Some days Willy B experiences what looks like social awkwardness but some days he is on point and is quite the social butterfly. Today he was embracing the charming social butterfly aspect of his personality and we caught it on film for everyone to enjoy!
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Ladies Who Goof
I think we all can agree that most of the time Honey B can be a pretty big goofball, whether she is goofing by herself or with a friend! Honey B has no problem finding things to keep her occupied, but as someone who cares for Honey B the best way she occupies her time is when she is being silly with her chimp friends. Dora seems to agree! I hope this video brightens your day as much as it did mine :).
Here are some bonus photos of upside down Jamie hugging a charlie brown stuffed animal! Earlier today caregiver Sabrina and I caught Jamie in a goofy mood herself. As you can see Jamie is upside down holding Charlie Brown close to her.
Although Jamie was pretty content with Mr. Charlie Brown, she was gesturing for something. I found her I’m Lucy Book, which resulted in happy grunts as she took her book. She has never looked more satisfied than in this moment:
Rayne: The Coolest Girl at School
The best part of the mornings for me is serving the chimps their meals. I like to hear their excitement when food shows up; they tend to look over the food items that will be offered then they settle into their chosen spot to enjoy their meal. Gordo usually enjoys his meals out in the greenhouse, Lucky will sit up higher on top of the food chute, possibly to avoid the melee that can happen during meal time but for Rayne that spot is usually on a thin piece of firehose that is hung across the room. She has managed to master sitting cross legged on this thin hose for her entire meal and she seems, somehow, to be comfortable and content here. Watching Rayne stroll in casually each morning and take her spot for breakfast is definitely one of my favorite parts of the day.
Night Walk
Last Friday, we held a small, intimate memorial for our dear friend, Jody. While we had the service, it only felt right that Jody’s family have access to Young’s Hill. However, very unlike Jamie, she was no where to be found and slept through the entire thing. Apparently, all the chimps went to sleep after we left the Chimp House and left door Y (Jamie’s group access door to their outdoor space) open. Jamie must have thought, we, her humans, were so stupid and made a mistake. Eventually, around dusk, the event was winding down and caregivers tried to close the Hill off, Jamie finally noticed the service and came sprinting out. A few of us tried to catch up with her to join in on the walk, but she was going so fast! She was amped! Once it was fully dark and the service had come to an end, I had the pleasure of going on one last night-walk with Jamie. Thank goodness I brought a head lamp to light the way for both of us! It was so dark that I was starting to scare myself, so I apologize if the video looks a little like the “Blair Witch Project”.
Jamie on her nighttime stroll:
Rayne is so cool:
Rayne grooming Mave:
Teeny Tiny Terry:
Teeny tiny troll dolls for a teeny tiny Foxie:
Annie:
Missy:
A Gordo photo series:
Portraits & Pop Quizzes
Today is the epitome of PNW moody, cloudy, drizzly, & brisk weather. I know there are quite a few of us that are bummed about being at the tail end of summer, but I cannot express how excited I am for cooler weather, hot apple cider, snow, and all the other fun things that come with fall and winter. And after a day like today, I don’t think I’m the only one!
One of the first things that we do in the morning after we arrive is safety checks for both Young’s Hill and The Bray, so that we can give both groups access to their respective outdoor enclosures. When I gave Jamie’s group access, everyone immediately left the greenhouse to explore the hill. Even Negra went out to her cabin right away and they all enjoyed the bit of sunshine that was coming through the clouds. And as soon as Chad gave Cy’s group access to the Bray, I heard him call out that Cy and a few others were going on a patrol! It seemed that everyone was enjoying the brisk morning.
A little bit later I went out to serve Jamie’s group breakfast and found Negra and Annie out by Negra’s cabin, foraging for what looked like prickly lettuce. They chose to stay out on the hill during most of breakfast, but eventually made their way inside. As soon as they came in, Missy and Foxie went out. Then Missy came in, only for Burrito to go out. Then Foxie came in, only for Jamie to venture back out. It was a test for my memory as I tried to remember who had their carrot, who got their pears, and if someone had already turned down peanuts or not.
After we wrapped up breakfast, which took a good deal longer than normal, Katelyn and I started to do safety checks to enter and clean the playroom for Jamie’s group. Most everyone was easy to find, but we couldn’t find Missy. After searching and searching, we finally located her in Carlene’s Tower at the *very* top of Young’s Hill. By herself. With her chow bags. Happily munching away.
The theme for today seemed to be perfect weather + tricky ID tests, since everyone was exploring so far from the chimp house. So, keeping with theme, I have two ‘pop-quiz’ photos for you! 🙂 A bit of background: before staff members unlock and enter any enclosure, we have two trained caregivers complete safety checks. This includes identifying each of the chimps in that group, without relying on the process of elimination. Sometimes this is easy and sometimes (like today) it’s tricky.
Let’s start with The Bray, which Cy’s group has access to. I walked outside the greenhouse to see this which I caught on one of our cameras (with some zoom). Can you identify who is in this photo, from left to right?
Next, let’s go over to Jamie’s side! This was taken as everyone was hurrying to enjoy the lunch forage on Young’s Hill. From left to right, who do you see?
How’d it go? 🙂 If you want to see how you did, scroll down to the very bottom for the answers (but no cheating!).
It also seemed to be a good day to get some portrait photos. I hope you enjoy these snip-bits from throughout the day!
Annie, nested in the Greenhouse:
Cy, watching his caregivers down the hall:
Foxie, being her beautiful self:
Gordo, enjoying an apple (or two) from today’s lunch forage:
Jamie, on a mission during the lunch forage:
Missy, with a coveted cherry tomato during today’s lunch forage:
Terry, also enjoying an apple (or two, maybe three, or perhaps four?) during the lunch forage:
Photo A, Cy’s Group on the Bray, from left to right:
Rayne, Lucky, Terry (on the log), Gordo.
2. Photo B, Jamie’s Group on the Hill, from left to right:
Burrito (running away), Missy, Foxie (back center), Jamie, Annie (closest to the camera on the right).
Rainy Days With Neggie
Personally, I am in deep denial about summer being over. Negra, on the other hand, seems to be enjoying the weather change. Today was a cool, overcast day that turned into a light misty rain from time to time. Negra has perfected rainy day comfort. She finds a cozy nest in the green house, finds a blanket to cover over her whole body including her head, and if she needs to get up- say, for breakfast- she grabs what she needs and goes back up to enjoy breakfast in bed. However, blanket must come back up over head.
Please enjoy this photo series of Negra on a rainy day, as much as she did :).
Snoozy Negra:
Breakfast in bed:
Photos from the Summer Vault
As summer draws to a close I thought it would be a good day to dig through my phone for some unseen moments that I captured throughout these warmer months. Enjoy!
Lunchtime Annie:
Missy Magnified!
The Sunflowers that volunteered on Young’s Hill are still going strong. As the blooms start to go to seed, I imagine their days out there are numbered…
We were all admiring this photo of Negra as it really highlights her illustrious nose hairs.
“September was a thirty-days long goodbye to summer”
-Lea Malot
