Yesterday we celebrated Christmas in true CSNW style, with a feast of chimpanzee holiday favorites (celebration roast, corn, baked russet potatoes, green beans, rolls, sparkling cider, and some very cute lettuce snowmen) and many carefully wrapped presents. Huge thanks to all of the volunteers and staff that planned and prepared the festivities, and our wonderful donors that sent in lots of gifts for the chimpanzees! In today’s blog video, see George and friends get in the Christmas spirit, and come back for one more Christmas blog tomorrow! In case you missed it, see how Jamie’s group enjoyed their day here.
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Guaranteed Fun
If there’s one thing you can always count on Burrito for, it’s to have a good time! In today’s blog video, see a little bit of the fun Burrito brings to every day.
A Morning with Burrito and Friends
In today’s blog video, see what Burrito and friends were up to this morning!
Bouncy Ball Mayhem & Mystery
Willy B has always had an undeniable love for enrichment that makes a lot of noise such as slinkies, boxes, and his new love, bouncy balls. When he gets a hold of the bouncy balls, chaos ensues- bouncing erratically, rolling around, and a whole lot of noise. When Willy B’s group goes into the mezzanine we often give him 1 or 2 through the food chute, if he doesn’t have one already. It seems to be pure joy for Willy B! Recently, the bouncy balls have been mysteriously appearing outside the enclosures. And because we could not catch anyone in the act, we caregiver started coming up with our own theories!
- Could it be that Willy B’s exuberant play is causing the balls to bounce through the gaps between the ceiling and the mesh? Some believed he was launching them with such intensity that they were escaping entirely, defying physics in the process.
- Others theorized that the balls might be slipping out through the food chute, carried by the force of Willy B’s powerful throws.
- But there was also a strong suspicion that his mischievous friend, Honey B, might be the true culprit, secretly tossing the balls out and enjoying the mayhem from afar.
At last, the mystery was solved when we watched Honey B on the security camera this morning. In the beginning, it seemed like she just wanted a little peace and quiet away from Willy B’s wild bouncing sessions, but as you’ll see in the video, she ended up having a lot of fun with those bouncy balls herself!
With Willy B’s 35th birthday just around the corner, we’d love to fill his space with all kinds of new bouncy balls to fit the theme of his birthday party “Bouncy Ball Mayhem”. You can help make his birthday extra special by adding to his collection through our Amazon and Chewy wish lists. Let’s make sure he has a chaotic birthday!
The Ghost of Marmot Mountain
I was cleaning in the Mezzanine recently when I glanced at the window that looks into the Marmot Mountain Playroom. To my surprise, all I saw was a pair of dangling legs and white-ish sheet hanging from the ceiling. Though October, the traditional Spooky Season, has come and gone, this individual was not accepting of that fact. This individual clearly thinks Spooky Season is a year round celebration, like her mother.
Can you guess who the ghost of Marmot Mountain is?
George + Cy + ?
George’s integration into a social group continues! This is very likely the only time in his life he’s been with two other adult male chimpanzees at the same time!
Big congrats to Ellen for leading this successful introduction and thanks to J.B. for the footage.
The trio spent the whole day together and tonight George and Cy are a duo once again with Gordo back with his group.
Our plan is to carry out the same process with other chimpanzees, with George and Cy remaining together. This will give us some information on group dynamics that one-on-one intros don’t provide and will give Cy the opportunity to decide what to do if there’s a conflict between George and another chimpanzee.
Tensions did rise at one point and George and Cy had an every-so-brief mild scuffle today. Gordo did not get involved. For a chimpanzee intro, we couldn’t have asked for a better result that these three. We feel proud of all of them.
When The Cat’s Away…
Yesterday, Jamie spent some time in the clinic for a checkup. You will hear more on her procedure in the days to come, but rest assured that she is doing just fine!
Today, I wanted to show you what the rest of her crew has been up to since Jamie has been in isolation.
You know what they say!? When the cat’s away…
