Sometimes we just don’t know how the chimps are going to react to new modifications introduced into their home. If you have been following for a while, you may remember a device that was installed onto the outside of the caging. This was supposed to be used to allowed the chimps to put an extremity such as a hand or foot inside of it so the humans can take an x-ray without the use of anesthesia or any other drug. If you read that blog from six years ago(!), then you may remember initially that box was used for another purpose; a storage area known as the doll/Troll/storage cubby.
There have been modifications that have occurred since then.The most recent and ongoing is the installation more firehose lines and handlebars to help assist Negra get around with her limited mobility. Just like last time, Foxie was the one who found a different use for the new modifications around her areas.
May I introduce: The Baby Bar!
Yesterday when I was working in the kitchen, I had passed by the door that leads into the chimp area and caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. It was Foxie as she is in the above photo! What I had not noticed initially was she was carrying around a few dolls!
It was just a fun thing to see her use her imagination like this with something new. I watched as she would replace one doll for another as they were lined up. This may not have been what was going through her mind, and I can almost guarantee it wasn’t, but I was saying the Foxie was playing Baby Bartender. Waiting for caregivers pass by so she could pick the right doll for them, like a bartender. “Oh! You had a rough day at work? Orange Blossom will cure what ails ya!” “Broken heart? Here! Try a red-haired Troll!”
Foxie: The Baby Bartender! Ready to take your order!
This was a great blog, Chad! You have a wonderful imagination!
Chad, I think you nailed it. You know Foxie! Isn’t Foxie the one who always inspects new additions to her groups space? Now we discover after the official inspection Foxie becomes Baby Bartender for her side hustle! She sure knows how to keep busy.
This will surely relieve Katelyn from doing double duty/babysitting while working!
Hilarious and touching at the same time.
Dearest Foxie and her babies; it’s great to hear from her.
Looks like the new additions have the Foxie seal of approval! She’s definitely a creative gal. I love seeing her imagination run wild when she’s with her dolls. I wonder what she’s thinking…
When Foxie first arrived, it was troll dolls she loved. She’d put one on her back and stroll around the greenhouse. When you look into the face of a troll doll, it looks like a baby chimp. Those dolls brought her out of a deep depression, one caused by having her real babies taken from her in the biomedical lab settings. It warms my heart to see her healed and having so much fun with other dolls. This was a great blog! Foxie is such an interesting chimp and a great mother.