This morning, Jenna and I were cleaning the playroom when we were greeted with delightful chimpanzee laughter coming from the front rooms. Can you guess who? Of course, it was Burrito and his good friend Foxie! Wrestling, poking, tickling, biting, pushing, pulling…all the things required for a raucous play session. We really wanted to capture this fun time without catching the ire of the fun police. How do you think we did?
Jamie
Never Miss a Moment
Burrito is not the type to ever turn down a friend! He will never miss a moment to play, groom, or even display! He is a special guy who does not take life for granted. And because of that his caregivers also will never miss a moment with him as well!
Bonus photos!
Yesterday, I gave Jamie some lavender from our garden, she seemed to enjoy it:
Rare portraits of Missy:
Quality Time
It’s always lovely to catch the chimps in moments of play, relaxation, or grooming. Last week I caught Foxie & Jamie spending some quality time together and it was a nice moment of calm in the middle of a busy day. I hope you enjoy it, too!
Tea Time with the Girls
Today, part time caregiver Dusty set up a table and chairs for a bunch of Foxie’s dolls, and filled the cups with Gatorade. The results are pretty sweet (or creepy, you be the judge!). Foxie, for sure, was thrilled to enjoy a refreshing beverage with her friends.
Even Jamie enjoyed some time at the tea table. Although, she has some opinions about who can, and cannot, have a seat at the table.
Portraits
This morning I was lucky enough to be able to go around and capture some portraits. Portraits can be hard to get because the chimps are often moving around quite a bit or simply do not want there picture taken, as you will see at the end of Jamie’s photo series. Jamie threw her arm out and shook it to tell me she had had enough :). Fortunately, everyone else didn’t seem to mind me taking some pictures! So please enjoy!
Negra eating her eggplant at lunch:
Cy waiting for his breakfast chow:
Little Honey B, being Honey B:
Foxie and her doll:
Dora portrait series:
And of course Jamie:
Pre-lunch Shenanigans
Working with chimps can be a little loud and even overstimulating at times. That is why when there are quiet moments or sweet interactions, they mustn’t go unnoticed. Those moments can fill our cup up! Jamie’s side of the building has been pretty calm today, while Cy’s side has been making quite the ruckus for some of the morning. It did make for great “TV” for Burrito, but tension on one side can often cause tension on the other. However, Burrito’s side has been pretty easygoing. Jamie has even let individuals like Foxie and Annie have their fruit this morning. The best part of the day so far has been watching Burrito and Missy get so excited for their lunch forage that they had to play and laugh it out, even Jamie and Foxie decided to groom! My cup definitely got filled today :).
Negra watching her noisy neighbors on the Bray in the morning:
Gals Who Groom
Grooming is an important part of chimpanzee life. It serves many functions, from forming, building, and maintaining social bonds, to helping ease tensions and facilitating reconciliation following a fight among the group. It is a part of everyday life.
Terry grooms Cy
Cy grooms Rayne’s lips (through the caging, although the door is open!)
As caregivers, we exist within the social sphere of the chimpanzees in our care (as Diana discussed in her blog earlier this week). We each have different relationships with each chimpanzee, which have developed and grown over time. Some chimpanzees are quick to accept new human friends (like Burrito and Terry), while others are less interested in the new person, and more interested in making sure that new person knows where they stand (at the very bottom!).
(I am taking advantage of my momentary mention of Burrito to share this somewhat blurry but very sweet picture of a sleepy Burrito from today!)
Grooming helps us forge and grow relationships with the chimpanzees in our care, and occurs when a chimpanzees invites us to join them for a grooming session. Sometimes this invitation comes in the form of a chimp pressing their back to the caging to be scratched with a tool or rubbed with our knuckle. Other times it may look like Cy poking his finger out of the caging making a raspberry sound, requesting to groom your elbow. One of my personal favorite invitations is when Honey B sticks out her very small thumb to request to groom you. Many grooming sessions have served as mile-markers for me in my personal relationships with different chimpanzees, such as the first time I felt comfortable allowing Honey B to groom the back of my hand, when Rayne initiated a lengthy grooming session with me for the very first time, the first time Lucky genuinely wanted to groom me (without any stabby fingers) or when Jamie first presented me with a chopstick to groom her with. In today’s blog video, I wanted to share a couple such special moments with you all.
And for those keeping up with Willy B’s recent injury and return to his group, check out J.B.’s blog from yesterday about his reintroduction if you missed it!
