Posts by Ellen Brady-McGaughey
Happy Birthday, Willy B!
Today is Willy B’s 34th birthday! We are so fortunate to be able to know, love, and care for this special chimpanzee. He certainly always keeps us on our toes, whether it be trying to understand the motivation behind some of his actions, or quite literally when he suddenly decides its time to play chase…
Read MoreSocial Enrichment
If you are new to the blog, or missed some of our recent posts, we are currently going through the process of reintroducing the group of 9. Here are a few posts to get you caught up (here and here!). As a part of this process, we have been providing the reintroduced group with a…
Read More6 Years with the Cattle!
As Katelyn mentioned in yesterday’s blog, today is the 6th anniversary of the arrival of our lovely cattle! We celebrated our bovine friends with fresh cuttings of willow, a favorite browse item of the herd. We are also always trying to find new foods they may enjoy but these ladies are surprisingly picky! Today’s willow…
Read MorePaper Party Part 2 (Burrito’s Version)
A generous donor recently sent us quite a few new, very durable toys for the chimpanzees from our Wildlife Toybox wish list! We are so grateful and have been excited to see the chimps get to use these new items. One of these items is a giant green cube, which I hoped the chimps would…
Read MorePhoto Roundup!
Today has been a busy day. As I was starting to put together my blog, Jamie started alarm-calling, which most often means a snake has found its way through our snake fencing and is in the chimpanzees’ space. We quickly jumped into action to recall her group, asking them to come off of Young’s Hill…
Read MoreAdventures with Honey B
In today’s video, watch as Honey B explores her group’s outdoor habitat, the Bray! She seems to be gaining confidence in exploring this large outdoor space every day, and it is wonderful to watch. Below are some lovely photos shared with us by a supporter, Christiane Leibrandt, who captured these beautiful images of Honey B…
Read MoreAnnie’s 50th Birthday!
Today has been a day full of celebration and goodies as our beloved friend Annie turned 50 years young! As Jenna talked about in her recent blog, we are not sure of her real birth date, but celebrate the occasion on September 10th each year. We went all out to celebrate this wonderful chimpanzee person…
Read MoreThe Domino Effect
The other morning, I was turning on lights and greeting the chimps to start the morning. As I turned on lights for Gordo’s group, he jumped up and initiated a game of chase with me, and off we went! Somehow, as I was running to catch up to him in the front rooms, the fun…
Read MoreIs This Really Happening?
As I close in on one year of working at the sanctuary, I am still welcomed with many “firsts.” This past week I was graced with two firsts for me that both made my day, and surprised me! Watch today’s video before proceeding to the rest of the blog so that I don’t spoil anything!…
Read MoreWilly B and Dora’s Day of Fun
Willy B is a chimpanzee that constantly keeps those around him on their toes – both chimpanzees and humans. Often, you can interpret this to mean that Willy B may be disrupting the peace with a dominance display, which gets staff attention to see if the display may escalate to an altercation, and gets the…
Read MoreThe Learning Process
Here at the sanctuary, we utilize Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) to work with the chimpanzees to participate in their own care. The possibilities of applications for PRT are nearly endless, and help us perform many necessary tasks here at the sanctuary in a way that the chimps enjoy and can actively participate in! The uses…
Read MoreGals Who Groom
Grooming is an important part of chimpanzee life. It serves many functions, from forming, building, and maintaining social bonds, to helping ease tensions and facilitating reconciliation following a fight among the group. It is a part of everyday life. Terry grooms Cy Cy grooms Rayne’s lips (through the caging, although the door is open!) As…
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