Missy had her eye on a nice snowball, but she didn’t want to set foot in the snow to get it:
Foxie ventured out farther, with her troll in tow:
Sanctuary
More snow photos…and Jamie signing?
To answer some of your questions from the previous post, both Jamie and Annie ventured all the way out yesterday. Jamie explored the entire outdoor area without stepping foot on the snow. She eventually settled in an alcove where she could sit on a dry ledge and watch the snow fall. Annie took very delicate steps across the snow to fetch some dried fruit.
Some of you may remember that Jamie signs to us occasionally. Sometimes she is clearly gesturing – in a way that other chimps don’t – but we can’t figure out what she’s trying to say. Its possible that she was taught different signs than the signs of American Sign Language that we are familiar with, or it could be that she just gets too excited to sign in a way that we can understand.
When we first opened the door to the snowy outdoor enclosure, Jamie was signing up a storm. I thought she might be asking for clothes, but when I offered her a sweatshirt, a hat, some mittens, and a scarf, she just looked frustrated. She eventually donned the winter hat and gave up on me…
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.
Jody
Jody has a few new fans who have pointed out that she is not as represented in our blog posts as some of the other chimpanzees. I think there are a few reasons for that. She is not interested in as much attention from humans as Jamie or Foxie (for example). Jody gives us very enthusiastic greetings and then goes on her way to do her own thing. Sometimes she doesn’t like to have her photo taken (when she’s unhappy with something, she spits huge mouthfuls of water at us in a very deliberate way :). And often she’s relaxing in a part of the building that’s not easy to photograph. In any case, below are a few photos of Jody that we have not shared before.
We shared a couple of photos of Jody photos in a recent e-newsletter to show how dramatically the chimpanzees have changed in their physical appearance. Below is another photo of Jody taken the first day the chimpanzees were at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. The below photo really gets to me. She was so happy to have these blankets to nest with, and she made the smallest circle around her. She looks so fragile. I don’t think she realized how much bigger her life had become. Thank you to all of Jody’s Pals!
Foxie adopts a small British boy
For two days, Foxie abandoned her trolls for a new doll! We’ve been calling the doll (more of an action figure, really) the small British Boy. He is solid hard plastic, has a top hat, knickers and cloth vest. He’s actually a ring-bearer – he’s holding a pillow with a ring on it in his hand.
His legs and arms move, and the best part – he has eyelids that open and close. Foxie spent a lot of time “grooming” his eyes. She was smitten. She held on to him for at least two days straight. It was adorable. I haven’t worked at the chimp house in a few days, so I don’t know the fate of the British Boy. We’ll let you know. It was difficult to get photos because Foxie is always on the move, but here are a few.
Foxie climbing while holding the British Boy and a green monkey!
Foxie’s Left Hook
Ever wonder why we don’t go in with the chimps? There are many reasons, but here’s one you might not have thought about: Chimps play rough. Even when they aren’t being aggressive, chimpanzees have the ability to inflict serious damage on us humans. We just aren’t built for their style of play (I get a headache just watching them).
Make sure you have your volume turned up when you view this clip so you can hear all of the slaps and punches (and laughter!)…
Hockey
Foxie is an excellent goalie, but Diana manages to get one by her.
