Food
Burrito
Garden enrichment
Jackie has been working pretty diligently on the best enrichment of all — the garden. It’s really great for the chimps to watch the plants grow, see us harvest their food, and then of course get to enjoy the delicious fresh produce! I have been helping her, too. Here’s us sifting the compost which we use as a growing medium for the plants. Just like Jackie said the other day, recycling at it’s finest!
Here is the view of the garden from the south side of the chimp house:
And here are some of our fruits and veggies that are doing great! Broccoli, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and strawberries.
The chimps particularly like the fresh strawberries!
Annie:
Negra:
Missy eating a strawberry while Foxie laughs to get Jackie’s attention:
What’s for dinner?
The crowd gathers as J.B. hands out dinner. (Jamie and Foxie. Note the troll torso in Foxie’s right hand.)
For Burrito, it doesn’t really matter what’s for dinner – he’s excited about all food.
Foxie’s not that keen on vegetables, but red peppers meet her approval.
Missy loaded up on the peppers. Good thing she has a big chimp mouth and opposable toes.
Sometimes the chimps get exotic vegetables the humans aren’t even familiar with, like Thai eggplant. (Jody)
Potatoes and radishes round out the meal. (Missy)
And of course dinner is not complete without a night bag. (Burrito and Missy)
(Missy)
We are fortunate to receive a lot of donated food from volunteers, supporters, Spud! in Seattle and Safeway in Cle Elum. Many thanks to all of you for keeping the chimps happy and healthy!
Boomer Balls
Sharing
Chimpanzees can be very aggressive, but it’s easy to focus too much on this aspect of their behavior. What’s truly remarkable is how often they are able to resolve a conflict, or avoid a potential conflict, through such simple things as reassuring touches and gestures.
While not exactly the same, I often tell people that you can begin to understand chimpanzee dominance by watching The Godfather. In the following video, Negra plays the part of Don Corleone.
Food!
We are forever indebted to Chris, DeVar and the rest of the staff at our local Safeway supermarket. They have been supplying us with great produce since the day the chimps arrived in Cle Elum. Thanks to them, we rarely have to purchase fruits and vegetables for the chimps.
Last summer, our friends at Spud.com in Seattle took an interest in the Cle Elum Seven, and began sending car loads of organic produce our way.
Burrito really enjoys all of this great food. And we love watching him eat.
