meds, and the chimp who needs them. 🙂
Negra, lovingly referred to as the Queen of CSNW, is our nearest, dearest, eldest resident. She has arthritis and she receives pain medication to help with her symptoms. She prefers to take her meds in a dixie cup mixed with non-dairy chocolate pudding, naturally, and it’s been a pretty consistent strategy to make sure she gets them daily. It used to be peanut butter that she preferred and it wouldn’t surprise me if, at some point, she decided that she was totally over the pudding, but that’s a worry for another day (and for the unlucky individual who is second staff when it happens).
This morning Negra allowed me to film her as she enjoyed her pudding cup, while she watched the rest of her group explore Young’s Hill. I hope you enjoy her happy food grunts, kissy lips, and general contentedness.
