Here’s one example of what we mean when we say that Foxie sometimes “mothers” her troll dolls.
troll
Celebrate Foxie and her string o’ trolls!
Foxie’s birthday is coming up soon! On August 8th Foxie will be turning 33, and we are going to celebrate Foxie-style. We are planning to put out more trolls than she has ever had at once. So, dig out those trolls you collected in the eighties and send Foxie a couple to PO Box 952, Cle Elum, WA 98922.
For inspiration, here’s a video of Foxie with her string o’ trolls:
String o’ trolls
Question of the day: what would Foxie do with a bunch of trolls strung together?
Caregiving
One of the more fantastic things that has happened in the last year is that the chimpanzees have new caregivers – staff and volunteer. Jackie is our newest staff person, and she is just finishing up chimpanzee care training. It is so fun to see the chimps react and interact with new friends. Today I spied on Jamie and Foxie playing with Jackie through the barn doors. Jamie had a stretchy hose-like thing that she was using to play tug-of-war. Being Jamie, she naturally wore a bikini top draped around her neck (complete with trolls tied to the strings).
In addition to playing with the chimps, which is a very important job, Jackie’s been hard at work caring for the chimps’ garden beds. Check them out!
Nesting and Resting Outside
I decided to add some text within the video below. Foxie is really coming along with her nesting! And, seriously, who can resist Negra? Don’t forget about her birthday, which we’re celebrating on June 13th, and our $7,000 fundraising goal for June. We’re almost half-way there – $4,000 more to go!
How to put Foxie to sleep
Missy and Foxie spent a long time grooming together this afternoon in the sunshine. As the last photo indicates, Foxie enjoyed her session so much she fell asleep!
Quiet time with trolls, more nesting
For Foxie, passing a troll to a caregiver is usually an invitation to play. But sometimes it can be an invitation to sit down and have some “quiet time”. Foxie will gently rub the troll on her belly, or place it in her pelvic pocket, and then pass it back to us. After a minute or so, she’ll extend her hand and ask for the troll back again. This back-and-forth can go on for quite some time, during which Foxie seems content as can be. This morning’s exchange involved two trolls:
As soon as I left, Foxie started to make a nest. Not a real nest, mind you, but a Foxie-style nest: a couple of trolls and a piece of fire hose. Better than nothing!
