Today I discovered a new game with Foxie. I was having difficulty throwing her troll doll back to her (some days my aim is just off), so I put it in a sock and tossed it up, my thought being that she would have more to grab on to. It worked like a charm, and Foxie actually really liked the sock! She almost immediately flung it over her neck, walked down the stairs and began playing with it in front of the mirror. I am sure other chimpanzees have done this before, but it was the first time I have personally seen a chimp play in front of a mirror. She was so enamored with her own reflection playing, that she completely ignored Missy’s attempts to get her attention. For the rest of the day, Foxie carried around the sock, sometimes in her hand, sometimes over her shoulders, and once on the top of her head. Every once in a while she would go back to the mirror and play.
Enrichment
I could use a sunny day…
For our response to the tragic situation in Connecticut, click here.
It’s sunny in Cle Elum! For me, that’s reason enough to celebrate. Enjoy these pics of Jamie (with her emery board!), Foxie, and Jody and Annie!
Valentine’s Party?
Shelly C. thought it would be great to have another call for some party donations for the upcoming Valentine’s Day party. Let us know if you’d like to contribute – it’s kind of like passing the hat around the office, only parties for the Cle Elum Seven are way more fun than office parties. This will be their first Valentine’s celebration!!! We’re brainstorming the menu already.
Oh, and speaking of celebrations, we’re almost done mapping out the birthdays for the group. We had to choose birthdays for most of the chimpanzees because they were not known, but we know they all deserve their own special day. I’ll update y’all soon with the actual dates.
Thanks!!
Jody
Jody has a few new fans who have pointed out that she is not as represented in our blog posts as some of the other chimpanzees. I think there are a few reasons for that. She is not interested in as much attention from humans as Jamie or Foxie (for example). Jody gives us very enthusiastic greetings and then goes on her way to do her own thing. Sometimes she doesn’t like to have her photo taken (when she’s unhappy with something, she spits huge mouthfuls of water at us in a very deliberate way :). And often she’s relaxing in a part of the building that’s not easy to photograph. In any case, below are a few photos of Jody that we have not shared before.
We shared a couple of photos of Jody photos in a recent e-newsletter to show how dramatically the chimpanzees have changed in their physical appearance. Below is another photo of Jody taken the first day the chimpanzees were at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. The below photo really gets to me. She was so happy to have these blankets to nest with, and she made the smallest circle around her. She looks so fragile. I don’t think she realized how much bigger her life had become. Thank you to all of Jody’s Pals!
Foxie adopts a small British boy
For two days, Foxie abandoned her trolls for a new doll! We’ve been calling the doll (more of an action figure, really) the small British Boy. He is solid hard plastic, has a top hat, knickers and cloth vest. He’s actually a ring-bearer – he’s holding a pillow with a ring on it in his hand.
His legs and arms move, and the best part – he has eyelids that open and close. Foxie spent a lot of time “grooming” his eyes. She was smitten. She held on to him for at least two days straight. It was adorable. I haven’t worked at the chimp house in a few days, so I don’t know the fate of the British Boy. We’ll let you know. It was difficult to get photos because Foxie is always on the move, but here are a few.
Foxie climbing while holding the British Boy and a green monkey!
Raisin Logs
Raisin logs are a fun treat, especially for Jamie who gets to exercise her tool-using ability. We drill holes in logs and then stuff raisins into the holes so the chimps have to work to get them out. Jamie also gets to exercise her hoarding tendencies – check out the pile that she gathered by her feet.
Chimps are famous for their ability to use tools, but its not just a means to an end for them – most chimps truly enjoy the process.
… and more play
Jamie continues her playful mood today. This is the first time I have seen Annie playing without Missy!