This morning we put a bunch of barrels together and made a blanket fort, with all the toys inside of the fort. Not surprisingly, Jamie was interested in checking things out.
primate rescue
Alone Time
Jody’s been known to head straight up to the top of Young’s Hill as soon as we open the door, and sometimes disappear in the grass for quite some time. Chimpanzees are very social by nature, and the Cle Elum Seven seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company for the most part, but it must be nice to finally have space to get away and enjoy some private time.
Burrito’s birthday is coming…
Burrito is an all-around great guy. If he had it his way, he would always have large handfuls of food.
Burrito turns 29 tomorrow. If you adore this guy as much as we do, it’s not too late to sponsor his day, become his Pal, or just donate whatever you can to keep his hands full on his special day.
Me and my shadow(s)
Jody is often the first to go out onto the hill when we open it up these days. She may not go out right away, but once she builds up the initiative, she goes! And often Foxie is right there with her. Yesterday, Jody waited a long time before going out but then she all the sudden came charging into the greenhouse from the playroom and walked right out there, with Annie and Foxie right behind her.
But, later Foxie took “following Jody” to a whole new level:
And when Jody decided it was time to go back inside…
Foxie was still right behind her…
and Annie came running after
Jamie helps clean up
As we’ve mentioned before, Jamie is particularly human-oriented. (Read this post from the first week Jamie was in sanctuary). She definitely watches us do things and will do them in her own style later. Jamie also likes to check up on any kind of work that’s been done and once she’s given access to a room that was previously closed off for maintenance, she will rush in to give her quality control tests.
In the first part of this video, you’ll see her cleaning up a recent paint job in one of the front rooms. We are replacing the benches, so you’ll see some primer on the wall in the spot where the bench used to be. In the second part of the video, Jamie is scrubbing a notably hard-to-reach spot. Clearly I did not do a good enough cleaning job! But I’m so glad to have Jamie’s help.
Burrito’s sweet face
Want to do something super sweet for both Burrito AND a close friend or family member? Check out our holiday gift store to see all sorts of unique ways to support the chimps as a gift for someone special.
Besties on the hill
I have been completely amazed at how much time the chimps have been spending on the hill these days! The other day it was cold, cold, cold. But Annie, Missy, Jody, Foxie, and Jamie (or the “Young’s Hill superstar five”) spent almost 2 hours out there! Missy and Annie ran around playing chase and wrestling with one another the whole time. Jody, Jamie, and Foxie jumped in the games at various times, but Annie and Missy didn’t stop… maybe because they are best friends, or maybe it was just a great way to stay warm! Either way, they seemed to be having a blast!
The games rapidly alternated between Annie chasing Missy, and Missy chasing Annie
As the chaser, Missy’s technique to slow Annie down was to grab at her feet
Missy chased and wrestled with Annie on this climbing structure for a long time. They went ’round and ’round and ’round until Annie was able to escape onto the nearby rope bridge
