Jody’s rough day
April 6, 2016 by Katelyn -
Jody is the master, or shall we say mistress, of leading a blissful life. She spends the better part of any given day doing exactly what pleases her most in each moment. And today those moments were composed of foraging and lounging in the hot greenhouse. On repeat. Just as it should be.
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As it should be for her and all chimps.
What a pose in the greenhouse..so wonderfully relaxed!
Beautiful Jody, setting a good example for us humans on relaxing.
Love those feet! Warms my heart to see her dong exactly what she wants to do and she’s safe …Thank you!
Love that sweet face!
Besides Bamboo are there any other edibles specifically planted on Young’s Hill? Do you have to be concerned / or on the lookout for weeds that are toxic to chimps? Or do they naturally avoid them? Is Jody’s hair loss a matter of age or a medical condition? I know so many questions,,, I only have another thousand or so :-), everything about the sanctuary fascinates me. Thanks so much for your time!
Great questions, Holly. I have a million too just like you.
Hi Holly! Bamboo is currently the only thing we plant on Young’s Hill, but native plants such as wild lettuce, dandelion and mustard greens come up every spring and the chimps LOVE them! In fact, they have been looking for them every day now, but it’s still a little early. And yes, we do make sure anything they have access to is safe for them to consume. Here is a great blog about the chimps foraging wild plants: https://staging.chimpsnw.org/2015/05/all-you-can-eat/
And in regard to Jody’s hair loss, like us, chimpanzees can have some hair loss as they age. But the majority of what you see on Jody and some of the other chimps is the result of overgrooming. Unfortunately, this is a common behavior observed in captive chimps which often develops as a result of boredom or stress. Chimps have extremely active and intelligent minds and the reality is that even the best sanctuaries or zoos are going to pale in comparison to the dynamic lives they were meant to live in the wild. And as this behavior becomes habit, even when the conditions under which it may have begun are alleviated, it can still continue periodically without being a reflection of the chimps’ current state of well-being. Here is a great older blog that speaks to this: https://staging.chimpsnw.org/2011/07/overgrooming/
Thank you for your interest and questions! We love answering questions about the chimps so always feel free to ask!
What a wonderful! sweet! photo of Jody s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d out in the greenhouse. Nothing like a lie down after a hard day’s work. I know the feeling.
One question from me too ! On a sunny, warm day is access to Young’s Hill open all day long ?
LOVE the toes !!! Great photo.
Hi Vicki,
Yes, the chimpanzees have access to Young’s Hill all day, year-round, as long as the voltage on the fence stays within our established levels for safety. If there is a lot of rain or snow it sometimes lowers the voltage temporarily. We also monitor their access for things like particularly adverse weather conditions or wildfires in the area/air quality issues, but these instances are infrequent. We close the hill at night after the chimps choose to come in which is usually around dinner time (unless Jamie chooses to stay out walking). 🙂