After several days of rain and wind and gloom, we finally have a perfect day here at the sanctuary. All of the windows are open to let in fresh air, and the chimpanzees are in great moods. This video shows part of a longer play session that took place this morning in the playroom. My favorite part is Foxie’s new move.
Jamie
Jamie’s serious face
Jamie vs the snake
The chimps were going after a garter snake today. I think that Missy brought it in from outside and then lost her grip on it. The chimps chased it until it crawled into a small space in the caging. I laughed when I saw Jamie with the spaghetti spoon, but it was actually a pretty good choice of tools because she was trying to flush it out from its hiding spot.
The chimps never did get the snake, and Jamie seemed dissatisfied. She spent a good part of the afternoon walking around Young’s Hill, probably looking for more snakes.
scale or new place to sit?
J.B. just finished installing a scale in the greenhouse so that we can monitor the chimps’ weights. He cleverly disguised the scale as a place to sit. Most of the chimps are tucked away in their nests for the night and didn’t even bother getting up when the door to the greenhouse was opened for them, but Foxie and Jamie immediately came out.
Foxie, with two troll dolls, hopped right on it:
Jamie, of course, was mostly interested in seeing if she could take it apart:
Mother’s Day
It is a beautiful May day in Cle Elum as we celebrate Mother’s Day like so many of you. I hope you enjoy your day with your mother and your loved ones.
Unfortunately, Jody and our other mother chimps do not get to spend this day with their children. Or any other day for that matter. We know that Jody had at least nine babies born to her and taken away from her during her years as a biomedical test subject. I could not imagine the anguish that a mother must feel when a baby is taken away from her and for the years of memories that will never happen.
In honor of our chimpanzees who are mothers, I hope you will consider making a donation to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest today. We are hoping to raise $1,000 to support Jody and our other mother chimpanzees as we reflect on what this day means. They deserve to have a day in their honor and in the memory of the children they had who are still in biomedical research labs. Thank you for supporting our chimpanzee family.
Play as therapy
Foxie is the peacekeeper of the Cle Elum Seven. She often goes out of her way during conflicts to try to calm everyone down. Yesterday Jamie seemed to be feeling a little cranky and restless, and Foxie cheered her up by initiating a wrestling game.
Delicate Jamie
Sometimes Jamie can be quite destructive, with her great displays that show her domination, and her investigations of enrichment. So in contrast, I really love how delicate she looks with this small cherry tomato in these pictures from the other day. (I also really love the amazingly vibrant green grass in the background!)