As Diana mentioned yesterday, the weather has (off and on) been incredible the last week or so! Yesterday it actually got up to 60 degrees (!) but then there was snow on the ground this morning. So, we really have to take advantage of good weather when we have it. J.B. and Diana set up a forage on Young’s Hill yesterday and put the GoPro camera in it’s mount. As I was reviewing the footage this morning, I discovered Foxie and Jamie had a little post-forage project – to get to the bottom of this whole GoPro thing, once and for all!
Foxie
Funny faces
Foxie loves mirrors and tends to immediately make funny faces at herself whenever she sees her reflection (one of my favorite videos of Foxie in a mirror is this one from 2009– check it out). She’s been particularly interested in mirrors lately because she has an injury on her forehead that she has been inspecting, so today I put out a few extra mirrors so she could check herself out if she wanted to. Not to my surprise, she did just that – only she wasn’t as interested in looking at her wound as she was making funny faces at herself.
Nightbag Rituals
As Diana mentioned yesterday, she got some photos of the chimps enjoying their nightbags last Friday. As most of you know, Negra is the biggest fan of nightbags and almost seems to live for that time of the day. But the reality is, nightbags are truly loved by all. Each one of the chimps has their own ritual with nightbags. If we serve them in the greenhouse, everyone immediately scatters when they get their bag, heading off to a safe and more isolated location. Nightbags are a prized possession, so everyone is careful to ensure their bag is not stolen by someone. Jamie immediately goes up to the window sill, tears it open and dumps everything out so she can pick through what she wants to eat first. Negra doesn’t tend to move away very far, as eating it is her number one top priority (not to mention I think she knows no one would steal her nightbag!). She tears a hole in the bag and munches on it through the hole, allowing nut shells and empty sunflower seeds to collect on her belly. Jody tends to lay down to eat hers, usually tearing it open but leaving it neatly on the bag while she picks through the mix with her lips. Annie usually bites a hole in her bag and holds it like a cereal bowl. Foxie’s method is pretty similar to Annie’s, only she usually dumps small amounts in her hand and sorts through it there:
Missy usually tears it open and spreads it open like Jamie- a perk of being a more dominant chimp, in that you don’t have to worry about people stealing it as much so dumping it out isn’t as big of a deal. And then you get to go through and eat each nut and seed at your leisure:
Burrito uses the cereal bowl method as well though I think his favorite part is going back and sorting through people’s abandoned scraps!
Thanks, Tracy Headley!
Tracy Headley has also sponsored today for the chimps! It is a day of love, indeed.
And what’s more lovely than Foxie giving Dora a ride on her back around Young’s Hill?
Thanks, Tracy!
Pomegranates + show some love!
I can’t believe it’s already almost half-way through February! That means Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and we have a super spiffy card you can send to your special someone. Just make a donation in honor of your Valentine before noon tomorrow and they’ll get a nice “It’s Good to Be Loved” card. (Check out this morning’s newsletter for more info).
Here’s some pictures of the chimps enjoying a pomegranate forage the other day:
Negra:
Foxie:
Annie:
Exercise
Now that the snow has melted and the sun has returned, the chimpanzees have been really enjoying being outside on Young’s Hill. This morning we witnessed an impressive burst of activity. I can imagine how good it must feel to them to be able to stretch their legs.
Chimps and snow and decisions
Even though the chimps have had access to it, it’s been too cold and windy to spend much time out on Young’s Hill lately. But they definitely love having the option! I love that even though we put snow in the playroom and greenhouse almost daily, the chimps sometimes see it as worth it to brave the cold to enjoy a snack on the hill. The other day, the large tub in the greenhouse was filled with snow so that the chimps didn’t have to go out to get it if they didn’t want to, but that didn’t keep everyone inside!
Annie on the hill:
Missy:
But I guess Foxie and Jamie saw it as more appealing to keep their feet dry and enjoy their snack in the greenhouse.
Foxie in the greenhouse:
Jamie:
