As JB mentioned in the video of his recent blog post, “Lending a hand,” the days at the sanctuary revolve around a routine that relies on chimpanzee participation. For example, the chimpanzees are asked to shift into different areas throughout the day so that we can have access other areas to clean while they are not present. The majority of enclosure cleaning happens in the morning (provided everyone is in the mood, of course). On warm, sunny, summer days this often means that the chimpanzees spend an hour or so exploring Young’s Hill. During the winter, however, this is sometimes not the most appealing way to spend time! This morning, with windy gusts up to 40 miles an hour, the chimpanzees opted to spend their morning in the greenhouse while we cleaned in the playroom.

Missy:

Annie in the foreground, Missy in the background:

Missy catches me taking pictures from the loft in the playroom:

Annie rests after a quick wrestling game with Missy:

Burrito catches the paparazzi:

Burrito and Jamie inspect the boxes:

And, finally, Jamie comes over to see what I’m up to: