Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Thanks, Barb in Ohio for making the pledge to cover the remaining $873 we had to go to reach our second fundraising goal! As of this morning (thanks, in part, to a generous check from Kat Morrell and to Tamela’s continued success with her Etsy store), we’re up to $40,476 raised! So close to our ultimate goal and three cages windows replaced with glass!!
Foxie and Jamie have had some pretty epic play sessions lately, but they’re not the only ones in good moods…
Recently, I saw a video from a study of chimpanzee cognition in which chimps were presented with a peanut inside a clear tube that was mounted to the outside of their enclosure. Within a short amount of time, the chimp began filling the tube with water so that the nut would float to the top. Genius! So, yesterday I decided to see how these guys would handle the problem and zip-tied a couple of nut-filled bottles to the outside of the caging. Clearly, my method of attaching the bottles wasn’t quite as elaborate as the one used in the study, since the chimps could just turn them over, but it did keep them busy and entertained for quite some time!
When Foxie first came to the sanctuary, she was pretty shy. It was clear she did not want any of the toys, blankets and other objects that we gave the chimpanzees every day. Then, she adopted a troll doll, which we named Trixie.
That’s when the troll soap opera began. At first, Foxie was very protective of her dolls and did not want anyone else to touch them. She’s come a long way.
In the video below, she is teasing Jamie with a game of keep-away. Foxie still has her limits, though, when it comes to her prized possessions. And perhaps Jamie has softened up a bit when it comes to Foxie and her dolls.
It’s a longer video than normal, but it will make a bad day good and a good day better, so take a break for a few minutes and watch it.
We have so many supporters that have been sending us so many wonderful things for the chimps. Among this long list of individuals are Diane and Syd Marcus. They have sent us countless gifts over the last 2 years, and last week, they sent a huge box of personalized presents for each of the chimps, including an amazing pair of (vegan!) cowgirl boots for Jamie, a beaded necklace for Burrito, a scarf for Annie, a troll doll for Foxie, a new pair of socks for Missy, nuts for Negra, and cereal for Jody. The chimps definitely knew something was up! Jamie, as always, was beside herself when she spotted the boots and Foxie dropped all 5 trolls that she had with her in exchange for her brand new troll, who she promptly took outside for some private time. It was a good day… Thanks so much, Diane and Syd!
I think it’s possible Foxie could get anyone in the mood to play.
Since Jamie loves projects and seems to find great enjoyment in manipulating objects (she has even tried her hand at sewing), we thought she might enjoy watching us knit.
