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Morning on the Hill

March 31, 2018 by J.B.

The volunteers set out a forage on the hill this morning.

After an initial course of smoothie, vitamins, and peanuts, the chimps went outside to search for pieces of orange, plum, grapefruit, and banana as well as some primate chow.

Jamie (below and at the top of the post):

Negra:

Burrito, confronting the dilemma faced by most male chimpanzees from time immemorial – do I feed myself and otherwise engage in the basic behaviors necessary to sustain life, or I do I follow that girl in estrus wherever she goes? For the most part, he chose the latter (poor Jody), but he did manage to grab a few scraps of food along the way.

Missy:

Annie, developing a nice wadge of primate chow:

Not to be outdone, Jody made a wadge of her own:

And finally, Foxie:

Though we didn’t fill the termite mound with food this morning, Foxie nevertheless checked its contents using a tool and technique never seen before in any wild population: Strawberry Shortcake dipping.

Mornings like these

March 10, 2018 by J.B.

As I watched the chimps head out onto the hill today, I realized that it was a perfect moment to grab the telephoto lens and take some shots of the chimps on the towers. On mornings like these, Foxie likes to take to her usual spot, doll in hand, to spy on the world through the slatted walls of her fort.

Taking photos through multiple layers of electric and woven wire fencing is difficult. Many shots turn out blurry or obscured, so I often find myself laying in the grass to find the right angle and snapping dozens if not hundreds of photos in order to get a decent shot.

I watched as Foxie engaged in phantom nesting – a behavior that, while technically abnormal, can actually be a sign of contentment. Chimps who were deprived of nesting material or the opportunity to learn from family and peers when they were young sometimes show only the rudimentary, ritualized elements of nesting behavior, as if they are building a nest out of thin air.

She played her usual games with her doll, propping it up on the railing…

…and then knocking it down into her waiting arms.

While we make no effort to hide the fact that these chimps live in cages, behind glass and concrete, or within the confines of an electric fence, I can’t deny that I also enjoy perspectives like these that show how large their world has become, even within those constraints.

So there I was, laying in the grass, when suddenly I noticed that Jody had spotted me. She looked concerned, and I had to agree that my behavior was indeed quite unusual. I shouted, “It’s just me, Jo Jo!”

She walked a little closer, still worried. “Jo Jo, it’s me! It’s OK!”

Her expression first softened with the recognition that it was a friend and not a stealthy intruder lurking behind the fence, but it quickly turned to a look that – if I may be a bit liberal with my interpretation – seemed to convey her profound disappointment that I should go around scaring people like that.

Point taken.

With that crisis averted, she joined Foxie on the tower.

…and took part in the spying.

As soon as she left, Foxie returned to her games in peace, as she seems to prefer on mornings like these.

Fifth Day of Thanks, Featuring Vicki Fagerlee & Foxie

November 25, 2017 by Diana

Yesterday, J.B. took some photos of the chimpanzees enjoying their post-Thanksgiving morning romp on the hill. It was a beautiful morning yesterday and the chimpanzees wasted no time in taking advantage of the sunshine. There are some great images of Foxie in this post below!

Today is the fifth day of thanks highlighting seven different donors and their seven ways of donating + the seven chimpanzees at the sanctuary!

In case you missed the first four posts, day one featured legacy donor Bruce Davidson + Burrito, day two featured event donor Kathy Cochran + Annie, day three featured recurring donor Julie Olson + Jody, and day four featured challenge and competition donor Monica Best + Negra.

For the fifth day of thanks, we are sending big thanks to Vicki Fagerlee and everyone who sends items via our amazon.com wishlist. Vicki won a “spend the day behind-the-scenes at the sanctuary” auction item a few years ago and traveled halfway across the country for that unique experience. It was really special for the staff to be able to meet Vicki in person and get to know her, and to introduce her to the chimpanzees who she had been following via the internet. Vicki also donates cold hard cash, but she likes to supplement her cash donations by browsing the wish list for all of the somewhat boring supplies needed to run the chimp house and fun stuff for the chimpanzees too.

Here’s what Vicki had to stay about her wish list giving:

It’s an easy way to contribute to the functioning of the sanctuary and the happiness of the chimpanzees. With the wish list, I know what I’m buying is exactly what is needed. Plus it makes me feel so good to give in a small way. You are all so special and I saw first-hand all that it takes to keep things going on a daily basis.

She also added this about following the blog, “Your daily updates put me in my happy place.”

That last sentiment made my day. I just love knowing that people are following the lives of the chimpanzees and that these seven chimpanzee people bring happiness to a lot of human people out there.

For those who even just casually check in on the blog once in a while, you likely are very aware of Foxie’s love of dolls. Her main and original love is troll dolls:

but she also likes Dora the Explorer and friends:

and the occasional “other” doll:

Her main type seems to be handheld size dolls with hard plastic bodies, big eyes, and a bonus for colorful hair.

Like any collector, Foxie has her old favorites. Today she has been carrying around a standard troll with orange hair that is missing one eye and is one firm bite away from being without feet. Each time I passed her by during the cleaning routine this morning, she pushed this troll out to me.

I think it was the same doll that she carried around all day last week:

Also like a true collector, Foxie is always excited when new dolls arrive for her in the mail. So we do add dolls to our amazon wish list once in a while. There are a lot of materials that we’re not able to give to the chimpanzees (see the long list here), so when items are purchased from the wish list, you know they have been pre-approved by the staff.

Recently, Foxie’s been into a line of Strawberry Shortcake dolls. She had one of them on her morning romp on the hill yesterday. Here are those photos taken by J.B. that I promised:

Siesta

September 1, 2017 by J.B.

Foxie and one of her many beloved trolls enjoy a break from the summer heat:

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The Perfect Photo

August 5, 2017 by Diana

Foxie is off the charts lovable. Her affection for troll dolls is endearing. Her ability to get even the very serious Jamie to cut loose is admirable. Her willingness to step in and give a reassurance hug to any chimpanzee who needs it during a conflict is brave. Her goofiness is contagious. Her habit of rubbing her toes together when she’s happy? I mean, really.

When she spit a full mouthful of water directly in my face today, my first thought was, “I could not love you more.”

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Where Foxie goes, so goes her doll.

May 6, 2017 by Diana

The photos below were taken last week when Foxie’s doll of the day was Dora the Explorer’s blonde friend.

If you don’t know the history of Foxie and her dolls, learn all about it here.

Since her initial interest in troll dolls, she has expanded her collection of favorites to include Dora and friends with the rare but occasional interest in other dolls.

Not all of the interactions she has with dolls are of the affectionate nature – see the video at the bottom of this post.

A video from a few years ago:

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Foxie and Pinky’s Adventures

April 9, 2017 by Keri

From the moment I walked into the chimp house this morning, Foxie had a companion – a bright, pink- haired troll doll, whom I named “Pinky”.

I decided to follow Foxie and Pinky around throughout the day to see what sorts of adventures they would go on. They spent quite a bit of time this morning relaxing in the Greenhouse, where Foxie alternated between holding Pinky and hiding her in the ceiling.