I know I’ve said it, and other folks have said it, but I just don’t think it can be said enough- we love to watch Negra play. Missy seems to have a way with Negra that makes her almost always successful in getting Negra to play… and when she does, it brightens my day. As Diana so eloquently put it, “Neggie rules.”
Play
Two continuously playful chimps
I’m pretty sure these two never stop playing.
April Fools’ Day!
So, I’m pretty sure this may one of my favorite “holidays” to celebrate at CSNW. We are always trying to mix things up for the chimps, and April Fools’ is just a blast! Last year, we decided to “fool” the chimps and play out the day backwards by serving dinner at breakfast time and breakfast at dinner time. Last year was so successful, we decided to make that a tradition- one day a year we do everything backwards. So, we started the morning by saying “Good Night!”, followed by night bags. Then, we served a “dinner” of barley with coconut, lettuce, and a pear. Negra was completely beside herself when Diana brought out night bags with “breakfast”! She was squeaking louder than ever!
After we cleaned the playroom, we decided to mix things up a bit further and we set up a “kitchen” in the playroom. We had several older bowls, utensils, cookie sheets, and kitchen canisters to complete the look of a kitchen. We filled large bowls with soapy water for the kitchen sink, which you will see was a hit in the video. Jamie immediately picked up the cookie sheet and started licking it. The chimps were thoroughly enriched by our kitchen in the playroom.
Here are a few photos of the aftermath:
Volunteer Stephanie just served “breakfast” for dinner, which consisted of smoothie and fruit. Once again, everyone was super excited! However, unlike last year we didn’t fool Negra on the night bags– she was still asking for it at the end of the day, but it was a fabulous day for everyone involved.
Good Morning!
Tickles and Playfaces
Spring Fever, Part II
Having grown up in southern California, I don’t think I ever really appreciated spring until I moved to a part of the country with a real winter. It was only a few weeks ago that it was finally warm enough outside for me to open the windows in my apartment. That’s probably my favorite part of spring: the first dose of glorious, fresh air. I thought of the chimpanzees and how it wouldn’t be long before we would be able to open the barn doors in their playroom and let the warm air in. As Jackie said in this post, that opportunity came just the other day, and the chimps seemed to be just as grateful as I had been. Here’s some video from that day.
Spring Fever
The other day it was finally warm enough that I could open the barn doors in the playroom. Because of the cold it’s been a while since we could do that, so the chimps were so excited! Everyone started pant hooting and ran over to enjoy the fresh air. Jody immediately began to build a giant nest using several blankets and a sleeping bag but alternated between nesting and chasing silly Annie and Missy around the playroom. Jamie put her hands in the kiddy pool and chased folks around with it. Everyone was super playful and goofy, and spent quite a bit of time hanging out and enjoying the sun and spring-like air.
Here are a couple of photos of Jamie relaxing in the green hand chair donated several months ago by volunteer Pam:
And Jody in her sleeping bag nest:
Happy Spring, everyone!
How to initiate play
Given the fact that Foxie is probably the most playful chimp I’ve ever known, normally one would not need the following instructions. But I suppose they could be good to keep around, just in case. 🙂
