chimp

Chimpanzee Feet

June 28, 2014 by Diana

Because a few people commented that they liked the photo of Annie’s hand posted on the blog a couple of weeks ago, I thought I’d post some chimpanzee feet photos I took recently. Like many of you, I really love chimp feet, in part because of their opposable big toe (obviously).

Missy has very petite feet. I often ask to see her feet and she sticks her toes through the caging to tickle my hand:

Annie frequently holds her feet together when she’s relaxing:

Foxie sometimes sits with her legs wide apart and her feet pointed in. Of course she has a troll nearbyf. Her right foot looks like it’s missing the small toe, but it’s just tucked underneath her foot.

Here’s one of Annie’s hand (she has long, slender fingers), and Jamie’s sturdy feet.

Missy Makes a Nest

June 24, 2014 by Elizabeth

Nestmaking is one of my favorite chimpanzee behaviors to watch. Although each chimp has his or her own style, the basics are the same. A chimp will add one blanket at a time to the nest, arranging it so that it’s perfectly placed before continuing. Precision and focus are the name of the game.

Typically, the purpose of building a nest is to have a comfortable place to rest. But sometimes, it seems that the object is the process rather than the result. Missy spent several minutes building this nest in the greenhouse this afternoon, and just a moment after she had placed the last blanket, she leaped out of it and ran off to her next adventure.

Missy Chimpanzee on the Move

June 21, 2014 by Diana

It is such an incredible joy to see Missy on Young’s Hill using all of the structures for climbing and leaping and balancing and just sitting up high. She does not waste any opportunity to get the most out of the chance to move and explore.

J.B.’s description of Missy as, “a spring that was coiled up for decades, just waiting to be released” remains perfect. Just see for yourself in the photos that J.B. took this morning during a forage on the hill. Go, Missy, Go!

Annie Chimpanzee Close-Up

June 14, 2014 by Diana

Annie gets more beautiful with each year that passes at the sanctuary. She is also more likely to be in a quiet moment where she doesn’t mind her human friends taking photos, so I was able to get a few very close-up photos of her beauty this afternoon. Which photo below is your favorite?

Everybody Nest Now

June 7, 2014 by Diana

I recorded several clips of happy nesting today. Like wadging, which was the subject of yesterday’s blog post, nesting is a fundamental behavior for chimpanzees both in the wild and in captivity, which is why we make sure that the chimps always have lots of materials (blankets and straw are favorites) so they can choose to create their beds no matter where they are. Watch the video below!

Annie and Missy: Now and Then

May 25, 2014 by Elizabeth

While staff and volunteers were cleaning the greenhouse before breakfast this morning, Annie and Missy bided their time with a little wrestling.

And just because, here’s one of my favorite classic Annie and Missy play sessions from about five years ago.

Here’s to another five years of play faces and breathy laughter.

Close Your Eyes and Dream

May 24, 2014 by Diana

Sometimes I can hardly believe that this dream of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has really come true, and these seven chimpanzees, on June 13th, are going to celebrate six years of a new life of peace that they never could have dreamed was possible. Dreaming is a beautiful thing.

Foxie: