The staff have a lot do to each morning before they are ready to serve the chimps their breakfast. What’s a chimp to do in the meantime?
tickle
Tickling
Of all the things we share with chimps – the ability to use tools, the capacity for language, the intelligence required to plan ahead and solve complex problems, and so on – none seems quite as relevant to the question of whether they deserve our compassion as how they react when they are tickled.
Rainy day play
The wind and the rain have kept the chimps inside for most of the day, so Jody and Foxie played quietly near the door to Young’s Hill, waiting for an opportunity to go out.
This is another example of how the chimps change their style of play to suit their playmate. Earlier in the day, Foxie was running, leaping, spinning, and swinging with joy when she got her favorite Dora doll back. But Foxie knows that Jody lives life at a slower pace than she does, so she toned it down a bit.
Playful Foxie
Foxie was being especially playful this morning.
Troll stealing
Jamie started a great game of “steal the troll” with Foxie this morning. There were multiple trolls involved and they changed hands several times. Foxie used every trick in her book – strategic tickling, biting, wrestling, surprise tackling, spinning, and somersaulting – and eventually got her trolls back.
Lazy Thursday
Even with temperatures above 80 degrees, Negra insists on napping under a blanket. Behind her, Foxie and Jody muster just enough energy to play tickle laying down.
