It was a nice, quiet morning for the Seven.
Grooming
The Introductions Continue!
The introductions just keep on coming. Today Cy and Willy B met! I would say it went pretty well. We always let them interact through the mesh before opening any doors between them. Willy B and Cy groomed for awhile at the mesh and had some amazing grooming sounds. They groomed everything from toes to heads to backs to faces. After we opened the door they played a little bit of chase from room to room. They did this on and off and was initiated a lot by Cy’s playful foot stomps. Even though the door was open they still preferred to groom through the mesh at first. Willy B would go over and sit on one side of it and head nod at Cy then Cy would join him in a grooming session. Eventually they felt comfortable enough to groom without mesh between them. They didn’t interact the whole time they were together and during these periods Cy would pull out his magazine to read while Willy tried to see what new potential friends were on the other side of the door.
Click here to see a short video from their grooming session today!
Willy B and Cy grooming.
Here are some bonus photos from today.
Lucky wearing a nice scarf.
Missy grooming Annie.
Chimp Activities
Today the chimp house was a little busier than yesterday. We are making sure the two new Greenhouses are in order and ready for chimps soon! While waiting for some maintenance things to be completed we found Jamie and Burrito engaging in a long play session. I love hearing chimp laughter. To me, it is one of the best sounds in the world and always brings a smile to my face. There was lots of laughter today, as I saw Burrito playing with Foxie and Annie too.
I checked in on the three to see what they were up to and found Mave and Willy B in a grooming session. I’m still learning so much about Honey B, Willy B, and Mave. I didn’t work with them while I was an intern here, so I have been trying to get to know them better and learn more about their personalities.
Mave grooming Willy B.
Honey B looking to see what photos I was taking.
Willy B taking a break from the grooming session.
Missy resting in the Greenhouse.
Double the Drama
Annie, Missy, and Jody passed the early part of the afternoon in the greenhouse, grooming quietly.
Annie gently passed her fingers through Jody’s hair as Jody basked in the attention.
Suddenly, there was a scream. Nothing for the girls to worry about, as it came from the other group. But they were compelled to see what was going on. Off to the hill they ran.
Having two chimp families on site means having twice the drama.
But other people’s drama is far different than our own. As social primates, both humans and chimps enjoy other people’s business a little too much. The girls gathered by the fence to catch a glimpse of the action.
To the dismay of our spectators, most of the neighbor’s drama is mild and short-lived, such as when Willy B gets a little too rambunctious or when Mave overreacts to his occasionally boorish antics. And this time, the drama was over quickly. Nevertheless, Jamie decided a patrol was in order.
Her crew followed her up the fence line and around the hill.
While Jamie forged ahead, Missy and Annie maintained an easier pace to accommodate Foxie, who is slowed by arthritis.
Upon their return, all was quiet.
The gang resumed their normal activities – lounging, grooming, napping.
And waited for the next exciting twist in the neighbor’s ongoing saga.
Back to normal
Last week, as he was leaving work for the day, Anthony noticed that Betsy was no longer with her group. It’s unusual for anyone in this herd to be alone, but even more so for Betsy. Diana and I joined Anthony to check on her and all three of us could see that she was favoring her front right leg. Her family had gone on their last trip of the day for water and she was unable to follow them.
So we each grabbed an end and carried her across the pasture to the stock tank. Just kidding.
Caring for chimpanzees is incredibly difficult, but cattle present some of their own challenges as well. In this case, we had to move the water to her, along with some hay and a mineral block, so that she didn’t have to try to walk. Dr. Erin immediately came out to evaluate her. I sometimes wonder if in the history of the profession a veterinarian has ever eaten an entire dinner with their family.
While I’m sure Betsy was grateful for the dinner service, Nutmeg was the real winner. That guy loves the tractor.
Dr. Erin decided that it was likely a minor sprain and that with rest and some pain meds she should recover soon. Did you know that cows can take one of the same pain medications we give the chimps? Except Betsy’s dose is 49 pills. Imagine what it would be for Nutmeg.
For a few days, Betsy and her family stayed in the south pasture. While she was up and grazing, she hadn’t walked more than a dozen yards or so from where Anthony had spotted her that first evening. But on the fourth morning, the cows were nowhere to be found. Not in the south pasture, not at the stock tank. If Betsy were feeling better, I knew exactly where she would go: To the stream that runs through the middle of the sanctuary.
Who wants to drink water from a tank when you can drink water fresh from a mountain spring?
We’ve been pretty fortunate so far when it comes to the cows’ health. Our biggest challenges have been keeping weight on Betsy while keeping weight off of her son. Thankfully this was nothing more than a brief scare and the cattle are now back to their normal routine.
Mostly normal routine, I should say. Because Betsy and the gang have some new neighbors. I’ve been meaning to meet them so I went out this morning to say hello.
Apparently Nutmeg has taken an interest in them, but when I walked out to the south pasture this morning the cows were keeping their distance. Betsy and Nutmeg were alternating between grooming and play fighting. They knocked their heads together, butting and bunting for dominance.
But Nutmeg isn’t interested in dominance. He just wants to groom his mom. As does every 2,000-lb Jersey steer, I would assume.
Before long, Betsy turned her attention toward me.
If you are going to visit the cows, be prepared to stay a while…and get thoroughly cleaned.
The Doll Days of Summer
We start each day with a walk around the perimeter of Young’s Hill. This is done as a precaution to ensure that the fence wasn’t somehow compromised overnight, but it is also a great time to check on the cows. While they are constantly on the move, on summer mornings they can often be found just above the chimp enclosure where they like to sleep. As I walked by this morning, the girls were in the middle of a grooming session.
Nutmeg didn’t get any of the love this time, but don’t worry – his mom always takes care of him. I did got photo of him the other day as he drank from the spring-fed stream that bisects that sanctuary property.
Willy B was feeling pretty adventurous again today. He’s getting pretty comfortable sitting on the grass if he is close to the structure.
If he ventures any further, he brings a chair with him for a sense of security, or perhaps so that he can get his feet off of the ground at a moment’s notice.
At one point, I saw him rolling the big white barrel away from the boardwalk. What on earth is he doing? Diana even called me on the radio to inquire as she watched from the mezzanine inside.
After pushing the barrel out into the courtyard, he pulled up a chair and sat down to enjoy the view.
After lunch, Diana was weeding the garden by the Greenhouse and gave out some of the prickly lettuce that she had pulled. This is one of the chimps’ favorite weeds. They can pick as much as they want from Young’s Hill but I think it tastes better when someone else does all the work.
Missy wasn’t in the mood for prickly lettuce, though – she wanted goat’s beard – so she took off to Young’s Hill to find some.
I know we’ve mentioned this before, but the salt and pepper hair on Foxie’s arms is really starting to lose its pepper.
Thankfully, age has not slowed her down yet.
While Foxie’s love of dolls is unmatched, others in the group can be seen carrying dolls from time to time, particularly in the summer. Just like the waistbands, it’s a seasonal thing. You know who really likes Dora the Explorer lately? This guy.
Spring has Sprung
Since spring has sprung, so has Jamie! Jamie has been taking full advantage of these beautiful spring days and even the not so nice ones. Yesterday, well today too, Jamie and I were walking machines! If we were not walking we were grooming. All day it felt like someone was watching me. If I went to get water or start on a project she would appear, better yet, if she couldn’t see me she would stare into the camera by the playroom and wait for me to come. Seriously, nothing gets past Jamie, which is why she is so amazing. Once she would get my attention, she would take off running onto the Hill! Even when it was time for everyone to go home and Young’s Hill was closed off she wasn’t ready. So, Jamie groomed, her still favorite, XTRATUF boots in the green house for a little bit longer. Because it is spring now, Jamie needs to be doing extra patrols. There are cattle in the pasture next to the Hill and she needed to make sure that Honey B, Willy B, and Mave are being closely monitored in the Chute. She is a busy person. To be honest, because our days in the chimp house are a bit busier now, it was nice to be able to spend some quality time with her, and know that she got to do everything she wanted to do that day! All in all, when you get that feeling of someone watching you, it’s probably Jamie. 😉
Here is a rare photo of Jamie laying down yesterday:
Jamie saw Chad wearing his cattle boots during our walk and demanded he join us! Missy, Burrito, Honey, Meredith, Nutmeg, and Betsy came too.