Posts by Anna
Neighborhood watch
Jamie called me into action this afternoon. We needed to quickly get to the top of the hill to investigate and hopefully chase away our neighbors who had come by. Don’t they know we are in the middle of a pandemic? Also, she brought along a carrot leftover from lunch. Carrots aren’t at the top…
Read MoreNurse Jody
We sometimes refer to Missy as “Dr Missy” because she is the go to groomer for keeping any wounds open and draining. She is quick to investigate any scab or stitch her friends might have and remove them (stat!). While having a doctor on hand is a valuable asset, we also need a nurse to…
Read MoreAnnie’s 46th birthday party
Today we celebrate Annie and all that makes her special! We often seem to celebrate Annie’s September big day with a forage of sunflowers. After a quick search, I found this information about the sunflower, “to receive or give sunflowers as a token of love is to symbolize adoration, longevity, loyalty, joy, and happiness.” Adoration,…
Read MoreNegra and her night bag
Negra is a no-nonsense, dessert comes first kind of chimpanzee. Dinner is usually served in the order of fruits/veggies first, but Negra has no patience for this standard operating procedure. She impatiently waits through the whole meal, often collecting a pile of produce along the way. When we FINALLY get around to night bags, she…
Read MoreMmmm larvae
Most of us have probably seen the many photos of chimpanzees in the wild using tools to fish for termites. As a general rule, chimpanzees that have grown up in captivity don’t have the same taste for insects that you see in wild chimpanzees. I would bet lots of money if you tried to serve…
Read MoreEvening enrichment with Negra
Did you know we have an Enrichment Database? We love sharing enrichment ideas like these Firehose Cubes with our fellow caregivers around the world. Feel free to spread the word about our database and know that we are always looking for any new chimp enrichment inspiration from other organizations!
Read MoreFind your pineapple wadge
Taking these photos of Annie reminded me that her birthday is quickly approaching on September 10th. It also sent me reeling on a slightly mournful tangent thinking about how 2020 (especially this summer) has melted away like a Popsicle we never got to enjoy. To me, Annie’s birthday feels like our farewell summer party and…
Read MoreMave in the mirror
The chimps are endlessly observant of things that us lowly humans fail to notice. Today, as I took a few photos of Mave using the sanctuary’s cell phone, she got that certain look in her eye and i realized she was examining her own reflection in the back of our new transparent phone case. The…
Read MoreMissy’s guide to grooming
Step 1: Approach a friend and start grooming them. Hope for reciprocation. Missy reaches out to groom Jamie: Step 2: Decide this isn’t quite the kind of reciprocity she was looking for. Jamie grooms Missy’s eyelid: Step 3: Move on and decide to do some self-grooming with a small stick. Step 4: Find a different…
Read MoreThe Queen of Chill
This afternoon, as Willy B enjoyed himself in the courtyard, the other 7 chimps decided to cause some commotion. Foxie lead the charge, working her friends up into a flurry of pant-hoots and raucous displays. I always think of it as them yelling a mix of “GET OFF MY LAWN,” and “Oh my -that guy…
Read MoreProduce Day
A common question we get from curious supporters is “how much do the chimps eat?” While we don’t actually weigh their daily portions out or count calories, we use a rough estimate and a little bit of trial and error to adjust the chimps’ diets accordingly. Lately we’ve been serving Burrito and Foxie an extra…
Read MoreNo time for blogs
We live to serve the chimpanzees and they know it. Jamie has decided that today’s blog should be a short one so that we can groom and walk together for the rest of the day. Here are a few photos of Burrito putting staff caregiver Chad through his workout routine. OK back to work!
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