Sometimes the chimpanzees do something we’ve never seen before. Once in a while we are able to capture it on video!
boots
Ritual
Over the years, Jamie has continued to develop the ritual around her walks with staff and volunteers. These days, it goes something like this: First, Jamie selects a boot for the human to wear. Next, they walk around the hill together (on opposite sides of the fence, of course). When the walks are done, they reconvene in the greenhouse area, where Jamie grooms the caregiver and the boot. And finally, later that night, she will ask for the boot back before settling into her nest.
In anticipation of the grooming part of the ritual, Jamie will often grab a suitable tool during the walk and bring it back with her into the greenhouse. Today, Jamie grabbed a large tumbleweed that had blown against the fence and later used it to groom volunteer Patti and her boots.
Bonus Foxie photos:
Saturday Lounging
Today was the kind of day to kick your feet up…
Annie:
take in the wonder of your surroundings…
Missy:
share a moment with a friend in the sun…
Missy & Annie grooming:
enjoy what nature has to offer…
Burrito eating snow:
settle in with a good book…
Jamie and a new boot book:
and take some trolls for a walk.
Foxie with a troll scarf:
Happy Saturday from the chimpanzees!
Jamie's nest
It’s been very quiet here today. Freezing rain has left everything coated in a thick layer of ice, making it nearly impossible to travel to or from the sanctuary.
Jamie didn’t seem too upset by the fact that her two-acre habitat had frozen over. In fact, she seemed to relish the opportunity to stay inside, make a cozy nest with blankets, giant stuffed animals, and her favorite boots, and leisurely flip through a new book about primates.
Christmas Party #1 in Honor of Nancy Hedlund
Molly Adrian is the second sponsor of today’s day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees! She is honoring her mother, Nancy Hedlund and shared this message:
“Christmas Day – my mom would love nothing more than to gift a day of happiness and nourishment for these beautiful chimpanzees. Merry Christmas!!”
Happiness and nourishment abound today!
Here is a little preview of their Christmas so far, with more to come, of course!
This photo pretty much sums up Christmas for Jamie. We’ve been talking about how she is the consummate consumer – she loves things! The more, the better. Her friends really came through for her and the other chimps today and sent an abundance of gifts and decorations for the party. So many, that we’ll be having a second party later this afternoon! Here is Jamie looking through one of her new boot books:
If you’ve been following the blog for a bit, you know that food is the biggest source of excitement for Burrito. So, he’s pretty much beside himself when the holidays roll around:
We’ve got a third sponsor-a-day coming up, and we’re working on the video of Party #1 right now. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!
The Shoes off My Feet
As the saying goes, if you really care for someone you’d give them the shirt off your back. For Jamie, it’s going to have to be the shoes off your feet.
Excitement (or not) of the day
This morning, we humans noticed a large puddle above the greenhouse. Since we have not had significant rain in months, we knew that there must be an issue with the irrigation system. J.B. was called in to investigate, and Jody watched his every move very carefully (from a comfortable position):
The investigation involved entering Young’s Hill, which delayed the chimpanzees going onto the hill for a bit. Burrito and Foxie waited patiently together in a windowsill (look at those great chimpanzee feet):
Negra, on the other hand, was happy to spend the extra time sleeping (I feel you, Negra):
J.B. quickly fixed the issue (a blown hose), and the chimps were eager to get outside (well, except for Negra, who continued to sleep). Annie found a potato left over from yesterday’s forage (that’s pretty exciting):
Jamie and Missy explored and made sure that J.B. didn’t leave anything out on the hill:
Bonus photos – a lot of people ask if Jamie ever wears the boots that she loves so much. The answer is yes, occasionally. And today was one of those days:
