Boy Meets Girl – Entry #11
Missed the earlier entries? Start here.
Wow! That was amazing to watch them out in the yard today. This group is such a quiet, calm bunch of apes. No one was quite sure who should be in charge of the patrol this morning so there was a bit of a pile up in the tunnel at first, but then Maverick, Justin and Rocko maneuvered around everyone to take the lead and Roxy, Arielle, Tabby, and Moonie joined them. But Lindsey pushed ahead and was at the helm as this group of eight took a stroll to visit the residents in the DJ&T Villa who were watching with amusement from the safety of their outdoor porch.
Kirk was a bit hesitant to head out. We opened the second tunnel door and that seemed to give him the assurance he needed, and he too ventured out.
Greg actually stepped out onto the platform for a quick look around…but decided that he likes observing the goings on from the safety of the tunnel. Being the oldest, he seems more comfortable with some solid walls and a roof over his head.
Rosemary was happy to hang back with Rusty who took advantage of the quiet time and a nap on the upper decking of their porch where they could watch the habitat while soaking up the sun.
Neal ventured out a little but wanted to go right back in. Kassie decided that she was going to “encourage” him to go farther by refusing to let him back in the tunnel that he went out. Neal outsmarted her though and went around to the other tunnel before she realized what he was up to!
Captain Kirk, being the alpha responsible for this giant group now, called to everyone else in the habitat when lunch was served.
The rest of the day was filled with bouts of habitat forays, play sessions, termite mound foraging, and of course, napping.
They all know the routine so well, before I even rang the dinner bell, they all started to head back into the villa for dinner service. But Kyrstin, Arielle and Roxy decided to chase Rocko back into the habitat and not let him in. Rocko finally figured out to pant grunt and head bob to the leader of the younger girl club, Arielle, and she hugged him and let him back in.
They were all tired from the excitement of the day and everyone was ready for dinner of corn on the cob and bananas. Rusty’s distinctive loud food squeaks and pant grunts were easy to hear over the din of the other 18 chimps. The dominant chimps came forward first along with surprisingly some of the lower ranking females at their side.
Greg likes to take his food on the porch where it is bit quieter. Tonight, Luke and Maverick followed his lead. Even Rosemary found the porch a bit calmer and had her dinner served there too.
After they got their evening enrichment of frozen peanut butter filled Kongs, they settled down on the porch to enjoy the pleasant evening. Maverick was surrounded by the young girls with Roxy giving him periodic hugs. Greg, Kirk, Lindsey, and Anna took turns grooming each other. The rest were spread out quietly reflecting on their first forays into the habitat as an integrated family group.
See the final update on our Giving Day for Apes 2020 page now!