Honey B’s confidence with her outdoor enclosure continues to grow. Today she invited me to play a game of chase that turned into a mini walk part way up the hill. It honestly takes my breath away to think about how far she’s come. A couple hours later I went looking for her to see if she wanted to go again, only to find her further up the Bray on the Escher structure, all on her own. GO Honey B GO!
chase
The Domino Effect
The other morning, I was turning on lights and greeting the chimps to start the morning. As I turned on lights for Gordo’s group, he jumped up and initiated a game of chase with me, and off we went! Somehow, as I was running to catch up to him in the front rooms, the fun was doubled when Rayne decided to join in our game. As we ran through their spaces, Gordo decided to take a rest, but pretty soon that quick game of chase between me and Gordo had turned into a train of chimps playing together, and I was just the third (well, fourth) wheel! Rayne, Honey B, and Terry chased each other, with Honey B grabbing at Rayne’s feet playfully as they went. Once they were done playing chase and sat down to play more, Gordo appeared again and joined in on the fun. It made me think of dominoes, as it only took that one quick game of chase with Gordo to start up a chain of play among his group. I hope you enjoy today’s video!
Up, Down, All Around
A lot of the joys of working with chimpanzees are found in the little moments. Very often, these moments come when we are least expecting them (for example, going back to the chimp spaces to grab more laundry to be washed when suddenly Willy B wants to play, or doing checks to enter a space to clean and being invited to groom with Missy). Sometimes this slows our work down, but then again, it IS our work! How lucky are we?!
Today’s video shows an extra special few minutes I got to spend with Rayne last week, which came as a complete surprise to me! I had been finishing up some early morning tasks, preparing to meet with the team to determine our plan for the day and then serve breakfast, when there was Rayne! You’ll have to watch the video to see why this interaction was so special.
Here are some bonus photos from the day!
Close up of the ever so handsome Burrito
Upside down, goofy Burrito (part of my inspiration for the title of today’s blog!)
Another close-up of Bubs, feeling silly
Honey B
A close up of Beans!
Memento Vivere
Lately I’ve been inundated with targeted ads on social media, which I’m sure those of you who are on social media know what I’m talking about. Now, I’m not saying the work or don’t work, but one in particular keeps grabbing my attention. It’s an ad of a coin with “Memento Mori” on one side, and “Momento Vivere” on the other. I have heard the expression “momento mori” countless times, but “momento vivere” was a new on to me.
“Momento mori” is a saying in Latin that roughly translates to “don’t forget to die.” Many have tried to understand the meaning behind it. The most consistent understanding is it is supposed to be a reminder that life is short and to live in the moment. I had to do some digging for “momento vivere.” What I found is that it roughly translates to “remember to live,” meaning to take time for yourself and make every moment count. Though both try to roughly make the same point about enjoying life because it is short, I will just focus on momento vivere since momento mori sounds more bleak if you don’t understand it.
Momento vivere came to mind the other day as I was spending some time with Burrito. I’m not a psychologist by any means, so I’m not sure why certain thoughts hit at certain times, but in that moment I thought about the last couple of years I have spent with him and his take on life. Burrito is kind of the living embodiment of those sayings. He doesn’t seem to dwell on the past, and is not too concerned with the future. He lives in the now, and every moment he has he doesn’t want to waste them.
My time with Burrito is always such an experience to me. Not only do I get to call him friend and spend probably too much time with him (though I don’t think he thinks the same on that one), but he always keeps me grounded. I am 100% that type of person who gets lost in their own mind; worrying about the future and regretting some of the past. But with Burrito, all that goes away and I am present in the moment with him. I’m not sure how to communicate to him so he understands, but I try to thank him every day for the reminder and keeping me in the now.
The larger message is that this is sanctuary life. Being able to just enjoying these moments of calm and tranquility. Yes. There are moments of anger, frustration, fighting, yelling, etc. But it’s those quiet moments (as seen in the video) outweigh the others for the most part.
He can’t/won’t read this, but thank you Burrito, my friend.
Some bonus photos
I couldn’t decide which one to post, so instead here are both of the photos I captured of Rayne with her “Bonobo Lucy and her Baby Yuli” during lunch. One where Rayne is a little out of focus, but you can tell it’s her Lucy book. The other you can’t tell what book it is but Rayne is in focus.
Never enough Burrito!
Burrito was a major distraction from Playroom cleaning for us this morning. Every time we saw him he was doing something wildly playful with one of his friends. I frequently abandoned poor Kelsi to do the cleaning by herself so I could grab some footage of the action!
Recess with Gordo!
Yesterday, as the big group of 9 settled in for their usual after-breakfast naps, Gordo had other ideas! The view from the interior of the Mezzanine provides an interesting glimpse into the upstairs activities in the Lupine Playroom.
Skips Don’t Lie
Wherever, whenever, Gordo’s ready to play chase together.
The playful “bunny hop” that Gordo performs during games of chase is perfection. The hop has been mentioned on the blog before (1, 2, 3), but I wanted to share some additional video clips so you all could see Gordo’s iconic moves up close.
Gordo has some “wallflower” tendencies; it’s not unusual for him to hang out at the group’s periphery when he wants some quiet time. Despite this aloof nature, we’ve discovered that Gordo can be coaxed into goofing around by his companions and caregivers. This gradual process begins with him sitting as stoically as possible, gazing back as we make playful gestures in his direction. Gordo’s poker face slowly begins to crack with anticipation; he often tips his hand by scratching his torso or letting out an anxious yawn. Suddenly, he bursts forward with a dramatic “bunny hop”, launching himself into a rowdy game of chase.
Instead of sprinting gracefully, however, Gordo tends to lackadaisically skip from one corner of the room to the other. He looks back at us, we pursue, and the dance goes on until one (or both) of us get winded.
Hop. Skip. Repeat.
