Posts by J.B.
A visit from a friend
You’ve probably heard by now that several members of a gorilla troop at the San Diego Zoo began exhibiting respiratory symptoms and later tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. This is a moment that we’ve all been fearing, and to a large extent expecting, since the pandemic began. From what we know, the…
Read MoreEnergizer Burrito
He keeps going, and going, and going…
Read MoreThe Tickle Monster
If Mave were a superhero, her superpower would be the ability to tickle anyone into submission – or at least into a better mood. We hope you all had a good start to the new year!
Read MoreMerry Christmas!
The stories we tell
Every picture tells a story, but not always the one we intended. We’ve written before about a 2011 study which found that attitudes about chimpanzee conservation were influenced by how chimpanzees are portrayed in the media. When participants viewed images manipulated to show chimpanzees alongside humans or in human settings, they were less likely to…
Read MoreSnow Patrol
A dusting of snow fell overnight but by morning it was vanishing rapidly. With each passing hour, the gang had to venture further and further to get their fix. By afternoon, only a portion of the Twister climbing structure showed any evidence of last night’s snowfall. Missy and Burrito filled their mouths before it, too,…
Read MoreA Taste of What’s to Come
I should know better than to make predictions regarding construction timelines but I think it’s safe to say that we are within a couple months of the “Cali 3” moving into their new playrooms. Then, assuming our year-end fundraising is successful, we move on to completing the greenhouses. When that is done, we plan to…
Read MoreSomeone to lean on
Annie has always had a nervous disposition. In the years immediately following her arrival at the sanctuary, she was prone to bouts of acute anxiety akin to panic attacks. Thankfully, these have become less and less frequent over the years but they still occur on occasion. While it’s hard for us to say exactly what…
Read MoreReconnaissance
Jamie almost always walks around Young’s Hill with a purpose. Sometimes her goal is to lure a caregiver away for some private bonding time. Other times she is eager to race. This afternoon, as I was walking around the hill with Missy, Annie, and Burrito, I saw Jamie emerge from the greenhouse and plot a…
Read MoreThe Snow Diet
It seems Burrito was unable to eat all of the snow in his two-acre enclosure yesterday so today he and the gang were back at it. Burrito sampled the snow at various locations but decided to return to the same platform where he and Foxie shared a snack yesterday. And again, he patiently waited his…
Read MoreChimp feet are pretty handy
Recently, Edie asked: I am amazed when I see pictures of their feet-they seem so versatile! Do they ever use their feet like hands? Chimpanzee feet are pretty amazing indeed. Unlike our own, they are prehensile, meaning they have the ability to grasp. This is because their big toes are opposable, like our thumbs. This…
Read MoreContact
As part of our ongoing Q&A series, I thought I’d address one of the most common questions we get: Do we ever wish we could have more physical contact with the chimps? As many of you know, we strictly limit the ways in which we interact with the chimpanzees out of concern for our safety.…
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