Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Enrichment

Cinco de Mayo Party

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The ladies at the Tacoma chapter of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs sure know how to help us put on a party! As mentioned in the post earlier today, they sponsored today and sent us enrichment for a Cinco de Mayo party. And a party we had!

Along with some beach/summer-themed enrichment, the ladies sent us a Safeway gift card so that we could get some yummy produce for the party. So, on the Mexicali menu was tortillas, avocados, tomatoes, cabbage, and leeks (a chimp favorite!). In addition, we juiced some limes and added Key Lime Sparkling Water for our own version of virgin margaritas, poured into tiny plastic shot glasses, of course.

The margaritas smelled just like the real thing! In my opinion, they tasted WAY too tart, but the chimps loved them!! Here’s Jamie going for as many “shots” as possible:

And Annie, relaxing with the last drop of hers:

The tortillas were a big hit, too. I unfortunately didn’t get any photos of her, but bread-loving Negra was SO excited!

Jody:

Missy:

The ladies sent lots of festive beach bags and towels. We added a few beach appropriate things to the bags to fit the theme, such as magazines, combs (for when your hair gets messy after swimming), mirrors, hair clips, plastic shovels for the kids, an extra pair of sandals, etc…

Here’s Missy checking one out:

And how could this possibly be a real party if Foxie didn’t get some new trolls:


Thanks so much, ladies!! We’ve had a great day– and it’s not over! On tonight’s menu is beans and rice with corn on the cob! YUM!

Checking out what’s to come

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Yesterday JB took off two greenhouse panels so that the chimps can see what’s going on up on Young’s Hill. They’ve been watching the trucks bring gravel, the bobcat go up and down the driveway, and the lumber arriving, but up until yesterday they couldn’t see where it was all going. Annie and Jody looked particularly fascinated, but everyone came up to the deck to take a peek. Now the chimps can start dreaming of the day they’ll be out there, just like all of the humans are!

 

Jody’s Spa Day

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We all know Jody knows how to relax (see this the old Lessons from chimpanzees post with Jody nesting outside and this classic photo retrospective of Jody’s yoga poses).

Well, a couple of weeks ago Jody took a serious liking to the sandbox in the greenhouse. The greenhouse must have warmed up the sand nicely. While Connie and I cleaned the playroom, Jody truly appeared to be in her own private spa, oblivious to the world.

jody in sandbox

 

jody sandbox eyes closed

P.S. Don’t forget that we’ll be celebrating Jody’s birthday this Sunday – Mother’s Day!

Bamboo

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We have a couple of small bamboo plants that we have been keeping in the human area of the greenhouse, and we’ve discovered that the chimps, especially Annie, love it just as much as grass! Annie will make raspberry sounds and point to it, just begging for us to give her more!

The other day she discovered that not only is it fun to eat:

…but it’s also fun to watch yourself eat it:

I can’t wait to see this girl on Young’s Hill!

Chimp Politics

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In the chimp world, when you are the boss, it means you can get away with a lot– well, everything. As the leader of the Cle Elum Seven, Jamie lets her feelings be known. When she doesn’t like something someone did, or the way they did it, it can lead to a fight (or a screaming match, which seems to be more common these days). So, to succeed as a member of the group, you must learn how to be a good politician, which first and foremost means how to be submissive to the (wo)man. As the least dominant member of the group, Annie is excellent at this. She is constantly referencing the other members of the group to make sure everyone is okay with whatever it is she is doing. Foxie is somewhere in the middle of the dominance hierarchy but tends to get away with a lot. She is the peacekeeper of the group and has a very close friendship with Jamie, but she still has to tread lightly, none the less.

Gum

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Enrichment comes in many shapes and sizes. We give the chimps gum from time to time, because not only is it good for the chimps’ teeth (we try to stick to Spry Brand gum, which has Xylitol in it- a natural sweetener that is also good for your teeth), but it gives them something interesting to do. Some of the chimps choose to just swallow their gum right away, but others like to chew and even play with their gum.

Burrito:

Missy, “stretching out” her enrichment:

Party for Love a Chimpanzee Day

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We put the emphasis on delicious fresh food for Love a Chimpanzee Day 2011, brought to the chimps by Monica, who sponsored a day and sent some extra cash and goodies for us to throw a party. (Find out how you can sponsor a day by visiting our donate page or contacting us).

Here is the forage before spreading it out (and a few non-food treats for the chimps):

fresh produce

Here’s Negra traveling with a perfectly ripe avocado – a favorite among all of the chimpanzees:

negra avocado

Here’s Foxie picking peas out of the “garden” that volunteer Connie created in the sandbox

foxie pea picking

Negra even opened a present!

negra opening gift

Annie seemed fond of this new doll:

Annie with doll

Foxie did not seem fond of the same doll, though she did seem to enjoy taking it apart – it’s all part of the fun:

foxie with doll head

It was a beautiful sunny day in Cle Elum and all of the chimps really enjoyed the goodies today. Dinner ended with lots of nuts for Negra and figs. Little do they know they’ll be having another party tomorrow!