Sometimes games of chase are fast and furious, and sometimes they’re… not.
(Don’t let Jamie’s attire fool you — it’s a beautiful day in Cle Elum!)
And here’s a portrait just because:
animal rescue
Mmmm… dinner
One of the most important aspects of sanctuary life is variety. And one of the most exciting times for chimpanzees is mealtime. Our staff and volunteers delight in creating dinners that are always a little different. The food grunts and squeaks that the chimpanzees make are a pretty good reward for the effort, I’d say.
Busy, busy Jamie
As you may know, Jamie is always busy. It is difficult to imagine how she kept her sharp mind occupied while stuck in a barren lab cage for so many years. Here is a montage of several video clips of Jamie from the last few days. In the video, Jamie makes a paper nest, cleans her sunglasses, files her nails, and brachiates outside.
Tug of war
Here’s a video of Foxie enjoying a game of tug of war with Diana:
Afternoon play
While waiting for us to finish cleaning the playroom today, Missy and Annie found a way to entertain themselves. (I apologize for the length, but I didn’t want to cut any of it out!)
Party day
Thanks to the generosity of the chimpanzees’ friends and supporters, the chimps have had a wonderful Mother’s Day (and Jody’s birthday!). For the big day, we purchased some of the chimps’ favorite produce — sweet potatoes, parsnips, bananas, corn on the cob, blackberries, greens — and in honor of Jody, we set out fresh straw and tons of cushy blankets for nesting, and pink and yellow roses for smelling and eating (although Missy preferred to nest with them). The weather in Cle Elum today is slightly windy but warm, and the chimps spent a good deal of time outside this morning playing, enjoying their forage, and sunning themselves.
And here are some photos of the birthday girl (with roses, investigating a bucket of soapy water, and in a giant straw nest):
Thanks so much to all of our supporters for making today such a great one for the Cle Elum Seven!
Jody’s birthday / Mother’s Day
Personally, I’m having a difficult time with the fact that it’s already May, but I’m really happy for the Spring weather (at least today Cle Elum has Spring weather) and for Jody’s birthday on Sunday!! If you are subscriber to our e-newsletter, or if you’ve noticed our new Mother’s Day tribute page on our site, or if you’re a member of the Chimp Sanctuary Supporters social network, then you know that we are celebrating Jody’s birthday on Mother’s Day, which is this Sunday, May 10th.
A recent look at her file revealed that Jody had at least nine babies born to her and taken away from her during her years as a biomedical test subject. It’s hard to fathom. She deserves a big day of celebration focused on her favorite things (which today was a long blue sock), and that’s what we will give her. Thanks to those have already acknowledged her day and donated for Jody and the mothers in your lives.
