Posts by J.B.
Grooming
Grooming has very little to do with hygiene. And while we tend to play up the political aspect of grooming, it’s not all quid pro quo, either. Sometimes it’s just a desire for comfort, or in Annie’s case, an expression of absolute and all-consuming love for her best friend, Missy.
Read MoreAll Work and Lots of Play
As Anna mentioned yesterday, the humans are hard at work getting ready for our new arrivals. The quarantine area is almost done, with just a few items remaining on our punch list. The big project we’re working on now is the installation of an overhead chute that will connect the indoor quarantine enclosures to an…
Read MoreThe spy and the acrobat
Mornings on Young’s Hill are a flurry of activity. The chimps leave the greenhouse after breakfast and race from structure to structure, motivated in part, I imagine, by the desire to see what changes may have occurred overnight while they slept. The structures offer the best vantage points to spot everything from nearby wildlife to…
Read MoreChimps meet cows
We finally got the summer pasture opened up yesterday and it was the first chance for a real face-to-face meeting between the chimps and the cows. Check out the video above and enjoy a few bonus photos of our beautiful cows enjoying their new digs: Betsy: Meredith: Honey: Nutmeg:
Read MoreBirthday Forage, Pt. 2
Here are some more photos of the all-you-can-eat lettuce buffet yesterday. Can’t wait to see some of you at tomorrow night’s Hoot! gala. Jody: Annie: Missy: Negra:
Read MoreAnother day in sanctuary
Negra weighing the cost of getting out of bed versus the benefit of eating breakfast: Foxie’s first stroll around the hill: Negra got plenty of sun today: Annie preferred the shade: Jody bringing her lunch forage haul back to the greenhouse: Annie blowin’ in the wind: Jamie dissecting a cucumber. Why do the humans keep…
Read MoreBeyond Love
Burrito loves food, but there are times when love doesn’t adequately describe their relationship. With hands full and mouth stuffed, he retreats, to a quiet, still place. In these moments, he looks heavenward in a state of transcendence, and with each bite slips further the surly bonds of earth and time. Suffering and desire cease…
Read MoreBurrito and the New Veterinary Clinic
A while back we noticed that a black spot had developed on Burrito’s gums behind one of his upper incisors. He would let us examine the spot during positive reinforcement sessions, but because of its location we were never able to conclusively determine what it was. Unfortunately, that meant we had to get him into…
Read MoreDr. Missy’s Miracle Spring Grass
The chimps are constantly snacking on grass this time of year. Despite having access to two acres of the stuff, the best grass seems to grow just outside the greenhouse, which means that the humans have to do all the work and the chimps don’t have to get up and walk anywhere. Convenient, isn’t it?…
Read MoreSanctuary Wildlife
Things have been quite busy around here lately with construction and the usual springtime projects so like any rational person I prioritized my task list, divided it into manageable pieces, and proceeded to tick them off one by one in a steady and methodical manner. Just kidding. Instead I became consumed with an unrelated and…
Read MoreSunning, sleeping, supervising
This morning, volunteers Rose, Ray, and Fred set out an early lunch forage for the chimps. Negra spent much of her time on the Escher climbing structure – I don’t know if she has a special fondness for this structure or if she just thinks we put more food up there. Either way, it’s great…
Read MoreJamie’s New Ritual
Yesterday, Diana and I returned to the sanctuary after a week away. I came up a little early for our afternoon positive reinforcement training session to say hello and was treated to some wonderful greetings by Annie and Negra, who were resting in the playroom. Annie’s was a grand submissive gesture – a series of…
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