Much to our dismay, we reportedly have an extended heat-wave headed our way. But this afternoon we took advantage of overcast skies and a cool breeze and the chimpanzees enjoyed a lunch forage on Young’s Hill.
A great thing about forages is that it gives the chimpanzees enrichment for the rest of the day as they will all typically venture out throughout the day to see if anything was missed. Foxie decided to make a second pass and her good friend, Dora, came along. But Foxie ran into a challenge making room for carrots AND Dora.
Foxie and Dora had a lot of ground to cover, so Foxie stopped and tossed Dora on her back. Chimpanzee mothers carry their young on their backs when on the go. Foxie mimics this behavior and often carries her dolls on her back, but while it’s particularly endearing and easy to read into, your guess is as good as ours as to why she actually does this. Regardless of her reasons, it’s pretty adorable.
After such a long hike, Foxie and Dora came back to take a nap at the top of the greenhouse (you can just see Dora tucked in Foxie’s hip in the background).
Foxie’s relationship with Dora is painful and moving at the same time.
That is adorable …
….Foxie has a very strong maternal instinct…. poor girl….
While we always give credit to Jamie for being the smart intuitive one, I’d say ol’ Foxie is holding her own. ; )
There appears to be little doubt, Foxie would have made a loving mom if only she had been given a chance. As always, wonderful photos!
I love looking at pics of Foxie no matter what she is doing, especially the third picture with Dora on Foxie’s back. The smile on Foxie as she is semi looking toward the camera is wonderful!! Great photos! Thank you!!