Spring is on its way and the snow is melting, but Missy is happy to get every last bit that is left.
chimpanzee sanctuary
Mardi Gras Party
In the tradition of Fat Tuesday we threw a Mardi Gras party for the chimpanzees today. However, I’m quite certain their spread was much healthier than tradition might generally dictate with apples, grapefruit, and fruit smoothies on the menu. We were even lucky enough to experience a break in the winter weather to accommodate the festivities in a sunny greenhouse this morning! I believe the chimpanzees found the conditions much improved from the past couple of days and were thoroughly excited to forage in a delightfully warm greenhouse for their breakfast.
Jody munching on an apple slice:
Missy enjoying some grapefruit:
Annie getting into the spirit of things with a colorful mouthful of crayons:
Burrito foraging for chow, one of his favorites:
Foxie, also enjoying a chow moment:
Jamie thoroughly enjoyed her breakfast as well but was on the watch for the camera today. Here she is in her greenhouse hideout, checking to see if the coast is clear yet:
And, here is a little peek into Burrito’s good mood this morning:
Permission
The last couple of days we’ve been experiencing some extra snow fall, which means the chimps get to snack on some fresh snow, which they love! Elizabeth and I filled up the chimps’ sandbox with snow and added some troll dolls for some CSNW flair.
Everyone was snacking on the snow, including of course Jamie. Since she is the boss, the other chimps wanted to make sure they were okay to snack on the snow, too. That’s completely natural chimpanzee behavior, and something that is essential to their society. Jamie was fine with the other chimps enjoying the snow, there was plenty to go around, and she wasn’t feeling particularly territorial of it.
When Jody asked for Jamie’s permission, she displayed perfect reassurance behaviors. She approached with a drooped lip, making it clear that she was not being at all aggressive or threatening. Then she reached out toward Jamie as if to say “is it okay if I join?” Jamie didn’t disapprove, so Jody’s next move was to give Jamie a quick kiss on the mouth. Jamie reciprocated and gave Jody permission by giving Jody a kiss back on her brow ridge. Jody then knew it was fine with Jamie that she join in, and immediately started snacking.
Keeping Jamie enriched
One of the biggest challenges of this job is keeping Jamie enriched. The other chimps certainly need enrichment, too, but Jamie in particular requires a lot to keep her engaged. So I’m continually trying to find things that will be enriching for her. Kongs are a good food puzzle for the chimps because we can put nuts, peanut butter, or even mushed banana into the crevices making it tricky to get the treat out.
Recently I discovered these Kong “Genius” toys which connect together, and I thought it seemed perfect for Jamie! Thanks to Carrie M. who ordered a bunch of these Kongs for us off our Amazon wishlist recently, we were able to make several connected Kongs. Jamie of course hoarded many of them, but all the chimps were able to enjoy this puzzle. You’ll hear in the video just how happy Jamie is with all her food groans and grunts.
Speaking of Jamie and of the wishlist, we are in desperate need of a new boot dryer! Ours broke yesterday and as you can imagine we are constantly running the dryers to get Jamie’s boots quickly dry after we wash them. Dry boots makes for a happy Jamie! Both she and I would be forever grateful to anyone that is able to purchase a new one for us. If you do grab anything from the list now or anytime in the future, send me an email at [email protected] so we can be sure to send you a thank you! (UPDATE: Thank you Patrick and Carrie for purchasing the boot dryer for us! The boss will be happy).
Today is in memory of Ned and Noreen O’Flaherty
Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Joan O’Flaherty in memory of her parents, Ned and Noreen. Although Ned and Noreen were born 2 years apart, they shared the same birthdate of March 1st. Ned and Noreen also shared a great love for animals and their environment, and valued the conservation of both. Joan generously sponsors this day each year in honor of her parents because she feels they would have loved the chimpanzees.
Joan, thank you so much! We are so touched that you include the chimpanzees in such a special memory and it makes us happy to think that your parents still get to be a part of the sanctuary and providing a forever home for the chimpanzees.
Good friends, Burrito (left) and Foxie (right), enjoying each others’ company:
What Jamie Wants
It seems as though the weather has been constant snow for the past couple of days here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. While this certainly makes for a beautiful landscape and, of course, tasty chimpanzee treats, I do think the chimpanzees might be experiencing a little bit of chimp house fever. It’s not that they physically can’t go out; the door to Young’s Hill has been open daily. But the snow just keeps piling up and, well, what kind of choice is that?! So it falls on us, the caregivers, to come up with ever more enriching entertainment for our chimpanzee friends. Some ideas are a hit and others a miss but I have had moderate success recently.
Yesterday, I put a bucket on my head in an attempt to entertain Foxie & Burrito. Neither of them seemed very impressed but Missy suddenly jumped up from her nest in the loft and ran full speed right over to where I was standing. She vigorously head-nodded to solicit a game of chase from my bucket wearing self. I happily complied!
Today, Jamie was adamantly demanding something from the kitchen. Usually this means she’d like one of her boots, sometimes it leads to a walk around the hill and other times to a grooming session. Today, no matter what boot I held up for her inspection she seemed frustrated. Finally, I grabbed the entire bin of boots, brought it out and set it down next to the caging. Apparently this was satisfactory. I guess some days you just need all the boots for your nest.