I was just looking through some photos Diana took yesterday, and I had to share this one:
Burrito turns 28
Planning birthday parties for the chimpanzees can sometimes be a challenge. We try to keep things creative, and come up with ideas that are uniquely suited to the honoree’s interests. For some of the chimps, this can be tricky. How do you plan something new and exciting for Jamie, the girl who’s seen and done it all? Burrito, on the other hand, is extraordinarily easy to please. The one thing he loves above all else is food.
For Burrito’s birthday last year, we did away with our three-meal-a-day routine in favor of very frequent snacks. He was so delighted that we decided to do it again this year. Here is today’s meal schedule (we may have gone a little overboard, but what’s a party without a little indulgence?):
8:30 a.m.: apples, oranges, fruit smoothie
10:00 a.m.: sweet potatoes, grapes, cabbage
12:00 p.m.: leeks
1:00 p.m.: bananas
2:00 p.m.: peanut butter sandwiches, tangerines
3:30 p.m.: pears, avocados, pineapple
In addition to all of the delicious food, the chimps really enjoyed checking out their presents from friends Robbi and Dick. It really has been a day of riches.
Play with me
This morning Jamie seemed to be feeling a little ignored. She displayed a couple of times, probably in an attempt to draw some attention to herself, but volunteer Denice and I were busy cleaning the front rooms, and the other chimpanzees didn’t seem too impressed. She eventually convinced Foxie to play with her by “stealing” one of her trolls. Once she had Foxie’s undivided attention, she proceeded to drag her around the playroom by her feet.
New Year’s feast
Yesterday the chimpanzees had an exciting feast to celebrate another year of sanctuary.
Solitary play
We try to plan themed enrichment days to keep us creative, and today was troll scarf day. We tied lots of trolls to lots of scarves. Jamie likes to wear these troll scarves around her neck, but Foxie prefers to drag them around with her. Here’s what Foxie did with one of the scarves we put out this morning:
Burrito’s favorite thing
One of Burrito’s most endearing qualities — and he has many — is his unadulterated enthusiasm for food. He is one of the least picky eaters I’ve ever met. Here he is devouring some lettuce:
A wintry perk
Like many humans, chimpanzees generally prefer warmer temperatures. For that reason, winter is not much fun for the Cle Elum Seven, but there is one big consolation: they are treated to an all-you-can-eat snow buffet.
