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It’s sunny in Cle Elum! For me, that’s reason enough to celebrate. Enjoy these pics of Jamie (with her emery board!), Foxie, and Jody and Annie!
I could use a sunny day…
Play
Foxie, Missy, and Annie playing outside
Chimps often walk bipedally when their hands are full (with trolls, for example). Foxie also does this when she is playing (in this example) or displaying.
Playing chase with Missy
Missy loves to play chase outside. It’s not fair for us humans, though. The outdoor enclosure is built into a hillside, so while Missy just runs from one side to the other on flat ground, we humans have to run up a hill, around the back side, and back down again. Meanwhile, we can hear Missy laughing in anticipation of our arrival. When we finally get there, Missy has already taken off again.
As fun as it is for us to play chase with the chimps, we much prefer when they play together.
Missy and Jamie at it again
Another Playful Day
The chimps have been playing all day today. While we were cleaning the playroom, Foxie and Jamie played “ghost under the sheet” and tickled each other:
Later, when the chimps went outside, there was a lot of jumping:
…and wrestling:
…and some foot-biting:
Finally, Foxie hung upside down from the roof with a troll head in her mouth:
Burrito and Negra
Burrito and Negra have an interesting relationship. She seems genuinely afraid of him at times and will hide in the front rooms when he is displaying. And if there is excitement in the group, she will give him a huge submissive greeting (she will grunt loudly and present her rear end to him) as if to say “don’t take it out on me, please!”
But they also spend a lot of time grooming together, and once and a while Burrito can get Negra to laugh. Of course, he has to play Negra-style (calmly and slowly, laying down if possible), which is a stretch for Burrito. Take a look (FYI – the hissing sound you hear is me moving the pneumatic doors to let the chimps in for lunch):
