Yesterday Jackie and I set up a great enrichment project for the chimps. We filled buckets with some snow and added a little juice for flavor, and then we put the buckets outside the caging and gave the chimps straws to use as tools. Everyone had their own way of trying to get the most out of the buckets. Eventually all the snow completely melted and the buckets were dry, but we certainly found a way for this project to last longer than just juice in buckets.
Burrito
A cold snack
I know we’ve had a lot of posts about the snow lately, but I just couldn’t resist posting this adorable video from yesterday.
Chimp Love
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and we’ll be launching a new holiday store with fun Valentine’s Day presents for the chimps soon! To get you in the mood, here are a few sweet photos of chimp-lovin from over the years.
Another Burrito day!
Burrito received an abundance of new toys, sponsors, and lots of love on his birthday. His new friend, Adrienne Armstrong, who sponsored the party and sent Burrito a lovely (and GIANT!) fruit basket, tried to get some new toys to us but unfortunately they didn’t get here in time. So in honor of new friends (and as an excuse to keep on partying!), we threw him another little party today. The chimps have been loving all the new stuff, especially Negra, who has been curled up with her new, super soft blankets all day.
Thanks so much Adrienne!
Your friend, Burrito
Regular Morning Routine
As we mentioned on the Facebook page yesterday, sometimes the daily routine fluctuates, and as caregivers we have to be pretty flexible depending on the choices the chimps make. Typically though, we do have a regular schedule. First we invite the chimpanzees in for breakfast—and as long as everybody comes in, one person (the Care staff or Level III volunteer) will serve breakfast while the other person (the Lead Caregiver) will start cleaning the playroom. We never enter an enclosure at the same time as the chimpanzees, so we have to ensure that all the chimps are out of the room we want to clean, and that every chimp door is secure. We do this for cleaning the playroom, front rooms, and the greenhouse. (To see what cleaning is like, watch this video from a couple years ago). Today things followed the regular routine, which you’ll see in the video below.
Burrito loves Adrienne, Marcia, and Ginna!
Today is Burrito’s big day! Burrito is a charming guy and has a lot of admirers – in fact, he’s so loved that three separate people have sponsored today in honor of his 29th birthday. On Burrito’s behalf, we want to offer a BIG thank you to Adrienne Armstrong, Marcia Douthwaite, and Ginna Keulen for their generosity. This is going to be one heck of a party!
Burrito is happiest when he’s eating (and he’ll be doing a lot of that today):
Burrito’s birthday is coming…
Burrito is an all-around great guy. If he had it his way, he would always have large handfuls of food.
Burrito turns 29 tomorrow. If you adore this guy as much as we do, it’s not too late to sponsor his day, become his Pal, or just donate whatever you can to keep his hands full on his special day.
