Here is a video from the first day outside. One of our board members, Zibby Wilder, brought a blanket made by her grandmother specifically for Missy. The video is Missy taking the small pink blanket and nesting with it, Jamie coming over to perch on a boat bumper, Missy being overcome by the urge to chase Annie, and Foxie stomping around on the deck. Foxie’s stomping is something she did when the chimpanzees went into the play area for the first time – I wonder if Angie would do the same thing.
animal rights
First dinner outside
We set up a lettuce and homemade granola forage last night for the chimpanzees in the outdoor area and had a little cook-out with vegan sausage and corn.
A few thoughts
I’m finally sitting down to process the day a little bit, and wanted to share some thoughts while they are fresh.
biggest surprise: Annie brachiating 17 feet up in the air, then just hanging there because she could
best scene: Jody laying on her back in the sun in a bed of straw
most impressive acrobatics: Foxie pulling her legs through her arms as she hung from the ceiling, turning upside down, while holding two troll dolls
best “awww” moment: Negra on the deck (the ledge made of donated Trex decking) “Negra style” – with a blanket over her head
proudest moment: seeing Burrito come out – he was pretty scared, but he did it. By the end of the day, he was napping in the sunshine
biggest laugh: Missy standing bipedally with a huge play face looking up at Annie as she dangled above
when it really hit me: watching Jamie try out all of the kids’ construction tools, then swing from the fire hose like a “real chimp” and thinking about her in a tiny barren cage in a windowless basement for most of her life
Negra
We just received a new lens for one of the cameras we’ve been using to take photos in the chimp house – the lens was a gift purchased of our amazon.com wish list!
I’ve had a soft spot for Negra ever since I met her at Buckshire (see this old post), and I think she is the most photogentic chimpanzee I have ever met. These photos were taken using the new lens. Negra has a tendency to look a bit sad or thoughtful in photos, but moments after the last photo was taken she was nodding her head happily as I danced for her (she loves to watch us dance and be silly).
Burrito’s instincts
Stuffed animals aren’t just for snuggling, as Burrito demonstrates. After playfully hitting this teddy bear on the head and throwing it up in the air numerous times, Burrito groomed the teddy bear’s head.
Jamie busy with enrichment
Jamie is always busy doing something – often multiple things at the same time. She definitely gets a lot of use out of the enrichment that we provide, as you can see from this video:
A few more party photos
This sign, hung on the stairs in the playroom, was made by a volunteer
Here’s a photo of some of the chimpanzees eating the nuts and dried fruit we scattered around the playroom. From front to back: Negra, Annie, Missy, Jody. The tables and the rocking dog are great sturdy toys donated from our Target wishlist – they will last a long time! You can also see other enrichment donations in this photo like the bongo drums, shopping cart, shoe, and the monkey sitting on the rocking dog (we’ve been saving that monkey for the party).
Foxie found a new toy! This is a photo of her going towards the stairs with the new toy in her left hand and Trixie the Troll in her right hand. The new toy (a play dog crate) was a donation from a young man in upstate New York who collected enrichment for the chimpanzees for his Bar Mitzvah project.
Always hopeful for more food, Burrito checks out the toy pizza – a fun item donated through our Amazon wishlist.
