Celebrating PANIELLE’s 24th birthday!
As the “princess” of her group in Laurie and Carlee McGrath Chateau, Panielle is a truly special chimp. Today on December 4th, we can’t wait to celebrate her 24th birthday and share a little more about her!
Panielle, also known as “Pancake” or “Princess Panielle” by her caregivers, is absolutely bursting with personality! She arrived at Project Chimps in 2018, making this her 7th birthday at the sanctuary. You can pronounce her name like “Danielle,” but with a P instead of a D.
One of Panielle’s most endearing quirks is that she almost always has a blanket, often worn over her shoulder. Most days she seems to prefer blue ones, however she’s not as particular as Nyia. Right now, her favorite seems to be a donated light blue Delta blanket which she drapes over her shoulder like a cape and carries on a stick when she’s in the habitat. Panielle’s blanket capes even inspired a volunteer artist to write a comic book about her, which you can find here!
However, fashioning blankets into capes or flags on a stick isn’t the only thing Panielle likes to use them for. She also likes to play what her caregivers refer to as “the blanket game.” She’ll pass her blanket through the mesh, which her caregivers must then take and play chase with her. They say when she does this, you can hear her chimp laughter as she makes them run from room to room! Of course, they always make sure to give the blanket back to her in the end.
Panielle is an independent chimp and likes to spend time on her own with her blanket. One of her favorite things is lounging of the firehose in her villa and watching the happenings of her group. That being said, she’s also a high-ranking female and has good relationships with her male groupmates. She’s close with Lucky, but she’s still working on her relationships with many of the other females in her group.
We’re so thrilled to be able to celebrate Panielle’s 24th birthday here at Project Chimps! If you’d like to send her a birthday gift, please consider a new blanket from our Amazon Wishlist. Alternatively, you can support the sanctuary by picking up a copy of her comic book here! Whichever you decide, thank you so much for supporting her continued care.
Panielle, thank you for always watching over the other chimps in your group with your trusty blanket cape! We’re so happy to know you and can’t wait to see what other adventures you get up to in sanctuary!