Posts by Diana
Emergence
Today was the day. It happens each year around this time. I would have placed a bet on it happening last week, but Negra, the Queen of the sanctuary, operates on her own timeline. Jamie was grooming my boots in the greenhouse (me safely on the human side of the fencing, of course). As Jamie…
Read MoreSometimes its the simple things
Honey B is a smart, funny, curious chimpanzee. One of things we have discovered that she loves most is rolling around in paper – it is something so simple that never fails to make her happy. Willy B couldn’t resist her playfulness today (see video above). As an update to Mave, Willy B, and Honey…
Read MoreRoutines
I know you are not here to get yet-another take on the current state of the strange and unprecedented (most over-used word for 2020?) times we are living in or to add to your own personal stress. Just like so many other people, this pandemic can be rather all-consuming for me too. Every day, I…
Read MoreChimpanzees are terrible at social distancing
Even if we were able to explain to the chimpanzees that we thought it would be best for them to keep their distance from one another, I guarantee they would not be compliant. Chimpanzees are in each other’s personal space constantly. When they are grooming, it can be difficult to see where one chimp begins…
Read MoreJust Right
If you are new to the blog, here are two things to know about the boss female chimpanzee Jamie: she loves boots, and she is constantly ordering the humans around. You can see the force of her personality in these photos: She’s also very particular about the things that she wants, and sometimes it takes…
Read MoreJamie and J.B. share a moment
As we explained recently, we’re taking extra precautions and wearing masks (that we reuse) whenever we are in the chimp house. The chimp-proof windows that separate the playroom and the greenhouse are a great safe place to interact with the chimpanzees. The video above was taken during a break in cleaning and shows a very…
Read MoreHappy Thoughts
Years ago, a couple of volunteers (Roszika and Andy) started something they called Happy Club. A small group of us would meet at a local ice cream/coffee shop and bring a list of five things that had made us happy since we last met. We would read our lists out loud to the group. In…
Read MoreVideo update on the state of things…
…and how you can help! Here’s a link to that list of suggested businesses from our auction committee mentioned in the video: https://bit.ly/390Ui8x And here’s a link to the 2020 Goals document: https://staging.chimpsnw.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-Individual-Donor-Needs-ChimpsNW.pdf And here’s a photo of Honey B getting ready for bed, really just wondering what YOU’RE doing:
Read Morea routine only Jamie would have
I had the first clips on my phone from Tuesday and was going to post them alone today, and then Jamie went through the exact same routine that she did on Tuesday. You have to love boss Jamie! If you are wondering how things are going with the reduced number of humans, it’s going well…
Read MoreDifferent Chimpanzee Play Styles
Who you are depends on who you’re with, wouldn’t you agree? There are some characteristics that carry over to be sure (note Burrito having something in his mouth in both of his clips in the video above), but part of the joy (and sometimes frustration) of being a social primate is the way that we…
Read MoreThe Antidote to Stress
In these stressful and uncertain times, what you definitely need right now is to watch this video of Mave and Honey B playing. What’s your favorite part? Mine might be the big toe to the eye… This video is a reminder of why the chimpanzees’ relationships with one another are so important and the best…
Read MoreJody on a Mission
Today was The Big Melt, or at least One Big Melt (more snow is on the way according to the forecast). The roof was dripping all day and the patches of snow on the ground seemed to grow smaller with each passing minute. For Jamie’s group of seven, that meant time on Young’s Hill. I…
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