It was a bit of a weird day at the chimp house today. For the past few days the area has been surrounded in freezing fog and the frost line can be seen just above where the sanctuary sits. The tree line above Young’s Hill is completely covered in hoar frost and it really looks magical. But even though it’s very cold outside, that hasn’t stopped the chimpanzees from venturing onto Young’s Hill for quick trips before returning to the warmth of the chimp house. Before going out this afternoon, I caught Foxie sitting in front of the door to Young’s Hill with her troll, seemingly debating if she felt like braving the cold with the other chimpanzees.
Foxie and her troll seemed to have a brief consultation over the situation.
I guess they came to an agreement and then Foxie tossed the troll on her back and off they went.
Foxie on a platform with the icy tree line behind her.
Other than the cold temperatures, the freezing fog hasn’t seemed to affect things too much down here. Until today. In the middle of the afternoon we suddenly lost power. This isn’t a common occurrence, and when it does happen, it usually doesn’t last long. Again, until today. It seems the ice had weighed down the power lines. When it became apparent that it might be awhile before our power was restored we ushered the chimpanzees inside and began our emergency protocol to get the generator running and make sure the chimp house stayed warm.
Here’s Jody bringing in her prized chunk of ice she found in one of the tire swings on the hill.
Of course, the chimpanzees knew something was going on but handled it all with ease. Thankfully the power company arrived quickly and went to work on the problem. Not without the supervision of Foxie (and her troll), who watched from the window, where she kindly allowed me to snap a photo of her beautiful face.
Perhaps thanks to Foxie and her troll’s supervision, the power company had everything up and running again just in time for dinner. One thing’s for sure, there is never a dull moment at the chimp house.
I suppose my pal Negra slept thru it all!
Mary, Negra is a clever woman and I believe she was wrapped head to toe in a blanket, enjoying the view of the valley from her favorite window at the time. And enjoying some gum I had just served the chimps. 🙂
What a beautiful picture of Foxie, her eyes….she’s luminous.
Thank you, Cindy, Foxie is a beauty. But then I think they all are. 🙂
I love this post Katelyn – cute story and fabulous pics. It really helps us see the chimps personalities. Thanks!
Thanks, Humphrey! So glad you enjoyed it!
Okay, silly question but, how hard is it to call in the gang from the hill when you need to do so like today? Do you simply call their names and they come in? Or are some more stubborn (I’m not going to mention names here) and do they want to stay outside?
Good question, Kathleen! It all depends on what’s going on. Because it was so cold yesterday, most of the chimpanzees had already come inside or were on their way. The one hold out was Annie (!!) who was interested in watching the happenings at the top of the hill from the doorway. We usually just offer the chimpanzees a treat of some kind (yesterday was gum 🙂 to invite them inside which works well.
Thanks Katelyn! I get a kick out of the fact that the chimpanzees enjoy gum!
Yes, it still makes me smile. You should hear the sound of seven chimpanzees chewing gum! They love it!