Posts by Elizabeth
Getting Out
This morning Missy and Foxie went from climbing structure to climbing structure on Young’s Hill and licked as much frost as they could. It was 30° but the sun and the promise of adventure enticed them to stay for awhile.
Read MoreJody’s face
Jody’s face is permanent wonder. It’s hope and expectation and awe, and it’s a reminder to us all to always be on the lookout for good things right around the bend.
Read MoreOn Fear and Overcoming It
Imagine yourself in a cage barely bigger than your body. Now imagine that you’ve been in that cage for decades. You’ve probably never been outside. You don’t know what the sun feels like, or the wind, or the rain. You don’t know what the ground feels like under your feet. Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody,…
Read MoreHard Choices
Negra had a rough 35 years in the research lab, but now her toughest challenge is figuring out when to abandon her nest for breakfast. This is what sanctuary means to Negra.
Read MoreMissy loves a good potato
Snacking on a raw potato may not be your idea of a good time, but Missy thinks it’s delicious. (Volume up for satisfying crunching.)
Read MoreMissy’s Legs
Missy’s legs take her on some pretty great adventures. So they need plenty of rest.
Read MoreBlankets
It’s the time of year when everyone just wants to curl up with a blanket or ten, chimps included. Earlier today, I posted this photo of Negra to our Facebook page: This gave me the idea to go through some of our older photos and collect some of the chimps cuddling up. Negra is the…
Read MoreThe More the Merrier
Walking through the chimp house this afternoon, I came upon this multi-player, cross-species grooming party.
Read MoreHow’s your chimp ID?
One of the first things new chimp house volunteers start learning is how to identify each of the chimpanzees. When you’re meeting a group of chimps for the first time (or the first ten times), they can often look frustratingly similar to one another. Eventually, of course, they start to look like individuals and you…
Read MoreMissy
Missy came alarmingly close to never making it out of the research lab. She almost died while recovering from a hysterectomy shortly before moving to the sanctuary. Missy is so full of life these days that it’s easy to forget that if things had played out just a little differently, we never would have had…
Read MorePositive Reinforcement Training with Negra and Anna
A few years ago, we began a Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) program with the chimpanzees here at the sanctuary. (See this post for an introduction to PRT including how it works, why we feel it’s important, and how it improves the chimps’ lives.) All seven chimps have made incredible strides since we began the program.…
Read MoreBack to Normal
For those of you haven’t been following the recent Jody eyelid saga, here’s a recap: Last Thursday, Jody’s eyelid was partially detached during a fight in the group at lunchtime. Our incredibly talented, dedicated, and caring vet, Dr. Erin Zamzow, reattached the eyelid with some subcuticular sutures, and Jody stayed isolated from the other chimps…
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