The First Snow of 2017

The first snow of 2017 fell yesterday and blanketed our world in a thin white cover. It wasn't really all that much snow, but it was white and fresh and different.

Bow looking out at the snow in the outer pen

We had had flowers blooming as late as December, so the fresh fallen snow was not unwelcome.

No, this climate is not entirely hospitable to chimpanzees in their natural condition, but neither is it to humans. That's why if someone is homeless. he would do well to move further south.

Bow is not homeless. He has a home and a family, and in the cold of winter he stays indoors and is warm and snug and cared for.

We spent a lot of time grooming each other yesterday. Somebody in the comments to one of my videos said it was too bad Bow could not go outside. But I think there's a different way to look at it: it's lucky that Bow doesn't have to go outside, if he doesn't want to. It's good that he has the indoors option.

Bow does not lack for companionship. There is Lawrence who sits with him if I have to go out. And there is his friend who brings the bananas. Last week, Lawrence asked Bow what his friend's name is who brings him bananas and grapefruit and pickle ice, and Bow spelled out "G-I-R-L". He was quite insistent. Twice Lawrence asked him, and twice Bow spelled out  "G-I-R-L". But actually, her name is Charla.

Bow and Charla

No, things are not ideal in this state for chimpanzees, but it is probably one of the best states in the union in terms of legislation, because free chimpanzees from other states have been flocking here, as the laws have made it impossible for them to live anywhere else. And yet the long arm of the Federal government is closing in on us, and already many of Bow's contemporaries are in trouble with the law.

In case you are interested, this is what has been happening lately to chimpanzees in Missouri:

http://courthousenews.com/missouri-primate-foundation-tells-peta-to-back-off/

There are legal consequences to the decision by US Fish & Wildlife to label domesticated chimpanzees in the United States as endangered wildlife. One of the most convoluted is that owning them is now considered a "take" that prevents them from breeding, and PETA is trying to force breeders to send their chimpanzees to sanctuaries where they will never be allowed to breed, and all in the name of conservation.

Meanwhile, in our snowy, quiet world, all is still calm, and we still hope. Eternal Hope is the title of the instrumental music by Kevin Macleod that I chose for the video of our first snowy day of the year.

Yes, we still hope, And if you still hope along with us, please vote us up and speak up for us wherever you can. Let the world know that you understand what we are up against, and that you sympathize and care. Sometimes that's all it takes.