The other night I watched Negra eat dandelions as the sun began to set over Young’s Hill. I wish it could be spring forever.
New heights
Negra wasn’t the only one trying something new yesterday.
As I stood near the top of Young’s Hill, I saw Burrito walking towards me with a sense of purpose. When he reached the top, he turned and went straight for the Twister climbing structure. Without hesitation, he climbed straight up. As far as we can remember, this was the first time he had made it to the very top.
The chimps have been spending a lot of time outdoors lately. Our wet, snowy winter is finally repaying us in the form of impossibly green grass.
Along with the green grass there’s been a bounty of dandelions, and that means that the chimps can step outside and have a snack whenever they want. If the chimps only knew how hard people try to rid their lawns of dandelions…
Cinco de Mayo!
Listening to Burrito food squeak never gets old.
Selecting the right boot
Jamie loves to patrol her 2-acre enclosure in the company of her caregivers. But before the walk begins, she has to select the right boot for us to wear.
Details
Annie was kind enough to let me take some photos of her in the greenhouse this afternoon during lunch. In close, tight shots like these, my attention is often drawn towards some of the differences between us – notice her protruding brow ridge, her flat nose, her elongated palms and fingers, her small thumbs, and her opposable big toes. Of course, you can’t help but notice the similarities as well – her eyelashes, her fingernails, the wrinkles in her skin.
Later, I found Jamie sitting in the “portrait studio” area and she was gracious enough to let me photograph her for a while. One notable difference between humans and chimps is that most chimpanzees have dark sclera – that’s the portion of the eye surrounding the pupil and iris. There’s something about the contrast provided by the dark sclera that makes the iris almost glow in a certain light.
Curling up with a good book
Humans aren’t the only ones that like to curl up with a good book on a rainy morning.
The chimps spent the early part of the day on Young’s Hill, but before long the rain had them retreating back inside to the cozy greenhouse and playroom. Jamie returned to find a new book, one of many sent in recently by a generous supporter, and she immediately gathered all of her favorite things so that she could flip through her book from the comfort of a good nest.
The only problem – the nest was too comfortable.
Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she couldn’t fight it anymore, and she drifted off to sleep.
Her new book would have to wait.
Keep them guessing
Foxie loves playing chase with her caregivers. To start a game, she passes one of her dolls to us and then runs or spins away. As she waits for us to catch up, she takes a big gulp of water from the fountain and holds it in her mouth. Is it because all that running makes her thirsty? Perhaps. Does she think it’s funny to keep her caregivers guessing as to whether she’ll swallow that mouthful of water or spit it in our faces? Definitely.
