The Daily Life of a Chimpanzee at the Henry Vilas Zoo

All was quiet and calm as my eyes fluttered open from my much needed sleep. I felt a sharp pang of hunger gnawing at my stomach, crying out for food. I felt the time had come; we were going outside, to the food. I glanced over to see the male had awakened as well, yet his heavy eyelids revealed that he wished he hadn’t. Soon, we had both become anxious. My eyes wandered to the secret opening; the place where we could escape into our outdoor playground.
Without warning, the sun shone through the compartment and its door flung open. Right on time, too. I love the fact that I can rely on such an organized day. It seems to keep me in synch.
I started towards the opening, the male close behind. I caught the delectable aroma of food in the air, and my pace increased.
After eating my fill of bananas and some other chow, the humans began to flood into the zoo, their exotic words amazed me, my interest becoming hard to resist. Their voices comfort me, even the little ones with their higher pitched tones. There are days when I’ll just watch them, many of them quickly turning their heads, trying to take in everything as soon as they possibly can. Others are more calm and serene, with mellow voices and dispositions. I love them all, though, no matter their personalities!
For some odd reason, the humans seem to take an interest in my male companion or myself when we play around our playground. Swinging and hopping around high in the air always pleases the crowd, drawing out their ‘oooos’ and ‘awwwws’ in a heartbeat.
The cheery morning had turned into a fast paced afternoon, and I felt my tummy rumble once again. I checked the opening again, expecting it to open any minute, and to my satisfaction, it did. With one last hurrah of the day, I swung across the play ground and swiftly onto the ground and scuffled back indoors.
The scent of food drifted to my nostrils, and I knew my stomach timer hadn’t let me down. I quickly hustled over, only to be surprised by a large bang. I spin around and spot the male slamming his feet against the glass. A twinge of annoyance slips through me: everyday he must announce his arrival back into the indoors. Of course, everyone has to know. Soon, I turned my attention back to my food, contempt with such an easy day. And when I awake the next morning, the cycle will continue and I couldn’t be more excited!


Thanks for Reading!
~Brooke