Yesterday was an office day for me, but I stopped by the chimp house for a bit to take care of some things and to see the chimps. I noticed through the kitchen window into the chimp area that J.B. was playing with someone, which is certainly not an uncommon occurrence, but then I noticed who he was playing with- Annie! So, I quickly grabbed the camera and shot a short clip of it. She seems to really getting the hang of playing with her caregivers lately!
chimpanzee
Laughing with Burrito
Signs of progress
The chimps’ stuff
We leave out a lot of toys, blankets and other stuff for the chimps each day, and they pick what they want out of it. It’s interesting to me that there are such individual variations in what the chimps’ choose to hold on to for the day, or sometimes just a moment. I often think of the years and years before they came to the sanctuary when they had nothing.
Here’s Annie staking claim to a couple of clean blankets:
and enjoying her spoils:
Jody with a new piece of enrichment – woven and coiled jute from new Canadian friends:
Burrito usually chooses things he can put in his mouth:
and here’s Negra lying in her nest of blankets – Jody’s not the only chimpanzee who does the yoga “happy baby” pose:
Annie
Lazy Play
The chimps were very playful this morning, but after breakfast, full bellies and a warm greenhouse threatened to put everyone to sleep. Thankfully, they found a way to relax and play at the same time.
greenhouse lounging
This is the time of year when the “greenhouse” (the outdoor area converted to a solar oasis with lexan panels) really shines – literally and figuratively. Spring is really windy in Cle Elum and today was particularly blustery. But the greenhouse is completely protected from the wind. Since it was sunny, it was downright balmy in there. Perfect lounging weather.
Burrito, who once shunned the greenhouse, spent the entire day out there. Here he is getting every last morsel of food from an avocado peel:
Jody also relaxed outside in the greenhouse all day, enjoying the fresh straw: