One of the many reasons why I love caring for chimpanzees is that they continually surprise me. This morning, Sarah and I opened the front rooms for cleaning, and we discovered that someone had modified one of their drinking fountains overnight, using a straw from their breakfast smoothie. It works much better now than it did before. J.B.
Archive for June, 2008
Tips from the chimps – How to build a better drinking fountain
Monday, June 30th, 2008Jody, Missy, Burrito and the Great Ape Protection Act
Monday, June 30th, 2008This is what I think about when I look at the below photos of our new friends…
the seven individuals who have a new home in Cle Elum are truly some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. They rely on me and their other caregivers to provide everything for them, and the truth is that we can never do enough to make up for what they’ve been through in their lives, but we will do our best to try. These seven people truly need all of us in order to provide them with a good life. That is why I am so eager to share their lives through this blog. I hope that you will continue to learn about them, laugh at their antics (especially when it involves me getting spit on), marvel at their intelligence, and contemplate their resilient nature.
When I look at these photos I also think about the chimpanzees who are still in laboratories. There are ways that you can help them too – one simple thing that you can do today is to contact your legislator and encourage their support of the Great Ape Protection Act. You can find more information here: http://ga1.org/campaign/gapa
Jody, Missy and Burrito (below) have been in sanctuary for 17 days. I would like be able to say that soon about all of the 1200 chimpanzees still in laboratories.
Photos of Annie
Sunday, June 29th, 2008Like Foxie, Annie has also been coming out of her shell lately. Annie is naturally a bit shy with humans, but over the last couple of days she has been interacting more with her caregivers and using more of the enrichment items that we put out each day. She has also started to give us a great chimp greeting each morning when we arrive for work. J.B.
J.B. interviewed by Martha Norwalk this morning
Sunday, June 29th, 2008J.B. (Director of Operations) was interviewed this morning on Martha Norwalk’s Animal World. You can listen to the interview here: Hour 3 - it’s a few minutes in to Hour 3. Hopefully lots of people listened to her show and the Cle Elum Seven will have many more friends now!
Amazon Wishlist
Sunday, June 29th, 2008The Target wishlist has gone so well!! Thank you all for contributing to the housewarming for the chimpanzees. We decided to set one up for Amazon because they have just about everything under the sun and there’s still quite a few things we need. We’ll be spreading this one to more folks – tell your friends too. Click on the below to get to our wishlist:
Opposable toes – why chimpanzees are superior
Saturday, June 28th, 2008
Raisin boards, different strategies
Saturday, June 28th, 2008Jamie uses the end of a spoon to get raisins out of a raisin board, while Missy has a different strategy….
Tether ball – a new activity for Missy
Friday, June 27th, 2008Supporter Kathy Benson and friends have been doing some garage sale shopping for the chimpanzees. Check out Missy playing tether ball with a boat bumber!
Stuffed animal video
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008Here’s a video of Jamie, Foxie, and Jody checking out a stuffed animal chimpanzee – and letting the toy know who’s in charge! -Sarah
Foxie and Diana playing chase
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008Already, we are seeing big differences in the chimpanzees’ personalities. Until now, Foxie had been fairly quiet and reserved. But today, she surprised us by playing a full-fledged game of chase. It is possible that this is the farthest she’s been able to run in her entire life. J.B.
