Every day, the chimpanzees are served 3 meals. Their diet largely consists of fresh fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and browse (more fibrous plant material such as grape vines or cattails), but we still supplement their diet with a very small amount of commercially prepared primate chow.
In this photo, Negra holds pieces of primate chow in both hands.
Breakfast may be the most exciting meal of the day, because it includes not only fresh fruit, but also freshly made fruit smoothies! Their daily smoothie includes a variety of fruit (almost always bananas, usually combined with an assortment of fresh berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries) and supplements to support their health (for example, an omega fatty acids oil blend).
In this photo, Jamie polishes off her smoothie, making sure she gets every last drop!
The chimps are also served one type of vegetable, several peanuts, and primate chow at breakfast, in addition to their smoothies and fruit. For lunch, the chimpanzees are served another fruit, two different vegetables, and primate chow. For their final meal of the day, the chimps are served 3 different types of vegetables and a “night bag,” which includes a mix of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, raisins, other dried fruit, and popcorn. The night bag is the most exciting item at dinner time!
In this photo series, Dora enjoys a favorite vegetable – corn!
There are some items that are almost universally loved by the chimps. These include almost all fruits, and select vegetables like corn, avocado, and tomatoes (technically a fruit, but we count them as a vegetable for meals), to name a few. There are some exceptions – George, despite our best efforts to change his mind, is not interested in trying an avocado whereas Foxie loves them most! Missy is our well-known tomato connoisseur, and Cy loves corn so much that he does occasionally steal it from others (I think it is a fair tax as the alpha, he has a lot of work to do!). We are able to provide a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for the chimps, which vary by season, so some items are particularly exciting because they are only available seasonally (pomegranate is a great example!). For special occasions such as birthdays, arrival anniversaries, and holidays, we often prepare more novel foods to celebrate! Long-time volunteer caregiver Patti recently celebrated her birthday, and made chimp-approved carrot walnut waffles to celebrate with the chimps. Rayne, who has very high standards when it comes to food, absolutely loved the waffles!
If you’d like to support the chimps by purchasing some of their daily supplements, you can do so through our wish lists here. You can also become a Produce Patron, and help us keep the fridges stocked with a variety of fruits and vegetables!
