Jamie, Foxie, and Missy have been super playful all morning. The three of them played on top of the climbing structure in the outdoor area for at least an hour and have been chasing each other around the playroom and laughing hysterically the whole time. But everyone knows that in between play bouts, one must nap.
chimpanzee rescue
Slow Motion Play
Of all the Cle Elum Seven, Jody and Negra are probably the least playful. Both are more solitary as compared to the others, and seem to prefer to spend much of their time either grooming or nesting. Negra has become more and more playful lately, but her typical play partners are either her caregivers, or Missy or Foxie, who are both super playful, so, you can imagine my surprise (and delight) when I looked outside and saw the following scene.
Hail to the Queen
None of the following photos are by any stretch of the means “award winning”, but they represent a very special moment I just had with Negra. I was sitting outside on the new concrete footings for the soon-to-be tunnel to Young’s Hill (!!) and hanging out with Burrito. We were alternating between grooming, tickling, kissing my hand, and playing this game we often play where he leans to one side and bites the cage and I reach towards him like I’m going to touch him and he moves to the other side, laughing hysterically. Although for Burrito, it was a very mellow moment. Negra was laying beside us in her typical corner of the outdoor area with a bright pink blanket completely over her. She heard us starting to get louder with our “fake out” game and sat up, threw the blanket off of her and walked over towards Burrito to greet him. She sat next to him for a little while, but since our playful games had fizzled, Mr. B eventually walked away. Negra then walked back over to her pink blanket and put it over her head. I said “Oh Neg, you look so beautiful!” and asked her if I could take her picture. She gave me a slight headnod of reassurance, so I took the following photos. She seemed pretty content that the focus was now on her. Unfortunately I was too close to get a photo without bars, but I think with a face like Negra’s, they are pretty easy to forget about.
Love
Troll Hockey
I played a little troll hockey with Foxie this morning. It’s hard to say because it was a close game, but I’m pretty sure she won. 🙂
The best 3 minutes of your day
The following is a longer video I got this morning. We try to keep our videos short (not everyone is as obsessed with the chimps as we are!), but this one was just too good to cut much out. So, prepare yourself for the best 3 minutes of your (and my) day:
Happy Birthday, Neggie!
Today is a very special, albeit emotional, day for all of us. Not only does it mark 3 years since the chimps’ arrived at their sanctuary home, the start of their new life, but it is Negra’s honorary birthday, so celebrations abound!
We started out the day with two of Negra’s favorite things: bread (yummy toasted apple cinnamon bread) and night bags. I don’t think there is a more perfect start of a day for Negra. J.B. hit the nail right on the head with our 3rd Anniversary Post when he said that when Negra receives her night bag, in that moment, everything is right in the world. She blinks her eyes in anticipation and is just so, so happy. I have to say it’s my favorite part of each day, as well. Here she is getting her unexpected “Night” bag this morning:
Supporters Dick and Robbi Brown faithfully brought lots of new toys for the party and we decorated the outdoor area with lots and lots of “Happy Birthday” streamers. We set up a lunch forage which consisted of mini bell peppers, lettuce (another one of Negra’s favorite foods), bananas, cherries, and pomegranates!
Negra went for the lettuce first (she’s got her priorities straight):
but she was also very excited about the mini sweet bell peppers:
Annie with her bananas. She had banana mush all over her face!
Pomegranates were a really exciting treat too, since they are out of season and we haven’t gotten them in a while. Here’s Foxie shoveling one in her mouth:
I love how red his lips get when he eats pomegranates!
Here’s the birthday lady gazing out towards Young’s Hill:
And of course the celebration is not over! Tonight, they are having corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, more bread, juice, and of course, as it has approximately 1,095 times, the day will end with another night bag. Thanks so much to all that contributed to the party!