Bubba, Bubs, Bubba Lou, Bubba Lewsky, Lewsky, Lewsky Lou, Lewsk, Lewsky Louis, Louis, Lou
Those are just MY nicknames for my dear friend, Burrito.
I met Burrito on December 5th, 2019. He was in isolation while recovering from a fight that occurred during an attempt to integrate the newly arrived Californians (Willy B, Honey B, and Mave) with the Cle Elum 7 (Negra, Jamie, Jody, Missy, Burrito, Annie and Foxie). I’m sure many of you remember how traumatic that event was for both chimp and human alike. Burrito sustained some pretty severe injuries, so he remained in isolation for more than 2 months! But even so, he wanted to be friends. As a volunteer, you are instructed not to interact with the chimpanzees, besides a polite head nod, until you’ve been trained to safely do so as a Level III volunteer. I remember cleaning the front rooms as a Level II volunteer, along side where Burrito was staying, and trying my hardest not to interact with him. He wanted to play so badly! I will admit, I whispered to him, “some day, Burrito, some day we will be friends”.
Me and the nest I built for Burrito while he was in isolation. This was pre-Covid, which is why I’m maskless.
Fast forward to August 2021, the sanctuary started inviting a few volunteers back after Covid. I was one of the lucky ones, and became a Level III volunteer. And you know what that means!! I was finally able to play with my new friend. I think that, when it comes to Burrito, if you are willing to be super enthusiastic in your silly ridiculousness, you are in!
Burrito is funny, charming, handsome, energetic, silly, goofy, spirited, ridiculous, giggly, and just plain cute!
It’s actually tough to get much done when Burrito is around. Cleaning toys by Playroom 1? Nope – time for chase! In the kitchen doing dishes? Heck no – it’s time for a run around the hill! Serving a meal? Burrito wants you to stick a carrot in his ear!
I hope that you are lucky enough to have a friend like Burrito in your life. He brings me so much joy!
Tomorrow, Sunday, August 25th is the second installment of the HBO docuseries Chimp Crazy, which will be available to watch on MAX on and after 10pm ET. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance will once again be hosting a discussion on Tuesday after the episode (August 27, 6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET) to explore Episode 2: Gone Ape. Register to join the second installment in this discussion series “Primate Perspectives: Unpacking Chimp Crazy. We will talk about the contents of episode two and the history of the use of chimpanzees as pets and the current pet trade in monkeys. We will be recording it this week, so if you register but are unable to join, we will send you a link to the recording.
Thanks for the recording, Krissy!
I’d love to, but don’t have HBO or Max. Yet I’m still curious as to whether thry got it right this time or not.
So handsome in his patriotic neckwear !
Thanks for the fun video :revolving_hearts:
Oh, Bubbie! That big kid never fails to bring a smile to my face! His silliness is contagious!
I also love seeing Annie and Missy (I assume?) playing in the background and Boss Lady Jamie’s cameo at the end!
She was serving in her official capacity of party police there!
“B”
That’s an odd squonk that I’ve never heard from them before, Krissy!
For anyone old enough to remember, it reminded me of when you finally got splotted on when you were playing old school Space Invaders
We love Burrito! You are so fortunate, Krissy, to be able to interact and play with Burrito. Thank you for sharing this:)
Hi Krissy! I’m like you, numerous silly nicknames for my dogs because how can you help yourself?! Oh what I would give to spend one day in your shoes enjoying a well earned friendship with Burrito. And Jamie too!! How did you ever ignore Bubba Lewsky without bursting out laughing over his ridiculously charming antics?! Do me a big favor please, have a game of tug and chase for me.
As James Taylor sings, “ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.” And what a friend Burrito is, no matter what name you call him. Thank you Krissy for all of your dedicated service to the chimps at CSNW, while having some fun too.
And, thanks for the link to register for the second talk on Chimps Crazy. I signed up. I hope more people will also, even if they arent able to watch the series. I learned a lot from last week’s zoom.
Burrie has a one-in-a-million charisma that makes everyone smile around him. A naughty-innocent kid at heart, a blessing for playmates and viewers equally. Thank you for the link, Krissy, I registered even though I won’t be able to participate in the live forum, still, I’m eager to hear what others say about the phenomenon. I hope after the series is over all the online discussions will be available on youtube or somewhere.
He’s simply wonderful, love the neck band Bubba!
Simply put there is only one Burrito alias his many affectionate nick names. He is a wonder and a joy to behold. No matter what life threw at him in the past his sheer exuberance shines through. Thank you Krissy for sharing your “Burrito” story with us.