Here’s a small sampling of what Burrito was up to this morning. Where does he get all this energy?
Play
Recess with Gordo!
Yesterday, as the big group of 9 settled in for their usual after-breakfast naps, Gordo had other ideas! The view from the interior of the Mezzanine provides an interesting glimpse into the upstairs activities in the Lupine Playroom.
Skips Don’t Lie
Wherever, whenever, Gordo’s ready to play chase together.
The playful “bunny hop” that Gordo performs during games of chase is perfection. The hop has been mentioned on the blog before (1, 2, 3), but I wanted to share some additional video clips so you all could see Gordo’s iconic moves up close.
Gordo has some “wallflower” tendencies; it’s not unusual for him to hang out at the group’s periphery when he wants some quiet time. Despite this aloof nature, we’ve discovered that Gordo can be coaxed into goofing around by his companions and caregivers. This gradual process begins with him sitting as stoically as possible, gazing back as we make playful gestures in his direction. Gordo’s poker face slowly begins to crack with anticipation; he often tips his hand by scratching his torso or letting out an anxious yawn. Suddenly, he bursts forward with a dramatic “bunny hop”, launching himself into a rowdy game of chase.
Instead of sprinting gracefully, however, Gordo tends to lackadaisically skip from one corner of the room to the other. He looks back at us, we pursue, and the dance goes on until one (or both) of us get winded.
Hop. Skip. Repeat.
Five Simple Rules to Becoming Mora
The thing about Dora is that everyone loves her! If you had told us that she would be the popular girl, I think we all would have been shocked. But it’s hard work being popular, we don’t know how Dora does it. She doesn’t seem to get a lot of alone time, but Dora also doesn’t seem to mind all that much. Especially when it comes to Mave. Again, if we were making predictions of friendships going into integrating this group of 9, my money would not have been on Mave and Dora. But that is the thing about chimps, they are always surprising us! And this was one of the best surprise I think we all didn’t know we needed. It has been so sweet to watch Dora and Mave’s friendship blossom. They truly care for one another and enjoy their time together, which is how the power couple of Mora became. However, there are rules to Mora:
1. Groom or spend quality time as often as possible
2. Three can be a crowd, but not all the time.
*** Rules 3 and 5 are very important and can be repeated or enforced multiple times throughout the day!***
3. No, and I repeat no, more than one arms length apart from each other. If Dora or Mave are to far apart, adjustments must be make quickly!
4. Always try a little bit of each others food. Sharing is caring you know!
5. It is important for any relationship to hug or hold hands as much as possible. The more engulfed the hug is the better!
The VIP Lounge
The chimpanzees spend more time resting and socializing in the heated indoor areas as the weather gets wetter and colder.
We’ve recently been focusing much of our content on the chimps’ outdoor enclosures, especially Young’s Hill and The Bray. Large outdoor habitats are irreplaceable because they provide chimpanzees with unique opportunities to engage in “natural” behaviors such as climbing, foraging, and patrolling as a group. The greenhouse-type enclosures, including the new Riverview and Oakwood Greenhouses, also have certain characteristics that the chimps can take full advantage of at their leisure.
Even so, chimpanzees living in sanctuary also need clean, climate-controlled, enriched indoor spaces. These are locations where they can be cozy, entertained and secure, regardless of the conditions outside. It would be easy to look at the artificial interiors and think that these enclosures are inferior to the outdoor ones, but the chimpanzees don’t seem to think so. Instead, the residents seem to utilize the various spaces differently so that together they provide one expansive, complex, multi-functional home.
Sofia highlighted the indoor front rooms in her September post “Back to Front Room 7” and Anna wrote about them again in last week’s post “Small space, big fun“. I thought it might be fun to share some additional video clips of the chimpanzees enjoying that same space today!
Jamie & Burrito’s Day of Friendship
They really did play for a good amount of time while Anna and I cleaned their playroom. I was very glad to get the clips I did!
As you can see from the video, the snow from yesterday was short-lived. I saw Annie walking up the stairs to the playroom loft with a big handful of snow. It’s good that they love to eat it!
King of the Hill
While on a walk with Jamie, I observed Burrito and Missy following each other on the logs and then start to wrestling. It made me think about when I was young playing king of the sand dune with my brother. I asked the rest of the staff if they had ever played this game when they where kids, which of course they had! Some of their variations were: king of the mountain, king of the hill, and king of the log! The object of the game was to be the last one standing and then you were pronounced king of the object you were standing on, said log, mattress, or hill and then you have bragging rights for as long as you rein! Today, for Missy and Burrito it seems as though no one holds the title but I see a rematch in their future!
Time has flown by! Can you believe it already been 4 years with our wonderful bovines!
Honey and her gang:
Honey:
Meredith:
Nutmeg and Betsy:
