Posts by Anthony
A Traffic Jam in the Snow
Sharing space with other people can be difficult, especially when one of those people is Jamie. This week, Jamie has been a little bit more irritable than her usual baseline. This may be because we have just finished weaning her off of the contraceptive that we used as a safeguard during social integrations. Jamie’s genitalia…
Read MoreA Chimp Named “Burrito”
Today, instead of a lengthy blog post, I am leaving you all with a simple image of Burrito. I hope you all appreciate Bubba’s zesty personality, goofy antics, and youthful heart as much as we do. He’s a helluva guy.
Read MoreSnow Days and Play Dates
Well, here it is. I created this video a few days ago to highlight some ways in which the chimpanzees are spending the shortened days of early winter. In addition to their usual smorgasbord of foods, an abundance of fuzzy nesting materials and a variety of challenging enrichment puzzles, the chimps now have daily opportunities…
Read MoreSnow Day
First and foremost, I want to apologize for not putting together a real blog post. Today was exciting and productive, but the afternoon disappeared and I soon realized that the video montage I made for you all would not finish uploading until late in the evening. My attempts to finish it were met with further…
Read MoreThe Winds of Winter
It was weird to join the CSNW staff in the middle of summer. Although many features of the sanctuary felt familiar, there was one aspect of the return that felt foreign: warm, sunny weather. Strangely, I had never actually spent time at the sanctuary during the summer. I began to intern here in the fall…
Read MoreTrending Upward
I must admit that I got quite sentimental in my latest blog post. I even tried to be insightful. Today’s entry will contain nothing of the sort. Instead, here is a dry update on everyone’s progress accompanied by images from my phone camera. Burrito continues to heal and appears more active by the day, but…
Read MoreFull (Chimp) House
I have never seen so much commotion in the Chimp House. All day, every day, the facility feels busier than it ever has before. In so many ways, the sanctuary feels full. There are now chimps occupying every space again. Volunteers rushed back and forth all day to get the daily tasks done, and the…
Read MoreMo’ Doors, Mo’ Problems
Our facility is a maze of doors, and each is important in its own way. To be exact, we have 31 doors that are intended for humans and 21 doors that allow chimpanzees to access different areas. All of these are within the electric fence perimeter that surrounds the Chimp House and Young’s Hill. There…
Read MoreThe Sunday Routine
It was another laid-back Sunday, aided by cooperative chimpanzees and incredible personnel. We haven’t been doing any complicated projects or maneuvers on Sundays, giving our staff and chimpanzees time to focus on maintenance and recuperation before diving into the upcoming week. Today’s most exciting moments didn’t rival the excitement of Jamieween or the tension and…
Read MoreBurrito and Willy B Have a Play-Date
In case you missed Monday’s announcement: We’re back in the game. The merging of two chimpanzee groups is almost always an emotional roller-coaster for chimpanzees and humans alike. We caregivers have to balance the immediate safety and comfort of each chimpanzee with our expectations for their long-term happiness and stability, all while working around the…
Read MoreThe Gang Goes Counterclockwise
Chimpanzees thrive on routine. Of course, we don’t want every day to be exactly the same for them. As caregivers, we strive to provide the chimps with an enrichment program that balances variety and predictability, which is a never-ending challenge. The result is that we work hard each day to facilitate a range of new…
Read MoreCabin Fever
My blog days always seem to be the quietest (e.g., last Sunday), which is odd given all the drama we have been experiencing lately. As we’ve mentioned, the chimps have been resting and recuperating after an attempt to introduce the remaining chimps did not go as hoped on Wednesday. Because we rushed to separate the…
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