The train
August 12, 2014 by Debbie -
There is a train that goes along the river that is in the valley below the sanctuary. Negra often likes to watch the train go by at her window spot from the playroom—the train can be seen on the south side of the building and Young’s Hill. Jody however, was on the north end of the hill this morning when the train started to go by. We don’t always hear the horn blowing (because there aren’t any large train crossings near us) but you can sometimes hear a slight screech of the wheels against the tracks.
When Jody heard that this morning, she got a little spooked, and approached Jamie for some reassurance by reaching out and hugging her back. Jamie grunted (sorry, the photos don’t show that!) to sort of affirm, “yes, I heard that, too, and it’s okay.”
Still somewhat spooked, Jody retreated toward the safety of the greenhouse.
But before she could reach the building, she saw the train passing by, and I think she was comforted in seeing that the strange noise was really coming from something quite normal in their lives.
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What is that white thing she is carrying?
Kat – that’s a paper bag that contains primate chow. The chimps are served the chow in bags now because they are small pieces. Every once in a while someone decides to bring their chow onto the hill for a picnic 🙂
was he train Amtrak or another train?
Hi Hillary, it’s a freight train and I believe most of the time it’s the Burlington Northern Santa Fe train.
Q/ Ive noted Jody is rather pink and swollen , does it mean she is still fertile, and or that she is in menses, and do they also have menstrual cycles that emit blood,??
Yes, chimps do go through their menstrual cycle, including bleeding, every month. They are most swollen at the point of ovulation and are more “flat” during menstruation. Since she is cycling, Jody could potentially still carry offspring, but Burrito has never shown signs of mating with her, and he’s had a vasectomy just in case that ever happens. We don’t want any “oopsie” babies born into captivity.