It’s already being heralded as the match of the century – Jamie vs Foxie in an epic Troll Scarf Tug-o-War battle! Turn up your sound for the full effect.
northwest
Love on a Windy Day
Three members of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest family had weddings today – the brides are new staff member Anna and dedicated volunteer Becca, who is marrying Lars, also a volunteer. I wanted to wish them a special congratulations using photos of the chimpanzees taken on this windy day, so here goes:
Anna & Andy and Becca & Lars, may your love be…
As sweet as Annie:
As endearing as Burrito:
As playful as Foxie:
As strong as Jamie:
As unique as Jody:
As loyal as Missy:
And as inspiring as Negra:
A little backstory on the photo of Missy above – in honor of the couples, I put out two sunflowers from the garden as part of the chimps’ lunch forage. I expected Jody to be the one to get them, but it was Missy!
Here are a few more photos:
Happy wedding day to all four of you!
Never too old to have fun
Annie and Missy are a couple of old ladies. They don’t seem to know this, however, so let’s not tell them and we’ll just hope they never find out.
Foxie’s 39th!
Today we celebrated Foxie’s 39th birthday! It was a day filled with some of her favorite foods – lots and lots of fruit, fruit smoothie in shot glasses…
Foxie found a smoothie shot on the hill:
plus there were carrots, celery, more fruit, avocados, sweet potatoes, corn, and fresh-pressed carrot & apple juice!
There’s a video below, but first a few shots of the chimps enjoying the celebration in their own way:
Burrito looking for food:
Annie chillin’ in the hammock:
Negra getting that last bit of coconut from the cup:
Jody in her characteristic belly-to-the-ground position, finishing her meal:
And Missy, who was not going to let a bit of the flaked coconut that was in this piñata go to waste.
Not one…
little bit
There were several people who contributed to Foxie’s celebration, including Karen Young who provided decorations and money for food, Tracy H. who sponsored the day, Jayne R., and many people who sent Foxie Dora and troll dolls. Thanks for making her day special!
Enjoy the video!
Rituals
It’s 6pm. We’ve given the chimps their dinner, spot cleaned the playroom, passed out fresh blankets for nesting, and finished our long closing checklist to make the sure the chimps are safe, comfortable, and secure overnight. Each of the chimps is either finishing their after dinner food puzzle or settling into their nests for the evening. It’s time to call it a day. But we can’t leave until the boss gives us the OK and that can get complicated when your boss is a 37-year-old chimpanzee with a cowboy boot obsession.
Sure, it’s possible to just close the door and leave, but we’d be walking away from one very frustrated and potentially angry chimpanzee. Because when she goes to bed, she needs to take certain boots with her, and it’s our job to figure out which ones she is after.
Tonight, it took three staff members to model all her current favorites. We danced, did the moonwalk, and pirouetted for her. One particular pair grabbed her interest, and as I held them up near the caging, she began to groom them.
The grooming turned into tickling as I did my best attempt at chimp laughter (chimp laughter is akin to hyperventilating and can have similar consequences if humans do it too long or too enthusiastically).
You can tell when Jamie is finally satisfied. She lets our a low moan of approval and echos the nest grunts from her family as they bed down throughout the playroom. She begins to build her own nest by surrounding herself with blankets and weaving them into the caging.
Then, and only then, are we allowed to leave. But not with the boots – those stay with the boss.
Eyeful of Beauty
Everything that is made beautiful and fair and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees. ~ Rumi
Portraits of Burrito and Jamie:
Reconciliation
Every once and a while, there’s a little more tension in the group than usual. Fights break out more often, and when they do, they result in more injuries. But chimps have a mechanism for dealing with this tension.
After a big conflict last weekend, they’ve been working hard to reestablish their relationships through grooming.
Chances are, some of the wounds they are grooming on each other are wounds they themselves inflicted.
But that’s life for a chimp. You fight, and you make up. Then, maybe, you fight again.
But you always make up.
