A thunderstormy Sunday
June 30, 2019 by Katelyn -
What a glorious day of weather! This morning was bright, sunny and humid as the chimpanzees made their way through the jungle of tall grass that is Young’s Hill right now. We noticed that they came in a little sooner than usual and right on their heels the sky started to brew billowing thunderheads and turn a deep violet. And then the thunder and lighting began.
I remember in the early days of Young’s Hill when a storm would come through and one boom of thunder would send the chimps hooting and running for the safety of the greenhouse. As time has passed, they became much more at ease with storms and even occasionally took cover atop the structures of Young’s Hill to watch the storm approach. If we have a rare extended one like today, it’s not uncommon to see them paying more attention of course, but I think they respond in much the same way we do. A little nervous, a little in awe, marveling at Mother Nature.
Jody sat at the entrance to the greenhouse for some time watching the storm roll in, but once the thunder began she quickly made her way back inside:
Annie:
Jody and Annie:
Everyone seemed to pick a spot they felt cozy in from which to wait out the storm. Foxie took her doll to a safe corner of the greenhouse:
Lightening flashed, thunder boomed, rain poured and the chimp house shook (eliciting a brief alarm call and some hoots). And we had the great joy of standing under the eaves of the chimp house watching the wondrous parenting skills of our neighbor swallow family as the parents braved the storm to keep all their fledglings well fed:
The sun’s back out, the chimpanzees are lounging in the greenhouse as they wait while Anthony prepares their dinner, the cattle decided it was safe to leave their barn and made their way to their new summer pasture and still, the fledglings are calling for their parents, awaiting the next round of scrumptious bugs. And all the while another round of thunderheads is brewing and heading this way. It’s a beautiful day.
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I love that they feel so secure and at home, and aren’t as scared as they used to be.
and they have each other. 🙂
Sounds like a wonderful day and a perfect place to live.
What a wonder for them just to be able to experience a storm after so many years of confinement… and to be able to “relax” into it is just one more of a myriad of remarkable events in the seven’s lives… and the cows, and the swallows… and the humans.. Thank you.. as always
Beautiful, beautiful. Katelyn, you have a magnificent way of intimately bringing your passion for the natural world to life. Dear Jody looks mesmerized by the storm, oh that precious face and those eyelashes. Funny but I never thought about what the chimps would think about thunder and lightening. Your photos of the swallows should be sent into Audubon’s photo competition! I enjoyed this thoroughly, thank you.
I think you’re right about the Audobon competition, Kathleen,
And I think, now that they know they’re safe, Annie’s hoping the rain will wash all of the snakes down the mountain and into the town below!
Yesterday I was stuck at a business in the town next door (15 minute drive, at 25mph, the max in almost all of the city), when the storm rolled in, and the winds picked up until the rain was coming sideways….I was worried that the gusts might have blown some rain into my opened windows……..got home (town next door, remember), and the sidewalks and roads were dry, as though there’d been no rain in this town at all. So weird…
Wonderful post. I can just imagine how agitated they all were when they first were exposed to the sound of thunder, the sight of rain and lightening. It’s so great to see their relaxed awe now. How sweet that Foxie brought her doll to safety too. Loved the pictures of the birds.
Lol, Lemon Chiffon lives to see another day, but they dug one out of a snowbank this year (purple hair?)
I usually like thunderstorm, but prefer like Jody, Annie and Foxie to enjoy their tempests while situated under a roof. I am so fortunate that they get to experience nature, even if the pathways around Young’s Hill are going to be a tad soggy for the chimpanzee’s footwear.
This is such a wonderful sanctuary. Are these the chimps from Central Washington College?
Hi Pat, thank you. 🙂 No, these chimpanzees were rescued from the biomedical research industry. Washoe and her family were the chimpanzees at CWU and the two remaining family members, Tatu and Loulis now reside at Fauna Foundation, a sanctuary in Quebec.