Staff are taking part in a very important training today. So please enjoy this video of some of the chimpanzees playing tug-o-war and keep away from the past week as staff training is underway.
Honey B
Spring Rocks!
Today we celebrated spring with the chimpanzees by having a party filled with novel items and foods they love. One of these novel items was a cardboard cutout of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which we hoped Cy would enjoy as he is a fan of bald men (remember his love of Stanley Tucci?!). Well, there were mixed reviews. Today’s blog video is all about the ups and downs of “meeting” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson! We will share more about the rest of the party later, as there is simply too much good stuff to cover all in one day!
Beautiful Morning
As I went to let Jamie’s group outside this morning, I noticed Negra was waiting by the door in anticipation of being the first one out. I always know its going to be a good day if Negra wants to be the first chimp out onto Young’s Hill. It’s cheesy, but the song, A Beautiful Morning by The Rascals, popped into my head. It seemed pretty fitting for such a lovely morning to be watching all the chimps go out and enjoy this beautiful spring morning. On the other side of the building, Honey B and Dora were up to their normal antics of laughing, playing, and relishing in each others company! Click here for the video.
A Few Nice Moments
In today’s blog video, enjoy a collection of videos highlighting some brief, but very sweet, moments from around the sanctuary.
Honey B and Dora with a Side of Gordo
Honey B and Dora have the most fun together! My personal favorite is when Honey B is standing on her head, and Dora is playing with her feet (keep your eyes peeled and you may see this a couple of times in today’s video!).
Today, Gordo happened to be sitting close by and wanted badly to get in on the fun! While often times, two’s a party and three’s a crowd, Gordo managed to sneak in a few play moments with the girls!
Consulting with Honey B
I thought I would share a crazy story with you all. This is something I had not seen before, however it’s never a dull day here and something is always happening! One morning near the end of February, caregiver Sabrina calls me on the radio to come up the ladder in Greenhouse 2. I was curious why she was so insistent that she needed me to come up there with her. When I stood up there with her, she asked me if the window that is shared with Playroom 2 had looked “like that” since the last time we had worked on that side of the building, perhaps we had missed a message in the work group chat but we had not, this was new! The window was shattered from the inside, luckily not the entire window (see below and in video). The windows we have are bullet proof, they are very sturdy and secure, to quote J.B. in our group chat “It’s a mix of poly-carbonate and glass so the poly is still good and the window should be perfectly safe, but obviously we’ll replace it”. Later, we scoured the security camera footage to find out what happen. Some theories thrown out, but my favorite and by far the most logical was from caregiver Sabrina. Her theory was that Willy B did it with his mind. As you will see in the video, it happens in the middle of the night with a loud popping sound. The chimps weren’t displaying or hitting it, “everyone” was sound asleep.
However, these windows are extremely expensive. So in the meantime JB had Gary and his crew come out to replace a lower window for the broken on and swap in mesh caging for the other. The best part about having Gary and his crew come out is that Honey B got to see her old pals. Honey B enjoyed being apart of the consulting crew and I don’t think anyone would find it surprising that she might have a differing opinion or too. She is a tough boss, but one of the best in her field!
Click here for the video!
Playroom 2 window:
Lower playroom window replaced with mesh, Cy approves:
Honey B managing her crew on-site:
Bonus of Dora!
Honey B’s Tips & Tricks
When it comes to a mess, Honey B knows a thing or two. Many of you might know that Honey B doesn’t mind a messy room and would in fact live in her own mess for a while if she had a say in it, and sometimes she does, which is why she is also an expert at cleaning a mess! Last week, one of the enrichment days was soap buckets. This is where we put in the tiniest amount of soap and make a lightly soapy bucket and put out scrub brushes for the chimps. Sometimes the chimps enjoy the enrichment and other times, the chimps wonder why we didn’t fill the buckets with a tasty juice. Honey B took the opportunity to use her soap buckets, whether it was because she just thought it was fun or because she thought we missed a few spots, we can’t know. What we do know is that Honey B was thoroughly enjoying herself, so much so, we later provided her a towel so that she could dry her front room and she was very enthusiastic to be able to continue her cleaning process. Honey B really is one cool chimp.
Click here to watch Honey B’s Tips & Tricks!
