Please enjoy these photos of Queen Negra obtaining Brussels Sprouts on a gorgeous fall day.
She got in some calisthenics during the forage.
Bonus: Jamie and red peppers in the tall grass
forage
Morning with the Seven
It was a nice, quiet morning for the Seven.
Grassy Gordo and the Honey B Holdout
One of the ways that captive chimps entertain themselves is by attempting to thwart their caregivers’ plans. Oh, you’d like to clean this area now? That’s unfortunate for you, ’cause I just decided that I’m going to live here forever. Honey B is the master of this. If you try to sweeten the deal by putting food in a different area, she’ll run out, grab the food, then high tail it back and barrel roll through the door as it closes, Indiana Jones-style. It’s rarely wise to engage in a battle of wills with a chimpanzee, even less so once they are fully stocked with provisions.
There are days when I could swear that she arranges for Willy B and Mave to run interference while she makes a mad dash for treats.
Today we cleaned on Honey B’s schedule while Willy B soaked up some afternoon sun. He still won’t touch the grass in the courtyard if he can help it and he rarely ventures further than ten or fifteen feet from the chute.
But that seems to be enough for him for now.
As we start to consider how the other group of Waystation chimps will feel about venturing out into larger, more naturalistic enclosures, I’ve been heartened to see Gordo’s comfort level increasing.
On Wednesday I caught him napping on the grass in the greenhouse.
From the look on his face, I think he’ll really appreciate the privacy that the larger enclosures will provide.
Let’s all just stop here for a second and appreciate Rayne. She is without a doubt the best chimpanzee that I’ve ever known, just like every other chimpanzee that I’ve ever known.
The forecast is calling for showers and cooler temperatures this weekend, both of which are long overdue. We’ve had enough anxiety about fires, smoke, and rattlesnakes for one summer. Still, I can’t help wanting to hold on a little longer to these al fresco breakfasts on the hill.
Missy, Burrito, and Jody:
Negra:
Foxie:
Jamie:
Foxie, Burrito, and Missy:
Jody:
The bidding has already begun at our Hoot! For the Holidays virtual event and the live event takes place tomorrow at 6pm Pacific. Tune in to hear stories from the past and learn about our plans for the future, and bid and donate to help support the 16 chimpanzees and 4 bovines that call Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest home. Don’t miss it!
Foraging
Now that it’s cooled off a bit, the chimps in Negra’s group are spending a little more time on the hill. We started the day with a breakfast forage, which lured Negra out of her nest and into the great outdoors.
After spending a considerable amount of time foraging, she decided to take the remainder of her breakfast to go and made her way back to the comfort of her greenhouse nest.
Burrito and Jamie also stuffed their mouths with fruit, including apples from our very own orchard that Diana picked the other night.
This is a good example of why we don’t forage all of the chimps’ meals – there’s just no controlling how much each will get! There’s a good chance Jamie’s got some food in her feet as well. I guess it takes a lot of calories to fuel all those walks around the hill.
Missy, who will turn 46 on Monday, set out to demonstrate that age has no bearing one’s athletic abilities.
Jody agreed, adding that she had never been very athletic, even when she was younger.
Nevertheless, she eventually made it to the top of Negra’s cabin to search for more treats.
Annie sought a bird’s eye view of the action.
Later, Jamie, Burrito, Missy, and I went for a walk around the hill, stopping momentarily to reenact the scene from the original Charlie’s Angels poster.
For a short while, Burrito led the way. Nothing keeps this guy down for long.
Jody caught up to us at the top of the hill, but broke away soon after to snack on a few wild rose hips.
We have a quick favor to ask: The chimps are once again running low on blankets, so we’d love it if you would consider donating a few from our wish list. Annie would be most grateful…and so would we! (Edit 8/21: The blankets have all been purchased off of our wish list – thank you all!)
Small Moments
Throughout the day I catch small moments of the chimps interacting with each other, with humans, or just by themselves that just make me smile. Sometimes the moments are just a split second, but they always make my heart burst with joy. I thought I would share a few from yesterday and today.
This morning as we cleaned the front rooms, Foxie tossed her strawberry shortcake doll to me by the Playroom. We played chase from front room 1 to the playroom. When Foxie was running she was doing a bunny hop with her back feet. That one always gets me :).
Yesterday, I found Willy B laying on a big comfy blanket. I sat down and we scrolled through some photos on my phone.
Jamie this afternoon was being groomed by Missy and Jody. Because Jamie seeks out humans so often I love seeing her with chimp friends.
Yesterday, Missy came down from the loft in the playroom and began gesturing to something. I looked over and all I saw were some magazines. I offered one to her not thinking she really wanted it, but to my surprise she took the magazine and gestured for the one next to it. Once she had both magazines she climbed back up to the loft to make a nest.
We put out a pre-lunch lettuce forage on Young’s Hill today. I found Negra and Burrito playing right before I let the chimps back on the Hill. They even had a stuffed animal in their mouth playing tug-a-war.
While I was doing a chimp count for some checks ealier. I found Jamie in a nest fast asleep.
While Jamie napped in the loft, I also spotted Jody grooming a very sleepy Negra.
Burrito is often found on this barrel playing by himself, spying on the neighbors, or occasionally getting someone to play with him. This morning he started off playing by himself, but Foxie joined him a little later. Foxie would knock on the barrel while Burrito spun around on top. They were grabbing each others toes and laughing.
I hope you enjoyed these small moments. Please enjoy some bonus photos!
Jody collecting foliage this morning.
Annie walking in the tall green grass.
Negra enjoying some lettuce.
Jamie with handfuls of lettuce.
Foxie
The Celebration
We had our hands full this afternoon with the virtual tour for the Chimps in Need Campaign, but Anna somehow managed to snap a few photos of the Seven enjoying their Love a Chimpanzee Day celebration.
Don’t forget – you can help us welcome six more chimpanzees to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest this year by donating on Monica and Diana’s GiveBig fundraising page or the sanctuary’s main GiveBig page.
Missy:
Jody (with banana leaves):
Annie:
Negra:
Burrito:
Foxie:
Jamie:
Stunt Missy
When we set out food forages for the chimpanzees on Young’s Hill, the chimps’ outdoor habitat, especially on a gorgeous day like today, all of the staff onsite tend to gather at the base of the hill near the greenhouse, frequently with more than one of us taking photos.
It never gets old watching forages, and we often narrate out-loud to one another what’s happening. Today, Missy provided some excitement for our (and her) enjoyment.
The lunch forage was whole tomatoes (a Missy-favorite!), big chunks of lettuce, celery, mini sweet peppers, primate chow biscuits, and a few pieces of sweet potato.
Missy was keen on finding the tomatoes, but was also busy gathering lettuce. We spotted her on the treat rock (an artificial termite mound) taking a moment to eat some lettuce.
She must have spotted some tomatoes on top of Negra’s cabin from the vantage point of the treat rock, because she leapt off the treat rock in a way only Missy would. J.B. got a shot of her in motion!
Here’s the zoomed-in version of that photo. I dubbed it Stunt Missy.
Negra was settled in inside her cabin, casually enjoying some chow biscuits and lettuce, when Missy approached.
Missy was determined to climb up the log support of the cabin, even with her hands quite full. The humans watching wondering if she could do it…
Of course she could! She scaled up the log one-handed, not dropping a leaf of lettuce.
and enjoyed the tomato reward when she reached the top
