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:
chimpanzee rescue
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:
And Burrito, doing the same:
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!
Relaxing Jody
I don’t think I’ve ever met a more professional relaxer:
Lilacs
Last week, CSNW supporters Dick and Robbi Brown brought some beautiful purple lilac flowers for the chimps. I’ve known other chimps who really loved lilacs, most notably Washoe, but we just weren’t sure what the Cle Elum Seven would think. When we first gave the flowers to them, they were unsure (I tasted one the other day– bleh! they are pretty perfumey!), but today volunteer Seana and myself put out the rest of them in the outdoor area and they were a hit with everybody!
….well, almost everybody. Much like I would feel if I were them, Burrito and Foxie chose to remain indifferent toward the flower forage.
Missy:
Negra (with Annie in the background):
Jody:
Jamie enjoying her lilacs while wearing a stuffed monkey around her neck:
She put it on first thing this morning, and has been wearing it ever since:
Annie:
Thanks Robbi and Dick!
Busy Jamie
CSNW’s bundle of energy
Missy has done nothing but crack me up all day today! I posted a short version of the following story on Missy’s Facebook page this morning, but I thought I would share it here as well. When I arrived this morning, I was first greeted by Negra, who was sitting in her nest in her normal spot on the catwalk. With her blanket over her head, she looked over at me and gave me an approving head nod. At first, I thought everyone else was outside, but then I noticed someone else covered in blankets in the loft. All I could see was the top of their head so I really wasn’t sure who it was, and it was a bright and sunny morning, so it seemed strange that someone would still be in bed. After a couple of attempts at getting them to respond, I asked “Who goes there?” and Missy came flying out of her nest and began a rambunctious chase game with me. We made several laps around the chimp house, and then, just as fast as she jumped out of her nest, she dove face-first back into her nest, and did a headstand. She stayed in her headstand for several minutes laughing and playing with a toy and then jumped out and began chasing me again. And this is how she has been all day long. I couldn’t ask for a better play partner!
Bamboo
We have a couple of small bamboo plants that we have been keeping in the human area of the greenhouse, and we’ve discovered that the chimps, especially Annie, love it just as much as grass! Annie will make raspberry sounds and point to it, just begging for us to give her more!
The other day she discovered that not only is it fun to eat:
…but it’s also fun to watch yourself eat it:
I can’t wait to see this girl on Young’s Hill!
