Early morning in the chimp house is one of my favorite times of the day. Generally speaking, the chimpanzees almost always wake up in a good mood, happy to see the humans, and engaging in a lot of crazy, happy play with one another, even when they are still half asleep. I always find this to be a beautiful example of what life in sanctuary can provide the chimpanzees. The peace and contentment to roll out of their nests each day in joy. This is usually followed by some pretty loud and boisterous displays at which point the humans retreat into the kitchen to begin breakfast preparation (and avoid incurring the potential wrath of the boss, Jamie). But those moments beforehand can offer some fun and special moments with each of the chimps.

Despite not yet being fully awake, Foxie was in a particularly goofy mood this morning and chose to be late for breakfast in order to allow me to take some photos of her.

Just awake enough to have a saucy glint in her eye:

But whatever she is planning is interrupted by a long yawn:

Yawning over, Foxie swings over to say good morning, try to lick the camera, and offer a kiss and a toe tickle: