http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/n...anta-arrives-early-today-at-lion-count/njT7s/
Like children on Christmas eve, the chimps at Lion Country Safari seemed to know Santa was on his way Thursday morning. They were restless — jumping, clapping and shouting in excitement over Santa’s trip to bring them gifts and treats — and the visitors and keepers were too.
For the 30th year, Santa loaded up his floating sleigh with wrapped snacks, toys and clothes prepared by ChimpanZoo volunteers and the park last weekend. More than 200 people came to watch the chimps from the observation island, said Elaine Andrews, a chimp keeper at Lion Country.
The volunteers, who observe chimpanzee behaviors and collect data for the Jane Goodall Institute, also provide objects like bottles and boxes that help chimps to learn new skills, Andrews said. .
Little Mama, one of the oldest chimps in captivity at 76, was a crowd favorite. When keepers and visitors called out to her, she clapped her hands and waved to the crowd. Another chimp, Melody, carried around a windbreaker with her foot to free her hands up to rummage through the presents.
“They all have their own little preferences,” said Jordan Harris, a Lion Country employee who’s been working with the chimps for five months. Melody was so attached to her first jacket that keepers had to steal the ragged remains from her before replacing it, he said.
While Little Mama sat in a pile of presents and torn wrapping paper, other chimps took snacks and climbed on top of the island’s shelters to avoid sharing. One chimp even ran off with a present in each hand to open them away from the others.
“They all have their own individual personalities,” chimp keeper Craig VanDermeid said. “They’re very comical at times.”
The 19 chimps in the park’s care function in three “friend groups,” Andrews said. The youngest chimp, Olive, is 9. Some of the chimps are diabetic, so the reserve made sure to supply some sugar-free treats.
There’s a close bond between keeper and animal, but that bond never becomes physical.
The chimpanzees are the most dangerous animals on the reservation because of their aggressive nature, Harris said. This is why the groups are kept on separate islands and the keepers never touch the chimps.
“We do not have contact with them on the island at all,” Andrews said. “But they know exactly who I am.”
The chimps were shouting, shaking and even jumping before Santa tossed gifts off of his boat to them. The visitors and keepers behaved in almost identical ways, calling out to the chimps by name and waving to them as if they were good friends.
“I love it here,” Harris said. “It doesn’t feel like work.”
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