Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
The time of the year has come where Negra climbs out of her cozy bed…
And heads for the hills!
The hills full of freshly sprouted wild prickly lettuce that is..
Today, many of the chimps joined Negra in her hunt for wild plants. Jody found an assortment of weeds.
And harvested a piece of a newly planted Christmas tree.
But it was Negra who spent the most time this morning, eating handful after handful of her beloved wild lettuce.
Cheers to a blissfully lovely spring!
Jamie had a lot to do today. J.B was doing some work around the Chimp House so of course Jamie needed to monitor his work, but Jamie also had to get her perimeter walks in, as well as practice her tight rope walking.
Jamie started the day with making sure J.B. was doing his job (he was, as always):
Than Jamie and I surveyed the Hill (it was clear):
Once the Hill was secure, Jamie hit the logs to warm up her balance:
After Jamie was warmed up she decided to get straight to business:
Wow! She really nailed round 1, but this was practice so she had to go again:
Her technique was impeccable, so she tried again:
Wow, Jamie was flawless by round 3! Practice really does make perfect! But, with her busy schedule Jamie decided she needed to get back to work. This morning was nice and warm, so it wasn’t just Jamie out and about. Everyone made an appearance on the Hill at one point in the day, even Neggie came out to forage for some grass, or at least before the rain came.
Missy exploring on the Hill:
Annie lounging around:
Foxie was hanging out on the Hill too:
Foxie and Jody spent some time outside together:
But, Burrito was never too far behind Jody:
Negra made a nice nest and took advantage of the peace and quiet while everyone explored the Hill:
Watching the chimps tightrope walk seriously never gets old!
Jamie the Fearless:
Today was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and the barn doors were open! Words could not describe the day we had, but pictures can!
This photo was actually from last week but Jamie just looks so good I coudn’t resist:
Jamie and I sauntered around Young’s Hill mid morning and afternoon:
Annie made bird noises and relaxed all day in the Greenhouse:
Missy looking fierce:
Foxie enjoyed some carrots and chow:
Jamie had lunch with her boot and was skeptical about the broccoli… (However, she did like it):
Burrito:
Negra and Jody spent their day napping in the greenhouse and a little in the Playroom. While napping in the Playroom, I did preform a jig for Neggie while she laid in the sun. Too bad there is no video to show how much she enjoyed the show…
Jody napping:
Whenever we add a new feature to the chimpanzees’ home, we have to make sure it’s chimp-safe and chimp-proof. Jamie and Foxie can both be relied upon to give any new structures a thorough once-over; Jamie because she wants to try to take them apart, Foxie because she wants to make sure they’re safe.
The chimps had their first experience with fresh jackfruit this week and have really been enjoying it! For those not so familiar with this fruit, it is quite large and odd looking. We’ve been cutting the (same!) giant fruit into pieces for the chimps to enjoy for several days now. Negra took her breakfast jackfruit to go this morning. Instead of taking it back to her nest, she opted to bring it with her out onto Young’s Hill where she could eat it with a side of fresh green grass.
A fistful of jackfruit:
Some spring grass:
In other news, Jamie has delegated herself in charge of quality control for the new structure. I caught her doing some in depth investigation to see if she could possibly break any part of it. She was also smelling all the fire hose suspiciously (this is a very Jamie-like thing to do). Good news! The structure is solidly built and can withstand the strength of a forceful and skeptical chimpanzee.
Jamie testing the cargo net:
The chimps still love their newest structure! Today it was the first thing they investigated during their early morning excursion and Jamie has been taking breaks on her perimeter walks to climb and sit on it. Here’s a video from Sunday of their very first outing on the structure after they patiently waited for our amazing volunteers to finish up construction.
