Posts by Chad de Bree
Golden Rays of Sunshine
This morning’s sun gave off the most incredible golden rays. When the chimpanzees were given access to Young’s Hill, it was no wonder why all of them rushed right out the door. As Jamie went on her morning patrol of the day, Annie remained behind to watch the others explore the hill. And who did…
Read MoreGrooming to the Greenhouse Rock
Today wasn’t as sweltering as it had been the past couple of days. There was even a slight (and I mean slight) cool breeze that rolled through in the afternoon. While there was a reprieve from summer’s scorch today, only a few decided to make use of the cooler weather and breeze in the Greenhouse,…
Read MoreBlog Title Under Construction
There was a lot going on today, meaning there were a lot of distractions. With the construction of Phase 2 underway, the chimpanzees are ever so curious about what is going on right outside of their walls. When Missy was given access to Young’s Hill, her first order of business was to try to get…
Read MoreHappy World Chimpanzee Day!
Together we can ensure that captive chimpanzees have a better life. Together we can save wild chimpanzees in their forest homes. – Jane Goodall Today marks the 60th anniversary Jane Goodall first stepped foot on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. Jane Goodall and researchers who have followed her footsteps have studied the members…
Read MoreDinner Is Served
As the day is winding down, the chimpanzees are about to be served dinner. On tonight’s menu is watermelon, sweet potatoes, celery, and their daily night bags filled with sunflower and pumpkin seeds, popcorn, and dried fruit. I would say tonight’s dinner was a hit with both groups. With their bellies full and the evening…
Read MoreDo You Want To Play A Game?
Chimpanzee communication is a fascinating field of study. I only consider myself lucky I somehow ended up studying chimpanzee gestures. Though I study chimpanzee non-vocal communication. The vocal and auditory side of communication is still highly interesting. The food grunt in particular amazes me, mostly because I too make similar noises when I come across…
Read MoreDreaming of Cooler Times
With another hot, summer day, there was very little activity to be had to try to escape the heat. Early in the morning, the Group of Seven were given access to Young’s Hill, with Burrito leading the charge. Negra however, decided to stay in the shady Greenhouse to escape the morning sun with a yellow-haired…
Read MorePre-Lunch Naps
After cleaning the enclosures today, I set off on my journey to find the chimpanzees and ask to take photos of those who were willing. On a normal day, they would be scattered about between their different areas. However, today was a little different. With the weather bouncing back and forth between light rain and…
Read MoreHi, I’m Mave!
Mave has been in such a fantastic mood lately. She has been grooming a lot with Honey B and Willy B. She has been very playful, playing chase with caregivers, full contact wrestling with her roommates, spinning around on the floor, even climbing the caging so she can to meet the caregivers at eye-level to…
Read More..And They’re Off!
It’s been becoming increasingly difficult for me to get any good photos of Burrito. Usually, he sat still long enough for me to grab one or two good photos of him. But lately, he can’t sit still. He has been demanding games of chase and tug-o-war. He has even developed a new move during our…
Read MoreOld Tools, New Ideas
Chimpanzees are known for their ability to evaluate situations and find some pretty novel ways to handle the task at hand. Everyday, the chimpanzees are provided with numerous items throughout the day as enrichment. One of these items is a long, plastic tube. Jamie generally uses it to reach items just beyond her reach, or…
Read MoreCase of the Mondays Remedy
Mondays have that stigma of always being a bad day. For humans, it usually signals the end of the weekend and the beginning of the work week. For the chimpanzees, though, it’s another day. Though some bad things can happen on Monday, there is always a silver lining to bad days. Honey B and Mave…
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