Just like that, it’s the end of the year! There is a bustle of holiday activity here at the sanctuary. In addition to providing everything our more than 200 residents need to live happy and healthy lives, our care team is busy gathering and wrapping hundreds of gifts in anticipation of Chimpmas! And we are all reflecting on another year of sanctuary for our residents.
Let’s reflect on the year with photos…
January
Beautiful Alice had another great year in sanctuary. She relishes her family life and enjoys spending time with Ebony.
She still enjoys carrying around and caring for her little stuffed monkeys and sometimes she even “custody” of the stuffed animals.
February
Have your salad and nest in it too! Joe made this beautiful nest out of stuffed animals, hay, leeks, and lettuce. Relaxing with healthy treats in reach, we think he’s onto something!
March
This beautiful photo of Daphne was taken by caregiver, Chris, in March and it really captures her strikingly beautiful eyes.
Daphne loves napping in soft blankets and spending time in the sunshine of her island home. One of her favorite enrichment items is sunflowers.
April
Our residents love receiving coconuts as enrichment and Spencer is no exception! Many of our residents can open a coconut with their teeth! Others bang them on hard surfaces to crack the coconut open.
May
This photo shows Comet exhibiting a “play face.” When chimpanzees are happy and being playful, they typically cover the top row of teeth and expose their bottom teeth. In this case, Comet is being playful with her caregiver who snapped the photo.
June
Pumpkin picked a pack of peppers, how many peppers did Pumpkin pick? Pumpkin loves the mini sweet peppers donated from Pero Family Farms!
July
Bam Bam is enjoying a “freeze ball.” Freezie balls are an enrichment item for our residents. Holes are drilled into hard balls and then frozen with juice inside. Our residents love cooling off with them on our warm Florida summer days. This particular freezie ball was being enjoyed at Bam Bam’s Chimpendence Day party.
August
We all know Lisa Marie is cute and let’s face it, Lisa Marie knows she is cute too. She loves stickers and put this “cute” sticker on her face just in case anyone hadn’t already noticed how cute she is.
September
In September we celebrate what we call “Bananaversary.” It is the anniversary of the rescue of the 266 chimpanzees rescued from the Coulston Foundation. The chimps celebrate with banana-themed enrichment parties. Here is Arthur at his Bananaversary party, foraging for healthy treats on the island.
October
Kiley enjoyed her family’s Chimpoween party. Pumpkins are one of the many Halloween-themed enrichment items our residents receive at their parties.
November
One of Allie’s favorite spots to sit is in a nest of blankets on the patio between her family’s building and island. Here she is enjoying her Chimpsgiving meal in her favorite spot. Chef Joshua and his team made the residents sugar-free caramel-covered apples, rolled in nuts, and placed them on a cinnamon stick. Needless to say, Allie and the rest of our residents loved the special meal.
December
We love seeing Capone make new friends now that he lives in Bobby’s family. When coconuts were delivered to the island, Capone and Tina the 1st shared a loving embrace of excitement. Moments like these warm our hearts!
Thank you for making all of this possible. Our residents experience joy, companionship, and loving care thanks to your incredible support.