More evidence that Missy may actually have built in springs in her knees.
The “missing” chimpanzee
This morning as we invited the Cle Elum 7 back into a fresh clean playroom, there was no sign of Negra foraging for pumpkin seeds or making a big nest in the loft. Nor was there any sign of her basking in the sunny greenhouse. The only clue we had to her location was the looks of concern (and maybe awe) on some of her group mates faces as they kept glancing out the door to the raceway of Young’s Hill. Even from our location at the bottom of Young’s Hill we couldn’t see any sign of her, so we set out for a hike around the hill to see if we could spot her. Finally at the top of the enclosure we found her picking wild prickly lettuce underneath a log bridge that shielded her from the wind. Jody, the sanctuary “manager,” who shows the greatest amount of care and concern if anyone goes “missing” or deviates from the day’s schedule, rushed out to collect the queen.
Waking up
Humans share numerous behaviors with chimpanzees, including the tendency to yawn after just waking up. I can’t seem to stop yawning myself when I look at these photos of boss Jamie.
Just two friends having a great time
I can’t decide which is better, Burrito’s play face, or Foxie squishing Burrito’s belly. You decide.
10 (ish) Seconds of pure contentment
Each morning we start the chimpanzees day by serving a snack in the indoor areas. This snack is usually a pretty good motivational tool so we can close off the Greenhouse for some cleaning. To unlock an area for humans to enter it, we need that enclosure to be chimp-free and securely closed off, but sometimes getting an area chimp-free isn’t so easy. Especially when that area is a really warm, sun-filled greenhouse. This beautiful morning I was expecting the challenge, so I opened up the wooden barn doors immediately to let the morning air into the chimpanzee’s playroom area. The chimps were so excited they came pouring in from the greenhouse, making the morning breakfast shift that much easier!
Today is the first day it almost feels a bit HOT of all things. For your viewing pleasure: a brief clip of Jamie and Jody relaxing next to the barn doors:
Intruder!
Jamie was particularly adamant about patrolling Young’s Hill this morning.
Mostly so she could keep an eye on a visiting neighbor. After a little while, this neighbor seemed a bit lost, so Diana made sure he found his way home.
And Jamie helped.
Jamie received backup from some of the other chimps, including a rather intimidating looking Annie.
The full patrol: Foxie, Annie, Missy and Jamie.
Jamie v. Snowman
Today I thought it would be a good day to see some never before seen photos from a couple months ago. Volunteer caregiver Holly built a delightfully cute snowman in the portrait studio and Jamie took it upon herself to dismantle it:
The first thing to go was his icicle nose.
Then after a quick push she took part of his body off to enjoy the icy goodness.
Ok enough about winter. Here is Negra and grass, and all things spring (photo taken April of last year) -another unseen photo I’ve been hanging on to.
