Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Even the elusive Missy got in on the picture book craze this week. I caught her checking out this animal book after lunch.
Missy goes through a lot of different activities in a day, so after quickly glancing through the book, she gathered a pile of blankets for her nest in the playroom loft.
This morning Jamie entertained herself with a picture book while she waited for the humans to finish up cleaning.
Doing what she does best, exploring with Foxie..
And being a part-time cozy companion..
As staff and volunteers arrive each morning, boss Jamie often chooses to monitor the activity from the bench in the room we call the portrait studio. She can keep a good eye on both the kitchen and the parking lot from this spot.
Today she received some backup from her good friend Foxie.
Foxie brought along her newest doll (DJ Suki from the recent Trolls movie).
We refer to Jody as the “mom” of the group for many reasons. She is concerned about sticking to the daily routine at the sanctuary and cares deeply for the well-being of her group mates. If someone is late to mealtime, she makes it her duty to go and find them. On Young’s Hill, she is often seen keeping an eye out for the other chimps and is always on hand to lend a little bit of reassurance. When she’s not checking up on others, she finds time to do a little exploring of her own.
Chimpanzees are either very quiet, or very loud, and there isn’t a whole lot in between. When things are exciting, they make sure their voices are heard from wall to wall at the sanctuary. The roasted pears for today’s lunch were a cause for a raucous celebration. Here is just a taste of what it sounded like when they got their first glimpse of the delicious meal.
As a follow up to yesterday’s blog about Missy and Annie’s friendship, I thought I would post this little clip of Missy and Annie entering Young’s Hill together first thing this morning. Annie often starts her Young’s Hill adventures walking bipedal. Maybe it’s an attempt to avoid the wet ground, or maybe it’s just to get a better view of her surroundings. Missy generally keeps all four limbs planted on the ground, that is, until she starts sprinting up the hill at top speed.
On a slightly separate note, while not the best quality photo, I still like this one because it shows the chimpanzees taking full advantage of the different dimensions of Young’s Hill.
Missy on the fire hose tightrope, Annie on the structure to her left, Foxie on the tall platform behind Missy, and just a glimpse of Jody in the bottom left on the ground:
