Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and we’ll be launching a new holiday store with fun Valentine’s Day presents for the chimps soon! To get you in the mood, here are a few sweet photos of chimp-lovin from over the years.
Archive for the ‘Missy’ Category
Chimp Love
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012Vertical Play
Saturday, January 14th, 2012I found some gems when going through videos today. The rungs in this room (what we call around here Front Room One) normally lead to a bench. The bench was taken out and will be replaced soon, but that doesn’t mean the rungs aren’t still used by acrobatic Foxie.
Someone to play with
Friday, January 13th, 2012In a previous post, I mentioned how it seemed like Missy was anxious for the other chimps to become comfortable on the hill so that she’d have someone to play with. Thankfully, Missy’s best friend Annie has decided that she’s ready to take advantage of her new two-acre playground.
Regular Morning Routine
Sunday, January 8th, 2012As we mentioned on the Facebook page yesterday, sometimes the daily routine fluctuates, and as caregivers we have to be pretty flexible depending on the choices the chimps make. Typically though, we do have a regular schedule. First we invite the chimpanzees in for breakfast—and as long as everybody comes in, one person (the Care staff or Level III volunteer) will serve breakfast while the other person (the Lead Caregiver) will start cleaning the playroom. We never enter an enclosure at the same time as the chimpanzees, so we have to ensure that all the chimps are out of the room we want to clean, and that every chimp door is secure. We do this for cleaning the playroom, front rooms, and the greenhouse. (To see what cleaning is like, watch this video from a couple years ago). Today things followed the regular routine, which you’ll see in the video below.
Thank YOU for an amazing year
Saturday, December 31st, 2011Find out what the chimpanzees are wishing for in 2012:
Holiday Celebrations
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011The celebrations continue at the sanctuary!
A lot of people have helped make all of the fun happen – including those who gave through our Holiday Gift Store.
Debbie put together a holiday recap of the festivities so far. Watch below. The chimpanzees thank you!
The Silent Sacredness of Young’s Hill
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011It’s still amazing for the humans to see the chimpanzees on the two-acre hill, so we’re often silent too as we watch…
Cleaning up
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011The chimps spent a little bit of time on the hill today, but it was really cold, so they were all warming up either in the greenhouse or inside. I was sitting in the greenhouse watching a nice peaceful grooming session between Annie and Missy…
…when all the sudden, I heard water spilling- a lot of water spilling. I looked over to find Jamie sitting at the water spigot in one of the front rooms, only she wasn’t getting a drink. Her feet were muddy from being on the hill, so she was pouring the water on her feet and wiping them off on the wall
I wasn’t able to get a very good photo, partly because of the angle, and partly because as soon as Jamie noticed I was taking pictures of her, she went back to just “getting a drink”
Cold toes!
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011It’s been an unusually mild winter so far. It’s been pretty cold, but we just haven’t had much snow. It’s been great in a way, because the chimps have been able to spend more time out on the hill (we can’t give them the hill if the snow gets too deep because it will drain the fence voltage). But we did get a little bit of snow last night, and since the chimps love to eat snow so much, I was eager to give them Young’s Hill as soon as possible today before it all melted.
Before we let the chimps out on the hill each day, the lead caregiver does a perimeter check by walking or driving the Gator all the way around to check for any issues with the electric fence. The chimps are very aware of this routine and usually get a little excited when we turn on the walkie-talkies and head out for our hike around the hill. Each morning, as I pass the east side of the building, I look into the picture windows to see what’s happening in the playroom. Usually I’ll see Negra curled up in her spot with a blanket over her head and maybe Missy and Foxie grooming and such, but today, I saw bouncy feet and an enthusiastic head nod. Annie (bouncy feet) and Missy (head nodding) were so excited to get out there! I looked at Missy and pointed towards the hill (assuming she wouldn’t be able to hear me if I spoke) and she started running towards the door to Young’s Hill.
But when I opened the door, no one went out. There was a long, long pause before finally, Missy, Annie, Foxie, Jody, and then Jamie went out. The sun was out but the wind had picked up and it was COLD! Even still, once they got themselves out there, they hung out there for 45 minutes or so. I was all bundled up in a sweatshirt, jacket, gloves, warm boots, and still freezing, so I can’t even imagine how cold their toes were!
Bipedal Foxie:
Jamie headed up the climbing structure (with Annie behind her)
when she got to the top, she wiped off her feet
and sat down for some snow
Most of Missy’s time on the hill today was above ground:
but she did manage to find a pretty nice ice chunk that she brought in to enjoy in the warm greenhouse
Missy in the forest
Sunday, December 18th, 2011Capturing Missy in a still moment was rare today on the hill—she was running everywhere! I apologize that this photo is a bit out of focus, but I really like how the forest serves as a nice backdrop.
