Posts by Diana
Tomatoes from the Garden
Included among the vegetables currently ripening in the chimpanzees’ garden (thanks to volunteer Denice), are many cherry tomatoes: This has not escaped the notice of one Missy Chimpanzee. The chimpanzees have a great view of the garden from all of the windows of the playroom. While many of the windows are bullet-proof glass, we…
Read MoreChimpanzee Nest Slumber Party
A few days ago we discovered the remains of a slumber party in the loft of the playroom (see photo below): While it’s great to get photos of the chimpanzees doing things, it’s also fun to come across the evidence of their activities when we safely enter the area where they were. The slumber party…
Read MoreBurrito and Negra
We often talk about Annie and Missy’s friendship, Foxie’s ability to get her friend Jamie to relax, and Burrito’s reliance on Foxie for reassurance when times are tense and their goofy play sessions when times are relaxed. There are several close relationships among the chimpanzees. One that we haven’t talked about much is that between…
Read MoreJames and the Giant Beet
Ok – the title of this post was maybe a bit of a stretch to reference James and the Giant Peach. I do use the nickname James for Jamie, but, as you’ll see in the photos below, it wasn’t really a giant beet, plus one of the photos is of Missy’s hand, but still –…
Read MoreTreats
This weekend marked the start of our summer visitor program. During the guided observation of the chimpanzees, while the chimpanzees foraged for their lunch, I found myself talking a lot about food with our guests. One thing that we discussed was how easy it is as a caregiver to want to give the chimpanzees “exciting” food…
Read MoreFreedom
Freedom is a tough concept. You recognize it more by it’s absence than it’s presence, and it’s easier to describe when comparing one situation with another. Yet most people agree that freedom is one of the most important aspects of life for individuals and for groups. It’s clear that the chimpanzees lacked even the basic…
Read MoreChimpanzee Feet
Because a few people commented that they liked the photo of Annie’s hand posted on the blog a couple of weeks ago, I thought I’d post some chimpanzee feet photos I took recently. Like many of you, I really love chimp feet, in part because of their opposable big toe (obviously). Missy has very petite…
Read MoreMissy Chimpanzee on the Move
It is such an incredible joy to see Missy on Young’s Hill using all of the structures for climbing and leaping and balancing and just sitting up high. She does not waste any opportunity to get the most out of the chance to move and explore. J.B.’s description of Missy as, “a spring that was…
Read MoreAnnie Chimpanzee Close-Up
Annie gets more beautiful with each year that passes at the sanctuary. She is also more likely to be in a quiet moment where she doesn’t mind her human friends taking photos, so I was able to get a few very close-up photos of her beauty this afternoon. Which photo below is your favorite?
Read MoreEverybody Nest Now
I recorded several clips of happy nesting today. Like wadging, which was the subject of yesterday’s blog post, nesting is a fundamental behavior for chimpanzees both in the wild and in captivity, which is why we make sure that the chimps always have lots of materials (blankets and straw are favorites) so they can choose…
Read MoreClose Your Eyes and Dream
Sometimes I can hardly believe that this dream of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has really come true, and these seven chimpanzees, on June 13th, are going to celebrate six years of a new life of peace that they never could have dreamed was possible. Dreaming is a beautiful thing. Foxie: Annie: Burrito: …
Read MoreTime to Eat
We’ve mentioned foraging many times on this blog before. It’s such a fundamental part of being a chimpanzee, that we had one of the seven behavioral booths at our recent Hoot! gala dedicated to this activity and explaining how we find ways to allow the chimpanzees here to express this behavior. Anything involving food is…
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