young's hill

20 snapshots of the day

January 20, 2016 by Katelyn

I probably could never quite explain how ecstatic we all were to wake up to sunshine and beautiful clear blue skies this morning. We couldn’t wait to start shoveling the chimps’ walkway on Young’s Hill and fluff it up with fresh, dry straw so that they could enjoy their morning outside.

As we prepped the walkway the chimpanzees were so excited, intermittently watching us and playing and laughing with one another inside.

Once I opened the door to the hill I couldn’t believe my eyes when who but Negra was leading the group outside! You can just see her head peeking out from in front of Missy at the head of the line. Then we have Annie, Foxie and Jamie bringing up the rear with one of her new snow shovels (Burrito was the one person who opted to stay inside and eat snow from the raceway door, but he’s been enjoying a day of Burrito-style antics with his caregivers):

I put a straw path up to one of the swinging tires, always a favorite spot to check for ice treats. Jody headed straight for it and quickly made her way back to the greenhouse with her prize. The trick was getting around boss lady, Jamie, with her treat undetected.

But the boss had work to do so Jody was able to sneak by.

Missy:

Annie enjoying her solitude:

But she was so happy when her best friend, Missy, arrived and greeted her with a kiss and a hug:

Foxie rubs her toes together when she’s happy and content and if you look close you can see she seemed to be pretty pleased to be enjoying the morning outside with her troll:

Jamie was in her element this morning as she proudly surveyed her snow covered kingdom:

Foxie and troll headed back inside after stopping to collect snow on the way:

Annie was the last to head inside, but had to stop briefly to readjust her huge mouthful of snow:

Jamie still had a little work to do:

Negra didn’t stay out long, but she made it quite away out to collect snow and then returned to her favorite sunny spot inside the greenhouse to enjoy it, along with Jody.

It’s been a good day at the sanctuary! The chimpanzees have spent a lot of time outside enjoying some warmer temperatures and even more time at the top of the toasty greenhouse grooming and napping. Blue skies and sunshine have worked wonders and been a welcome respite from our crazy winter for all the primates here today.

Expect the unexpected

January 10, 2016 by Keri

I’ve come to expect certain behaviors from each of the chimpanzees as I’ve gotten to know them throughout the years. For instance, if I see a chimp running, I would expect it to be Missy. She’s the one most likely to be seen running at full speed for no other reason than to run. And at any given moment of the day I would expect to see Negra nestled in a large blanket nest with one draped over her body and head, as that seems to be her favorite thing to do.

So, when I saw movement in the Greenhouse this afternoon, I expected to see Annie or Jamie, perhaps even Missy or Burrito. But no, I was so pleasantly surprised. It was Negra sitting in the raceway (the area that leads from the Greenhouse to their 2 acre outdoor enclosure). The absolute last chimp I would expect to see sitting in the raceway on this overcast, drizzly day would be Negra, but there she was!

I walked over to where she was and she gestured toward the snow at my feet. I picked up a few chunks and served them to her.

Afterwards she headed back into the warmth of the Playroom. Here she is sitting on the bridge eating alfalfa cubes.

I love seeing the unexpected!

Snow removal crews

December 30, 2015 by Katelyn

After days, weeks really, of endless snow and treacherous commutes for staff and volunteers alike, this morning dawned a new day. Achingly gorgeous clear, blue skies, a pink sunrise with bald eagles flying overhead, glittering snow, and much to the caregivers’ delight, clear (and dare I say almost dry!) roads to drive to work on. The quintessential beautiful winter day:

The chimpanzees, especially Jamie, have been real troopers waiting out the snow. So first thing this morning, Diana, Anna and I decided to shovel some walkways and around Young’s Hill and line them with straw for the chimpanzees to venture out. All the chimps had been watching us intently from the playroom windows and when we stepped back into the greenhouse, Jamie was more than ready to get a look at what we had done.

When I gave the chimps access to Young’s Hill, Jamie was ready and waiting and literally squeezed through the doorway as it was opening. She immediately headed onto the hill, grabbing the toy shovel we had left on her way and headed out to help finish clearing the pathways.

And it wasn’t long before she had a back-up snow removal crew member with Annie! Annie! Can you believe it?! (The other chimps were watching from the raceway while sitting in the sun):

Jamie initially started shoveling with the shovel side down and then tried out the handle. The second I reminded her to turn it back around she did and carried on with her snow removal project.

That’s their breath clouding around Annie:

When Jamie was satisfied (and probably a little cold!) she headed back inside, but Annie decided to enjoy the morning sun for a view minutes on her own.

Once she’d had enough of the cold morning she headed back to the warmth of the greenhouse. I don’t know what we humans would do without some help from these amazing chimpanzee people:

The chimpanzees and humans have been so incredibly fortunate this holiday season, our hearts and sanctuary home filled with the kindness and generosity of all of you. I would like to share another very special gift the chimpanzees received! The amazing children of Ms. Horton’s 5th grade class made this Christmas tree and each beautiful, heartfelt ornament on it. We are so touched that they all would take the time and care to make the chimpanzees such an awesome gift for Christmas and send it all the way from Texas! We hung it up right outside the chimpanzees’ front rooms where they can all enjoy looking at it. Thank you so much!!

So much to be grateful for

December 16, 2015 by Katelyn

The past few weeks have been a wild rumpus of weather. Pouring rain, freezing rain, freezing fog, snow and ice. The chimpanzees have been troopers, and even boss lady Jamie has been handling the interruption in walks around Young’s Hill relatively well. But they relish every chance they get to stretch their bodies and minds in between the late autumn storms.

This week we’ve had a couple of beautifully bright, sunny mornings with warmer temperatures (meaning above freezing) and Jamie, Missy, Annie and Foxie, in particular, have been heading outside after breakfast to run, leap, climb and explore. J.B. and I both captured some of the happenings.

Missy (foreground) and Annie (background) both bipedal before they sprinted off through the bamboo in a game of chase.

Annie (L) and Missy (R):

I love Missy’s play face in this one:

Foxie and France Dora pass by on their way to explore:

Missy contemplates her next move:

Foxie and her beloved new France Dora decide to take a climb and see what they can see:

You can just see the river that runs below the sanctuary in the top left corner.

Jamie has made sure we are making the most of every single walkable moment with the weather breaks. The forecast is predicting a snow storm beginning tonight and through tomorrow so maybe she knows there’s no time to waste.

And with the holidays fast approaching, all is abuzz as we begin preparations for the chimps’ holiday celebration. Donations, gifts from our Wishlist for the chimps and humans alike, and holiday cards full of love and good wishes have been pouring in! And trolls! So many trolls for Foxie! We are constantly astounded by your generosity and are so full of gratitude to you all! And we would like to share a special thank you for long-time supporter, Diana Petri, for her amazingly generous gift of the new office computers Diana and I put on the Wishlist! Diana has been patching hers together for months and mine is an old PC that has been making crazy noises when it’s forced to wake up in the morning, so to say we are excited is an understatement.

But most importantly, each one of your gifts, whether for the chimpanzees, or to help the humans care for the chimpanzees, not only provides for their direct quality care, but allows us to focus more funds toward maintaining a secure future and beginning our exciting plans for expansion and growing our chimpanzee family. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to each and every one of you who have given your support, in whatever form that has come. Every single thought, dollar and gift makes an immense difference to the chimpanzees’ lives, both now and in the future.

And to get in the spirit of the season, I will leave you with this moment from today captured by Anna. Foxie, her new France Dora (out of sight, but who was being passed back and forth between us) and I sat down to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” this afternoon. The sweet Vince Guaraldi music is some of my favorite to listen to this time of year (not to mention seeing, and okay, yes, mimicking the Peanuts characters’ dancing scene) and as Foxie loves music and dancing I thought the show might be right up her alley. Sure enough, the second she heard the music she smiled and started head-bobbing along.

Happiest of holiday seasons to all of you!

Missy’s mission

December 13, 2015 by Keri

Often times Missy will join Jamie on her perimeter walks around Young’s Hill (the chimps’ 2 acre outdoor enclosure), although I suspect her mission is a bit different than that of Jamie’s. Jamie is all business as she walks, checking to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary and that her home is safe from intruders (and that at least one cowboy-boot-wearing human is accompanying her on the other side of the fence).

Missy on the other hand uses the opportunity to move every muscle in her body, while getting a cardio workout at the same time. It’s not that she doesn’t support the bosses’ mission (she is actually the first one to offer back up to any of the other chimps), it’s just that with so much to explore, there’s no time to waste. And you have to act fast to get snow and ice chunks before they melt.

Today, Missy walked behind Jamie about half way around Young’s Hill before venturing off.

She paused briefly to eat a few small chunks of ice before continuing.

She made sure to check all her favorite spots for the treats (you can see her arm reaching in the tire swing) while Annie sat on top of the structure.

She found more treats on the ground below the fire hose.

And then….Jackpot!!!

Jody in the spotlight

December 6, 2015 by Keri

In the spotlight today is Jody. She’s not often one for having her photo taken, so when the opportunity arose, I took it. During breakfast this morning, she took her banana and grapefruit from the Greenhouse area of their enclosure to sit on the bench in Front Room 4. We often refer to this room as the “Portrait Studio” because of the natural light that filters in through the window and bathes the chimps in a natural glow.

My experience with Jody is that she is usually one of the first of the chimps to venture out on Young’s Hill (the chimps’ 2-acre outdoor enclosure) when they are given access each day. She also happens to be the chimp most likely to forage for every wild plant she can find on the hill. But since there is little in the form of wild plants growing during this time of the year, she seeks out snow and ice chunks to eat instead.

This morning she was the first outside as soon as I opened the door leading to Young’s Hill. She sat on a log near the raceway door (the area leading from the Greenhouse to the hill) for a few minutes before grabbing a few handfuls of snow. She then turned and went back into the Greenhouse to eat them. After that, she sat in the raceway and looked out.

Later in the day, she ventured further up on Young’s Hill searching for snow and ice to eat. Then she followed Missy on part of her adventure of climbing every structure before returning to the Playroom area to relax in a blanket nest.

Jody left, Missy right)

Jody following Missy

Early morning treats

November 20, 2015 by J.B.

Each year, when the first cold spell hits, the chimps remind us that there is, in fact, a small upside to winter. Early morning frost lingers in the shadows on Young’s Hill, which the chimps rush to lick from every surface before it vanishes.

Tire swings hide thin layers of ice on the inside.

The chimps gather all of the icy treats they can find and head off to their favorite spots to enjoy them. Some return to the greenhouse.

Others carry their spoils to the tops the climbing structures.

These late fall mornings might be cold, but at least they bring snacks.

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20 snapshots of the day

Expect the unexpected

Snow removal crews

So much to be grateful for

Missy’s mission

Jody in the spotlight

Early morning treats

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