One of the most important aspects of sanctuary life is variety. And one of the most exciting times for chimpanzees is mealtime. Our staff and volunteers delight in creating dinners that are always a little different. The food grunts and squeaks that the chimpanzees make are a pretty good reward for the effort, I’d say.
chimpanzee sanctuary
Foxie and the paparazzi
Today I felt a bit like a chimpanzee sanctuary paparazzi. This first set of photos shows Foxie yawning – I just thought they were cute. The second though are spy-like photos of Foxie lying in a nest!! I was at the chimp house late and I caught her in an actual chimp nest (sheets and all!) way up in the corner of the catwalk. This is very exciting. If there were a chimpanzee sanctuary tabloid, I think the Foxie nesting photos would make the cover.
Get ready for it – the first real photos of Foxie settling down into a comfy nest of sheets. I don’t know if she made the nest or was borrowning one that someone else made.
She caught me taking photos, but didn’t seem to mind.
I know this is blurry, but sometimes that’s all we sanctuary paparazzi can get. Foxie is holding a troll doll in her left hand and a long-handled brush in her right.
Party day
Thanks to the generosity of the chimpanzees’ friends and supporters, the chimps have had a wonderful Mother’s Day (and Jody’s birthday!). For the big day, we purchased some of the chimps’ favorite produce — sweet potatoes, parsnips, bananas, corn on the cob, blackberries, greens — and in honor of Jody, we set out fresh straw and tons of cushy blankets for nesting, and pink and yellow roses for smelling and eating (although Missy preferred to nest with them). The weather in Cle Elum today is slightly windy but warm, and the chimps spent a good deal of time outside this morning playing, enjoying their forage, and sunning themselves.
And here are some photos of the birthday girl (with roses, investigating a bucket of soapy water, and in a giant straw nest):
Thanks so much to all of our supporters for making today such a great one for the Cle Elum Seven!
Today at CSNW
Jody grooming and snuggling a large stuffed bunny:
Burrito having a quiet moment:
Grass forages and family photos
We recently discovered that the chimps are crazy about grass. Today we picked some fresh grass from the pasture on the grounds and spread it in the chimpanzees’ outdoor enclosure. Here are some pictures of Annie and Jody enjoying the forage. Unfortunately, the pictures were not able to capture Annie’s delighted food squeaks.
And here are a couple of pictures of JB serving lunch outside yesterday. The second one is a complete family photo!
The two stooges?
Missy and Annie playing
New hat for Jamie
We received a package of hand knit scarves and hats for the chimps the other day from a supporter in Georgia. In addition to a really sweet card, she also sent some packets of seeds since she won’t be able to attend next Tuesday’s Stand-up for Chimps comedy night in Seattle (have you bought your tickets yet?)
Jamie wore one of the scarves during the early morning and one of the hats as soon as we gave them to her. Below is Jamie with a blue hat. Pretty stylish, I would say.
