Chimp Eden Boutique Hotelis a 5 star lodge
providing accommodation for JGI Chimpanzee Eden
guests. Click here
for further info
Observation
Notes
28 July 2010 - Posted by Phillip Cronje (Chimp Observer) Wednesday was a good day, nice and warm and lots of sun, so happy chimps and no death stares from Joao when the big light isn’t switched on.
Charles was very vocal and was really bouncing about when I got to work and Jessica didn’t particularly like this, so they got their treats and they were let out so he could get rid of his energy. The rest of the group sat calmly and ate and eventually Jessica came and sat with Charles. Once Jessica had moved away, Martha came and visited him as well. Tamu was not worried at all and was all over Charles, later in the afternoon, Marco had his turn. Mowgli has also become rather more independent and spends time in the trees with all the members of the group. Lily’s swelling is still down and looking good.
Zac and Joas group were well behaved today and made the best of the sun. Breakfast was a quiet affair and then Zac took up his usual position on his back in the grass watching the world go by. I noticed today that Nina spent time grooming Joao and spending time sitting with him. Charlie was of in his own world again and was up in one of the trees with Zee.
The big chimps were fine today, but this morning Amadeus decided it was time to perform when he came out, he tossed his orange over the fence and an into the bush27 July 2010 - Posted by Phillip Cronje (Chimp Observer) Two great sunny days for the chimps and all the chimps are in good health and really enjoying the near summer conditions.
Yesterday was a paw paw day. I the round trip to one of the farms and we collect our fruit. We normally arrive and the big crates of paw paws are ready and we sort thru and get our 25 crates of fruit. It normally takes us about an hour and occasionally meet up with the pack house manager to give him an update on the chimps.
On the trip back I will stop at one of the orange farms, but the had not sorted for the day so I will pop by tomorrow.
The chimps wee reasonably well behaved yesterday and we only had a slight problem with Mary and Suzie in the afternoon. Suzie decided to stay out while the rest came in and ate. When we tried to get Suzie in, Mary decided to slip out and join Suzie, we eventually got Suzie in at about 6 pm but Mary had a full tummy and saw no reason to come in and it was still warm, so we decided to leave her a little longer and as it got dark, Mary realized she was now on her own and by seven we got her in, needless to say she came in straight away tonight.
Today started with some maintenance of the electric fence of the large adult chimps, as this is an ongoing effort, so Amadeus and the rest were very ready to come out when we opened up. Amadeus again kept me company while he had his breakfast and then moved off when I went to help the guys wash and clean the night quarters.
Joao and Zac and the rest of the bunch had been spectators while we worked on the fence and seemed to be taking it all in. I just hope they are not learning too much by watching us work. Sally spent a lot of time today grooming Zac and Joao and the two boys really enjoyed it. Cozy and Tony were spending time together as well as some grooming.
Thomas seems to be maturing a lot and even sat at the mesh this morning for his PVM treat without screaming at all, a big improvement.
Sampa has figured out if she sits at one of the other windows she doesn’t have to share any treats and has no completion if she waits.
Charles and his band are al great, Jessica got some more purple spray on her toe today, but it is healing well, she now licks it so she appears outside in the morning with purple lips, a rather strange sight lol. Charles and Marco spent time together and at times you could just hear Marco laughing as he was being “tickled” by Charles. Jessica adopted Charlene for the day and the two were all over together.
For some strange reason, both Jessica and Martha sat with twigs in their ears, I know they use the twigs to scratch and clean their ears but a chimp walking with a twig in its ear is a sight to see.
Claudine was vocal again today, when we walked past with our cleaning stuff and was watching all our moves. She watches the other chimps closely but no vocal reaction to their calls yet, but it will come.
All 32 chimps safe and sound in bed.(Phillip)
25 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Another weekend at Chimp Eden draws to a close and we have had great winter weather with plenty of sunshine and happy chimps and reasonable visitor numbers.
The chimps have all been in good health and have been reasonably well behaved as chimps go.
Lily and her face swelling are looking good, the swelling has gone down, it has left a bit of a red mark but this will heal up. She had her last medication this morning so I will just watch to see that it doesn’t flair up again. She has been very good at taking her medication over the last 5 days and that makes ones job a lot easier.
Jessica has a raw spot on one of her toes so that’s been treated with a spray and I now have her presenting her foot to me every morning for a close inspection and spray, I use what we call “purple spray” it’s a antibiotic spray and heals most minor injuries.
Marco was a bit of a pain this morning and insisted in taking Charlene’s PVM bar out of her mouth and she then just sits and screams, he can be a bit of a bully at times.
The rest of the group are all good and came in for dinner without and problems at all.
Joao and Zacs group have been enjoying the sun especially Joao and spend lots of time just lazing about in the grass and coming for feeds at feeding time. Zena has become vocal again at treat time in the morning and sure lets one know if she hasn’t got her bit of treat in the morning. Thomas has become a lot less screechy at this time and just hangs about for his treat and then moves away once he has it. Little Tony is still keeping close to Cozy but I also see him spending time with Zac as well.
Amadeus and is troop were out of their night quarters very quickly yesterday as well as today and grabbed breakfast and took off for the sun. Today however Amadeus decided to sit up with me and eat his breakfast while the rest disappeared; this he doesn’t often do but was quiet and really enjoyed his oranges.
Claudine sat watching the chimps today and had good sun as well. She still doesn’t make that much noise but if you call, she appears very quickly at the window to see whets happening. Her condition is good and she is very active, so all is good. (Phillip)
23 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Friday was one of those mornings, a vet visit, a fruit run and a blocked drain to mention a few.
The local vet that has now taken over from the State Vet came to do his weekly check bright and early, I was still cleaning chimp night rooms but he also took a look at Lily and was happy, she still has two days to go on her meds and the swelling is down. We then visited Claudine and all is well and she even made a few vocalizations and offered her back for a scratch, she obviously hasn’t seen to many vets lol.
After the vet left we could get the rest of the chimps out and all were happy to be in the sunshine and all had a good breakfast.
All the chimps had a great day to day and there were no major problems. I went of to see if the local fruit shop had collected any waste for us but there was nothing so I just played postman Pat and collected the post from the post office and returned to the sanctuary.
Dinner time was the normal loud and screeching affair with every chimp getting stuck into heir food and taking turns to drink water. Dinner is always an event to watch and see who eats what and who steals from whom and generally organized chaos. I however do get the chance to check each chimp out and it’s that bit of private time I can get with me and the chimps.
The last task of the day was to work with Charles and Siswe to unblock the drain and get things running again, as I say never a dull moment at Chimp Eden and sometimes a smelly one as well…. (Phillip)
22 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Thursday was a slightly better day than yesterday where the weather got very miserable and overcast at lunchtime and rained in the afternoon.
What was interesting about the change in the weather yesterday was the effect on the chimps. The first group, Charles and co were very quiet and sat in the trees and all came in at suppertime without any second thoughts.
In the Zac and Joao group things were slightly different in that at the time of the weather change Zac started to chase Sampa about and Joao stood up for her and was seen running after Zac and giving him a few slaps. so Joao still has it in him.
The top group was all good and came in for supper fairly quickly.
Today was a slightly better day although cool and the chimps have been keeping themselves busy playing in the trees and sitting in the spots of sun. Marco found himself a piece of old bottle and threw this at one of the guides, Im sure the chimps have a mine somewhere where they find all these odd items.
In Zac and his group they all spent time in the sunny part of the enclosure today and Joao spent most of the day playing with the youngsters, pulling their legs and rolling them about in the grass, they all seem to enjoy this special time and Joao most certainly seems to as well.
The top group of chimps kept themselves busy all day in the forest area and came out for food at the feeding times. The group has a spot where logs have have fallen over and spend time sitting here watching the activities about them.
The swelling on Lily’s face has gone down slightly and it seems to me that the swelling has actually popped so the fluid is draining. She is taking her meds so things are looking good.
Claudine spends her time sitting in the window watching us clean in the morning as well as the chimps in the trees, no talking this morning but she is very aware of her surroundings and is taking everything in. (Phillip
20 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Today was one of those typical winter days here at Chimp Eden ,you could almost forget that it is mid winter until the sun goes down.
The chimps all had a great day with no problems and it was also a PVM porridge day at bed time. Charles and his merry band were out quickly this morning and all except Charles and Charlene sat in their trees eating breakfast, there were occasional glances in the general direction of Claudine but no vocalizations. from any side .Lily is now on medication and the swelling is still big and round. I will keep and eye and should things not improve the vet will check it out when he comes to do his once a week check on Claudine in Quarantine. She is eating well and doesn’t seem bothered by the swelling.
This morning Joao and co were very keen to eat there PVM bars and everybody made sure they got their share. Once this was finished they moved out for breakfast and ate in a group near the entrance gate to the enclosure. Once they had finished the group dispersed to various parts of the enclosure. Joao simply found a sunny spot and went to sleep with some of the youngsters sitting and playing around him.
The adult group came out with no problem, each chimp grabbed their share of fruit and disappeared into the enclosure ,only Nicky stayed behind and that was only because I still had my mug of coffee ……..
This afternoon went like a well oiled machine, none of the chimps decided to sit about and wait and they all came in when the doors opened, I suspect that the bottles of porridge had a lot to do with this and all the chimps had a great meal of warm porridge and settled down for the night.
Lily took her medication, the heaters were switched on and all 32 chimps are in bed for the night. (Phillip)
19 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Today we had a big breakthrough at Chimp Eden ……
I was visited by the local nature conservation official and two guests from the Natal authorities and when we met in the pathway near where Claudine can see us, she decided to join in the conversation and made a whole lot of vocalizations.
Later in the day I went back to the fence and we chatted over the fence again so hopefully we are on track and things will get more vocal.
The rest of the groups are all doing great and had a good day in the sun and all came in for supper tonight, I have however noticed that Lilly has a swelling on her jaw which looks like some sort of spider bite. If it has not gone down by tomorrow I will make a trip to the local vet for some medication.(Phillip)
18 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) All the chimps had a good day today, lots of sun and no wind.
Amadeus and his group were out without any problem, they had a breakfast of mixed fruit. Claudette and Lica stayed behind at the top with me as the rest took their fruit and headed of for the sun spots in the camp.Lica always hangs about until I take the crate and put it back on the land rover and then she knows that’s it for the breakfast session. Themba, Siswe and myself gave the night rooms a good wash down and then went back to let the rest out.
Charlie and co were ready to go and after their PVM bars we let them out for breakfast. Charles took up his position on his log while the rest all sat in one tree. Martha also has her favorite part of the tree where she sits and nobody else will sit. Lilly has now started a new trick where she climbs one particular tree and after finishing a bit of fruit she jumps to the next tree, which is quite spectacular for her as it’s about a 3 meter jump, and for the little fur ball its impressive. Tamu is still following his hero Charles and is most funny to watch in the morning when he walks upright with an orange in each hand, almost looks like his weight lifting. Mary is still up to run and grab strategy of getting food but will quickly come and stare at you and then dash off.
Zac and Cozy and the bunch were out and little Tony hung about for any extra treats but went out. Sally is now spending times sitting with Joao and this morning she groomed him a lot. Thomas and Charlie together with Nina spent a lot of time in the trees and Nina did some nest building, hopefully the rest will start as well or at least give it a bash. The group had a good peaceful day and there were not too many scraps in the group.
Claudine spent most of her time watching the activities going on outside but still no vocalizations. She is also getting some sunlight and this is great as sunlight is very good for the coat and general health. (Phillip)
17 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Yesterday, Friday was rather busy but proved to be successful in terms of the chimps at Chimp Eden.
I started early with Themba and we prepared another enclosure for Claudine in the quarantine, one where she has a view of group 1 and 2 chimp night rooms and some of the chimps as well. All being ready we opened her door and hoped that she would walk across to her new room, well not exactly, she decided she would go and sit on top of the hand wash basin and turned the taps on, so typical of a chimp. She simply sat and watched Themba and myself and despite the food and PVM bars was happy to sit. She eventually did a bit more exploring of the passage but was not going to go into the new area. Back at the hand basin and giving me the hairy eyeball look I decided that it was time to use the stern voice and told her to get her furry bum into the night room and, surprise she went and then gave me her back to scratch, again all in her own good time but we were successful. She did a fair bit of exploring and wanted some more scratching.
We then went outside and opened the screening for her and she sat and watched the goings on outside. Marco was the first to spy her sitting in the window and climbed the tree and simply just watched. During the day the other chimps all came by and watched a bit but no vocalization from either parties.
Today Saturday was warmer than this week and we got all the chimps out early to have their breakfast. All the groups were vocal but went out with no real problem.
During the day, Charles and his group again got into the tree to see the new chimp and Martha started to alarm call when she saw Claudine but this didn’t last for to long. Claudine sits and watches but does not make any calls at all but I am happy she at least sits and watches the chimps, a good start.
All the chimps came n for dinner this afternoon except for Suzie who decided she would sit in the last bit of sunshine and watch the sun set over the dam near their enclosure, I’m sure she will come in soon (Phillip)
15 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Today was a much warmer day at Chimp Eden and the chimps were all very happy to be out and about in the sunshine.
Charles and co were out with great speed this morning and got stuck into their oranges. Charles has become a bit of a fanatic in terms of collecting as many he can carry before going to sit on his favorite log. Little Tamu was right behind and managed to carry about 6 oranges, one in each hand and foot and one in the mouth, the other was under the arm. What is interesting to watch is how the various chimps eat their oranges, some simply bite a piece of peel off and eat, while Mary and Suzie actually stamp on them and break them in half. Charlene kind of peels them and sticks as much in her mouth and all over her face.
This afternoon all the chimps came in except for the three girls Martha, Suzie and Jessica. They decided it wasn’t time to come in and only came in later. All the chimps were treated to mielie meel balls as I had brought them some while in town.
Zac and Joao were very vocal this morning before going out as there was some PVM mielie meel mix and they really enjoy this, little Tony was all over the place and made sure he got his fill. Cozy also managed his fair share in the drinking episode. The chimps were all very well behaved and came in tonight with no problem at all.
Amadeus and his troop were all good today, although they were a little tardy again to come in tonight but once they sighted the mielie meel pot this got the response we are used to. They were in like a shot and all wanting some. Amadeus and Josephine have developed the habit of stamping their feet on the wall to get attention and Nicky blows raspberries so feeding time is rather noisy. They all ate their fill and Amadeus licked the spoon clean. Josephine still has issues with Marc even if he has choice food but I’m sure he will get a chance for her to get over it, she was also rather moody with Charles the keeper.
Well today I got to open the shutters for Claudine and she immediately came up to the mesh and looked out at the new world. She can’t see the chimps but can hear them and has not shown any reaction yet. She also doesn’t react too much to any folk passing by on the perimeter of the quarantine but its early days.Im thinking of moving her from one side of the quarantine to the other side where she will be able to view the chimps as well as hear them but have to devise a plan….
I visited our local vets and they will now take over the weekly visits of Claudine from the State Vets and will start from next week. Never a dull
Time here at Chimp Eden….(Phillip)
14 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Today was a very cold day at CE so I decided not to open the windows for Claudine as I don’t want her catching a cold so it looks like it will be warmer tomorrow so will do it then.
The rest of the chimps are all well and healthy. The adult group staged a bit of a mini strike this afternoon and they all refused to come in at supper time so they stayed out a little longer but all came in and are all safe and sound in bed.(Phillip)
12 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) I’m happy to report that the chimps behaved themselves today and all went out without any hassle unlike yesterday.
Charles and his group went out and ate breakfast in the trees. Today’s breakfast was oranges, avows, apples and pawpaw with some carrots. Martha again approached Charles and sat next to him but still no physical contact. Suzie and most of the youngsters went for a walk around the camp this morning and spent time in various parts of the camp simply plying with each other.
Zach and Joao went out together and sat in the normal place and ate breakfast together with Tony in the background. The group was quiet and didn’t get up to much today. Most of the afternoon was spent near the viewing deck lazing in the sun although by late this afternoon a cold front was starting to work its way in.
Amadeus and co were out quick and had a relaxed breakfast, Nicky preferred to look for nuts and only later did he come and look for his fruit. Later in the morning I was called to come and look at the fence as Lica had decided that it was her turn to try and take the fence apart. She had a fairly large stick and she was working away at the wires, fortunately no damage was done and we got her “tool” away from her. This afternoon both Lica and Claudette decided to go on a strike and refused to come in at bed time and simply sat at the door staring at us. I left them until 6 pm and they then came in, obviously they had had news on the cold front.
This morning we also fetched about 40 crates of oranges so the chimps should have a good vitamin C boost and also not get scurvy.
Late this afternoon I got email from the lab in the Netherlands to say that Claudine’s blood test were all good so I can now get permission to open the windows in quarantine and Claudine can get a look outside at her new world. Many thanks to Hank for the hard work they do for us and their efficiency which enables our rescues to go as well as they do. (Phillip)
11 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) All the chimps had a good day today and enjoyed the sunshine and had a fairly good day but as usual had a surprise up their sleeves for us in the afternoon and Zac decided that this morning was time to have fun.
All the chimps went out with no problem except for Zac who simply refused to go out and eat breakfast. He charged about the night rooms and threw lots of straw about but not a chance did he go out. I decided to leave him in while we cleaned next door in Charles and Jessica’s night quarters. He sat at the bars and watched, occasionally blowing big raspberries. After cleaning we opened for him and he simply strolled out as if nothing had happened…. patience is a virtue sometimes.
The rest of the day was uneventful until we had to bring them in for dinner. Charles and all the juveniles came in but the gang of girls Martha, Jessica and Suzie decided to mess about. Eventually Jessica came in being most vocal and shouting at Charles. Martha was in next with the help of some bread and eventually Suzie came in after eating an avo one of the juvenile chimps had passed her thru a drainage hole in the wall.
Joao’s group didn’t give us problems and Zac even presented me with one of his hairs thru the mesh.
The top group were however a whole different cup of tea this afternoon. There had been a TV crew about doing some filming and this threw the whole routine out. When we arrived at the night rooms the only chimp waiting there was Lica, nobody else was in sight. We shouted and whistled our lungs out, but the saying there are none so deaf as those who don’t want to hear came to mind. Eventually Lica got fed up and went back into the bush. We resorted to walking about the camp and slowly walking back to the night rooms with the individual chimps. They all eventually gathered at the door and we could let them inflict was at this stage no where to be found. The two boys went into their night rooms as did Josephine, Jinga, Mimi and Claudette decided they would all go into the same night room. This is not the norm for Claudette but we left her there while we went looking for License eventually strolled back and we got her in and then moved Claudette back as Mimi and Claudette will have words if left together overnight.
Claudine is doing just great and is still enjoying her toys and eating very well.(Phillip)
10 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) The chimps are all good today, we had a great warm day and this always has happy chimps at Chimp Eden.
Mowgli has decided that the branch he was trying to break is too much of a great task and has settled in stripping dead bark of one of the other trees instead. Today Charlene decided it was time to climb up to the top of the higher trees in the enclosure and had her orange with a view. She may be slow on the ground but her skills in the tree are very good. Jessica spent a fair time with Charles today grooming him and generally fussing about so I’m sure he enjoyed that.
This morning Martha jumped up right next to Charles and sat next to him for some time, there wasn’t contact but the situation is looking good.
Joao and Zac and the group had a quiet breakfast although Cozy was very keen on watching me today as he thought I had something special for him and I caught him a few times peeping over a wall or around a corner, why I’m not sure but it kept him busy. Joao was surrounded by most of the youngsters and they spent time grooming and playing with him, Zac was a few feet away resting up in the long grass. Thomas and Nina were in the trees with Nina spending her time breaking leafy twigs and dropping them on the ground.
Amadeus and his group all came out quickly this morning but were not that keen to eat their pears except for Amadeus. They all eventually did eat and moved of to their spots in the sun. Later in the day Jinga decided it was time to give us some work and she did a little bit of her own messing about with the electric fence. She gets a stick and sees what she can work loose or break and then sits back to see what we do about it. Nothing to dramatic, just nuisance value and I suppose the chimps enjoy seeing us working on the fence. All 32 chimps safe and sound in bed this Saturday night. (Phillip)
09 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Claudine had a quiet day in quarantine today; she has settled into a good routine and is doing great. She has taken to eating her avos and seems happy to try any food offered to her. I can hear her playing with her boomer ball during the day when it bangs up against the wall so she is enjoying the ball.
The blood samples arrived at the lab yesterday at lunch time so we should have results towards the start of next week and then we can open the blinds and she will see more activity outside.
The other chimps are all fit and healthy and up to nonsense as only chimps can be. The youngsters in Charles and Jessica’s camp have now come up with a new plan where they hang above the door going to the outside and as Charles and Jessica come out they take swipes at them, Tamu is the ring leader and then he climbs down and runs after Charles and ends up getting a hug from him.
Zac has now found a rather irritating thing to do in the morning, he jumps on the gate and rattles the gate while we are busy with the others, and he gives it stick and only stops when he goes out. I ignore this and hopefully he will give up lol.Cozy decided to show off this morning in the night room and I was very surprised to see how much mobile he has become and how high he can jump of the ground, very impressive Cozy, considering he couldn’t walk that well when he first arrived.
The gang in the top camp were also on top form today, Amadeus decided he would take his time in coming out of his night rooms and when he did he threw his pawpaw at the land rover, never a dull moment. Nicky simply ran off into the bush and sat watching as things unfolded. Claudette has put herself on a diet of only avos and simply ignores all the other food while Lica gathers up all she can find, if she had a shopping basket I’m sure she would use it.
Josephine and Marc continue their love/hate relationship and she uses every chance to spit at him so I will have to spend some time chatting to her, she has become rather possessive of me and we shall have to chat. (Phillip)
07 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Claudine’s blood arrived in Amsterdam late this afternoon and should be delivered in the morning to the lab for testing, always good when this process goes well and there are no hiccups.
Claudine is all well and eating very well. She plays a lot with her boomer ball and also likes her Kong toy.
I’m hoping that once we have the results and that I can open the insect free blinds she will get a view of the outside world and even catch a glimpse of the other chimps.
The rest of the chimps are all doing well, even though it got cold early this afternoon and looked like rain for a while.
Charles and Jessica and her group had a quiet day outside and did not get up to any mischief today. The only thing the groups did do was that they all threw stuff at the guests this afternoon, perhaps in response to the change in the climate, who knows.
This afternoon I decided to feed everybody some of the PVM maize meel as it was a little cold, well what a response, Jessica and Charles were not to excite to have some but the rest of that group went wild. Azie, Baz and Tamu screamed their little lugs out to get at the porridge and the fruit was all forgotten. The rest all came for their fair share and Charlene first at some fruit and joined in the feast.
Joao and the rest took turns at getting their share, little Tony even elbowed Zac out of the way to get some extra porridge and Zac allowed this. Joao first jammed a whole pawpaw in his mouth and then tried to get some porridge in as well, he soon removed the pawpaw and took his porridge and then put the fruit back
The big guys were also given a treat and Amadeus decided he would sit in the first night room and we had to persuade him to come around to his night room which he eventually did. Nicky in the mean time had moved thru and was squeaking in delight at his treat.
Josephine was also vocal so much so that she tried to vocalize with porridge in her mouth, this just not work!!The other girls all had the treat and did not spray it all over the show.32 chimps with warm tummies in bed tonight. (Phillip)
06 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Another warm day today at Chimp Eden so happy chimps which is always great.
Charles and his group were very vocal this morning at feed time and the PVM bars went down well before the group went out and had breakfast. This morning’s breakfast was paw paw, avos, oranges and some sweet potatoes. They all ate in the trees except for Charlene who prefers to sit and lay on the floor eating and occasionally slaps her belly just to let everybody know she is there.
Mary was very active this morning and spent time dashing about the piles of fruit selecting choice items and taking them into the trees to eat. Suzie as usual took of to her place to eat and ignored the rest of the group.
Mowgli decided today that he would break one of the large tree branches and spent most of his time bouncing up and down on one particular flexible branch, needless to say the branch is still there and Mowgli has had lots of good exercise.
Zac and Joao were also out for a good breakfast this morning; Tony remained behind to se if there were any treats and eventually came out after 30 min. The whole group had breakfast as a group and after a while dispersed to various parts of the camp. Tony stuck to Zac and Joao and ended up in the grass at the one corner of the camp. Charlie climbed into one of the trees and spent some time simply breaking branches and dropping them. On one or two occasions he was also seen hanging upside down in the tree, fortunately he hasn’t fallen out of the tree and seemed to be having fun.
Sally spent some time grooming Zena and the two of them seem to be getting on very well.
The big guys were out in a flash, grabbed their food and took of for the sunny patches in the enclosure. It was only Claudette who stayed behind to see if there were any extra handouts and made sure that all the food had been fed. Nicky and his arm are looking good, so the purple spray is worked its magic.
The girls spent most of the morning in one section of the camp in the sunshine and only moved to fetch food and then returned back to snooze again, what a life (Phillip)
04 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Sunday turned out to be a great warm day and lots of sun for all the chimps.
Charles and his group were out like a shot this morning and grabbed food and headed for the trees. Tamu always follows Charles in the morning and will always be found sitting near him. Suzie grabs fruit and has her favorite perch in one particular tree to sit and eat while Martha takes up her place every morning in the same tree and watches the rest go by. Charlene on the other hand doesn’t seem to have a place to eat and can be found all over the place eating. She just seems to really enjoy her food and very often it is all over her face and belly, but she enjoys it.
Zac and Joao and the rest went out with no problem and even t\Tony decided not to hang about to see if there were any left over treats to be had. Grabbed a bit of fruit and came and sat at the fence and watched for a while before rejoining his group. Zac moved to the far side of the camp and could be seen reclining on his back in the grass. They also had an early visitor as Dr Steve had joined me so they were quite intrigued to see him as well.
Amadeus didn’t waste too much time in leaving his night room today and they all got stuck into their breakfast of avos and oranges with some papaw. Once they had finished they moved down to the corner area and met up with Dr Steve. was a little aloof in the beginning but was soon performing for Steve. Amadeus wasn’t that impressed and tossed a few rocks in his direction. The girls were not particularly worried or concerned that he was about but Josephine did come and have a very close look at Laura who was standing with me and then moved of and sat in the bush watching.
Claudine was all fine this morning when we did our first check and had eaten all her food; she was also keen to show me the site of her injection from yesterday. We then sat and did the final bit of work on the blood and this has now been labeled and packed and is ready to be sent to the lab in the Netherlands n the morning. I expect the sample to arrive early Thursday or Friday and we should have the results by late Monday or Tuesday.(Phillip)
03 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Today was the day that we had to do the follow up blood test on Claudine in quarantine as required by the State vet service.
Claudine was not fed breakfast this morning and we managed to hand inject he thru the bars without having to us a dart gun which is always a lot more less stressful for the chimp. She took a while to go to sleep but eventually did and we could start to work on her.
Claudine was given a full health check and was treated for external and internal parasites and we also did the drawing of the blood, all in all it went very well and we got our samples. She was given her reversal drug and was up and about very quickly and within half an hour ate breakfast.
Tomorrow we will separate the blood sample and I will then package the sample for dispatch to the lab in Holland on Monday morning.
Many thanks to Dr Van Der Spuy, the CEO of Johannesburg Zoo for visiting and doing the work for us, much appreciated by all the chimps. Steve even managed to catch up with a few of the chimps that used to be at the zoo, and they were happy to see him, perhaps even happier that they were not going to be darted. (Phillip)
02 July 2010 - Posted by Jessica Ney (Chimp Observer) Friday was a good day here at the chimps. There was sun and the chimps ad a great time in the sun.
All the groups were out early and had a good breakfast of paw paw ,oranges and avos. We were given a big donation of avos so the chimps are having a great feed of these avos and we got a nice load of pears as well today.
Lica and Claudette decided today to mess about and only came in after 6 tonight but they are safely in bed and fast asllep with the rest of the gang.
The vet has arrived from the zoo and we will be doing our second round of blood sampling tomorrow for testing on Claudine and a second health check.So it will be a busy day for us.
Will give an update about her .(Phillip)
