Continuing on with our Comfort & Joy online auction thanking, today I would like to thank Melody W. for her winning bid for keys for the chimpanzees.

We are so glad that Enrichment Coordinator Ellen found these keys. We have mentioned before that it is a challenge to find enrichment that is safe and suitable for the chimpanzee group from Wildlife Waystation because certain members of the group (cough, cough, Gordo, cough Dora) will chew on (and, we fear, swallow) plastic, rubber, stuffing from stuffed animals, and some fabrics. That limits the variety of items that we can give them, perhaps more than you would think.

We have an ongoing quest to find material that withstand their impressive canines, and these keys so far have passed the test.

Of course, the main element that you want in enrichment is popularity. It’s not enriching if no one pays any attention to it. This is really where individualized care shines. We know that Foxie is happier when she has her dolls, Cy has his magazines, and Jamie has her boots and books.

Everyone is different and has their favorite things, but certain items have more universal appeal.

We’ve seen these keys in the hands of almost everyone in Cy’s group, and several members of Jamie’s group too!

Thank you again, Melody, for providing such a well-loved item for the chimpanzees.