Captive chimpanzees walk the tightrope between their ingrained wild nature and their unusual circumstances where they live a life assembled for them by humans. In sanctuary, we do our best to provide all the options for the chimpanzees that are much deserving of the freedom of choice.
doll
Pokey Joe Burrito
Let me start by acknowledging that Pokey Joe generally means that someone is moving slowly. And we know that one would almost never describe our beloved Burrito in that way. Slow? Please!
When I call Burrito Pokey Joe, it’s because he’s being especially pokey, as in poking me, poking food that’s being served, or poking my phone/camera. I recently got some video footage of Burrito in an especially pokey mood. And to top it off, I got some fun footage of Burrito and his good friend Foxie, playing and laughing their heads off!
I’ve titled this blog “Pokey Joe Burrito”, but it could also be called “That Time My Phone Ended Up In the Drain”!
Enjoy!
Doll Head Screwdriver
We love when the chimps find comfort or enjoyment in human toys—so long as they’re safe, of course. While all new toys are checked by two staff members to ensure they will withstand the chimps’ strength and destructiveness, everyone once and a while they chimps are able to, um, modify their toys in ways we didn’t anticipate. Let’s just be thankful that the building isn’t held together with doll head screws.
Tea Time with the Girls
Today, part time caregiver Dusty set up a table and chairs for a bunch of Foxie’s dolls, and filled the cups with Gatorade. The results are pretty sweet (or creepy, you be the judge!). Foxie, for sure, was thrilled to enjoy a refreshing beverage with her friends.
Even Jamie enjoyed some time at the tea table. Although, she has some opinions about who can, and cannot, have a seat at the table.
Foxie’s New Doll
If you’ve followed us for a while, you know about Foxie and her love of dolls. She almost always has at least one doll with her- whether it be a troll doll, a Dora the Explorer doll, or one of her many others. She carries them in her hip pockets and on her back, she plays with them by herself and with caregivers, and she curls up with them when she’s relaxing. I love how much she loves them and today was especially sweet- Diana gave Foxie an American Girl doll that a generous donor sent us. It’s bigger than most all of Foxie’s other dolls, but as soon as she saw it she started moving away from Burrito and Jamie (who were also in the front rooms) so that Diana could give it to her away from the others. You’ll have to watch the video to see how she reacted, but I promise it’s worth it. 🙂
I think it’s important to recognize Foxie’s background when we share a video like this to provide context.
Foxie was born on August 8, 1976 (so she has her 48th birthday coming up!) at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. Before coming to CSNW, she was used in hepatitis vaccine research and as a breeder for the biomedical research industry.
Our sweet Foxie had four babies during her years in biomedical research- which means that they were all taken away from her when they were very young, sometimes even just days old. She had a set of twin boys (who both passed away in the labs), a daughter Angie (who lives at Save the Chimps), and Kelsey (who went to Chimp Haven in 2018). Foxie spent 32 years of her life in biomedical research before finally getting to experience sanctuary.
Within a month of arriving, Foxie adopted her first troll doll. We had no way of knowing that she would take so immediately to dolls or that her love for them would last so long. We will never know exactly what’s going on in her head when she loves on her dolls, but we do know that they provide her comfort. For that, I am endlessly grateful.
Speaking of the comfort Foxie gets from her collection of dolls, don’t forget about our Christmas in July celebration! Celebrate summer by helping us empty our three wish-lists(Jerrol’s, Chewy, and Amazon)! Many items have already been purchased and we are so grateful to everyone who’s helped to spread some joy in this super hot July.
Foxie, Meet Ariel!
Yesterday we received a very exciting package in the mail. A kind and thoughtful supporter picked out a brand new doll just for Foxie! Everyone, meet Ariel. Foxie has many dolls in her collection, but she has not had this one before. This doll is also the perfect size for passing back and forth through the caging, just perfect for Foxie and her team of babysitters (aka caregivers). She and her new doll have had a wonderful day!
A quick selfie of caregiver Ellen with Foxie’s new doll during babysitting duty.
Foxie received her new doll during breakfast, right after she polished off her morning smoothie, and her new doll has accompanied her throughout the rest of the day. She took a nap with her in the greenhouse, gave her to volunteer Dusty to help Dusty scrub the floors in their playroom, and played a quick game of chase with Burrito, keeping Ariel in hand. She passed her off to me briefly when her and Burrito’s game of chase turned into some tickling which required both hands to be free to get Bubba with!
Foxie resting in the greenhouse, with her new doll tucked into her hip.
Enjoy today’s video of Foxie and her new doll, Ariel. Thank you so much to our supporter who sent this thoughtful gift just for Foxie!
Look at these photographs
Today has been a busy, busy day in the chimp house! I managed to get some photos today and hope you enjoy them!
Cy:
Foxie was out on Young’s Hill this afternoon when it started raining. Her and her Blueberry doll hurried in.
I tried to be artistic here taking a photo of Honey B behind the leaves that frame the chute.
Lucky:
Mave (let’s ignore the troll mask in the background nearly ruining the photo):
