The Queen on High Alert
July 9, 2016 by Diana -
Today, Negra was the first on the hill for the forage. At one point, she heard or saw something that she wanted to investigate further, so she stood up bipedally. This is not a posture we see Negra adopting very often, so I was very pleased to have gotten photographs:
She looks pretty innocent and sweet, doesn’t she?
Well, let’s not forget that she is a chimpanzee. Last week, before the drama of the fire, this sweet and innocent queen of the sanctuary caught and ate a hummingbird.
I really like hummingbirds, and I don’t wish a violent end to any life, but, at the same time, I did experience a feeling somewhat related to pride… it’s not an easy task to catch a hummingbird, and it’s a pretty “chimpanzee thing” to do for a not-very-active, old grandma of a chimp who has lived in captivity almost her entire life.
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Diana — How did she catch a hummingbird?!
I don’t honestly know. We knew the hummingbird was in there, and volunteers tried to catch it without luck. The next thing we know, Negra is biting the head off of the little bird. She was pretty calm about it. At least she made it quick.
Good catch, Negra! The photos of you standing bipedally are really cool. We love you all! ??
To cool. Shes able to be a chimp. God love them. Negra on high alert is very immpresive
My cat Bijou is proud of you Negra.
I can’t believe she got a hummingbird. ..that’s crazy!!! I love hummingbirds too, but I have to admit, it would have been incredible to see her do it. I wonder what hummingbirds taste like…maybe a sweet, little treat….like a Smartie. Sorry, I had to say it.
Wow that’s impressive and yes they are chimpanzees wild and beautiful
Just loving this post and pictures. Warms my heart to imagine Negra enjoying herself.
Negra and I feel the same in the morning, it takes a while to get upright!
One thing I love about these post is that once in a while, one of the chimps will do something surprising. Negra catching a humming bird and eating it (especially since chimps are mostly vegetarian) is a surprise
This just might go down as my very favorite post of ALL time. I believe in the top 3 photos Negra is searching for a little Hummy to pass by — Fee Fi Fo Fum, Negra smells the sweetness of a Hummy-Hum! I love hummingbirds but like everyone else, I would have enjoyed seeing her capture that poor little winged wonder. You can take the girl out of the wild but you can’t take the wild out of the girl. What a year Negra is having.
Kathleen really hit the nail on the head…what a year Negra is having! ????
Quite the feat! But then I’ve always wondered why birds are silly enough to get themselves caught. They are the ones that can fly, after all. It requires a very very stealthy hunter, which we now known Negra is. Watch out birdies, there’s a new girl in town.