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Christmas in July

July 5, 2015 by Keri -

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The day after a big party can sometimes be pretty mellow as the chimpanzees “recover” from all the excitement that comes with celebrating a birthday or holiday. But, thanks to Jeani Goodrich (who sponsored today in honor of her family) and her friend Tora, today was filled with more excitement as the chimps celebrated “Christmas in July.”

Celebrating Christmas in July is similar to celebrating Christmas in December. Stockings were hung, presents were wrapped and a lot of red and green streamers, decorations and blankets were spread throughout the enclosures. We also made sure to include foods that kept with the red and green holiday colors. Green onions, tomatoes, red peppers, brussel sprouts, kale and radishes were spread out in the Greenhouse and Young’s Hill for the chimps to forage at lunch.

The party setup in the Greenhouse just before the chimps entered.
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Annie went straight for the presents before taking her cup of ice out to Young’s Hill to forage for more food.
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Burrito doing what he does best…eating.
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Foxie enjoyed her cup of ice (a good substitute for egg nog when it’s 90 degrees outside).
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Jamie took her cup of ice to the windowsill.
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Jody, wearing her festive sock, searched through the various Christmas enrichment items.
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Missy searched through most of the Christmas stockings.
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Negra dined on peppers, tomatoes and green onions before grabbing her cup of ice.
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6 Comments

  1. Avatar Jackie on July 5, 2015 at 7:13 pm

    What fun! Thank you Jeani Goodrich!



  2. Avatar Kathleen on July 5, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    What a fun idea! We should all celebrate Christmas in July! I love the way Negra created a perfect dining table for her meal and Jody’s festive holiday sock is very funny. Wow, what a weekend the chimps have had!



  3. Debbie Welchert on July 7, 2015 at 8:49 am

    What great pictures. They all made me smile….



  4. Avatar Wanda Trotta on July 9, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    The colors are always so beautifully bright at the parties. Do Chimps see colors as we do?



    • Avatar Keri on July 13, 2015 at 3:09 pm

      Great question Wanda! I too love all the vibrant colors that go along with parties! As far as color vision in chimps is concerned, they see similarly to the way humans do. Humans, apes and many of the Old World monkeys have color receptors that allow them to distinguish between blues, greens, and reds.



  5. Avatar Keri on July 13, 2015 at 3:09 pm

    Great question Wanda! I too love all the vibrant colors that go along with parties! As far as color vision in chimps is concerned, they see similarly to the way humans do. Humans, apes and many of the Old World monkeys have color receptors that allow them to distinguish between blues, greens, and reds.



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