Mr. B is almost always playful, but he really has been over-the-top playful lately! This video is definitely a good laugh, but my personal favorite part is the cackling you hear coming from the videographer (who shall remain nameless) when Burrito and I are playing tug-o-war.
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Party Central
We’ve been living it up here at the sanctuary today! In honor of our 4th Anniversary, today we’ve thrown 4 parties! (If you haven’t already, please check out the amazing retrospective video J.B. put together and posted earlier today– and grab some tissues!)
Party one: Pancakes made by volunteer Denice followed by a lettuce, peanut, and chow forage on Young’s Hill. Unfortunately, it’s been crazy windy all day so no one was too excited to go out to Young’s Hill though a few folks went out to get peanuts (and everyone went out later in the day). And the squeaks over the pancakes were out of this world!
Foxie:
Party two: New enrichment party in the greenhouse. As always, Dick and Robbi collected some great gifts for the chimps. Jamie made sure to check out each and every gift bag today.
Annie tangled herself up in a ball of yarn
Jamie checked out what everything looked like in a new set of binoculars
Party three: Margaritas in the playroom! Well, not really margaritas… it was just yellow Gatorade with lime wedges. But it looked festive!
and the chimps were happy with it!
Annie:
It’s hard to see but Jody is actually licking the bottom of the glass in this photo
Foxie
Jamie
Foxie
Jody
I love the next series of photos. Burrito went through this bag, found a toy with a mirror on it, and proceeded to “admire” how handsome he is. Can ya blame him?
Party Four: Lunch forage in the greenhouse. Mini bell peppers and grapefruit- some of Negra’s favorites!
Jody:
Jamie collected as much as possible, as usual!
And Negra’s birthday would not be complete without nightbags. We did mini nightbags after every meal today. She has been in heaven! The wind has made her want to spend most of the day relaxing in her bed in the playroom (in the one spot where we can’t get photos) but I got a sweet photo of Mr. B enjoying his.
Thanks so much to everyone for making this such a great day!
***Up until about 20 minutes ago, this was going to be the end of my blog post, but as I walked outside to close off Young’s Hill and invite the chimps in for dinner, I found Negra and Foxie out there enjoying some grass. J.B. happened to be out there and reported that when Negra came outside, Foxie greeted her with a big hug and they walked up to the lower platform together. What a wonderful ending to the day! Happy Birthday, Neg!
Nearly 4 years
If you’re a regular reader, you probably know that tomorrow is a big day for us here. It’s the 4th anniversary of the chimps’ arrival in Cle Elum and also Negra’s birthday. We’re planning a whole bunch of fun! As we get ready, we always find ourselves pausing to reflect about how far the chimps have come, and then daydreaming about how much further they will go. Check out this post from four years ago today, and this one too. There was so much excitement in the air. And then compare this with this. Breathtaking!
New moves
After several days of rain and wind and gloom, we finally have a perfect day here at the sanctuary. All of the windows are open to let in fresh air, and the chimpanzees are in great moods. This video shows part of a longer play session that took place this morning in the playroom. My favorite part is Foxie’s new move.
Lazy Sunday
The chimps have been ridiculously playful lately (see Negra and Missy’s play session from last Wednesday, as well as Missy and Annie’s goofiness on Friday)! But some days, they just want to kick back and relax. It’s been sunny but really windy today (and the last several days!) which makes for a really warm and relaxing greenhouse.
Annie has been laying in a super comfy-looking nest all morning- the perfect place for a little yoga:
Foxie has been kicked back with a couple of troll dolls while grooming herself. There’s something so adorable about Foxie’s tongue!
And just now, I caught Jody grooming Burrito. I love the way she was holding his foot!
Blanket Play
Today as the chimps were waiting for their lunch to be served, I caught Missy playing with a red blanketed lump, also known as Negra Chimpanzee. It stood out as particularly funny to me because, although Negra loves to wrap herself (head and all) up in a blanket, and although lots of the chimps, particularly Missy and Jamie, often play with blankets over their heads, we don’t often see Negra playing like this. I love seeing Missy bring out Negra’s playful side!
In memory of Tovarisch and Ilka
We are so lucky to have an amazing base of supporters who are always thinking of the chimpanzees. Today is sponsored by Robyn Leff in memory of Tovarisch and Ilka. (It’s easy to sponsor a day of sanctuary for the chimps as a gift or memorial (or just because!) – just go here.) We’re so grateful, Robyn!
Your support keeps this guy supplied with as much watermelon as he can eat:
