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.
Play
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):
Tug-of-war…upside down!
Keeping Foxie Amused
As you know, Foxie is completely obsessed with trolls. Nearly every time we walk by, she passes one out to us to initiate a game. But there’s only so much you can do with a troll, right? Sooner or later, the passing-the-troll-back-and-forth game starts to get boring. Luckily, Diana is able to think outside the box. Tucking the trolls into our socks and running back and forth made Foxie so happy she had to do back flips.
