Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
The other day Missy was grooming a small scrape on her back with a piece of bark. Chimps love to groom injuries, so if no one else was going to help her, Missy was going to find a way to do it herself.
For Negra, it’s never too warm for a blanket. I think she just feels more secure when she’s wrapped up in something.
Jody grooming and snuggling a large stuffed bunny:
Burrito having a quiet moment:
Don’t forget – CSNW’s Stand-Up! for Chimps Comedy Night fundraiser is tonight at 8:00 at the Comedy Underground in Seattle. Lots of laughs for a good cause. Hope to see you there!
The volunteers at CSNW have been busy lately! On Saturday, a large group of volunteers turned out to help clean up the property and to begin planting grass, shrubs and wildflowers. Dakota, our garden and compost master, and Jackie, our newest caregiver, have been working hard to get the garden beds ready for planting vegetables. Right now there are seven raised beds. The plan is for the chimps to each have their own garden containing their own favorite vegetables. I was too busy (and forgetful) to take pictures of the volunteers on Saturday, but I did manage to get a couple of Dakota and Jackie and the new gardens. Many thanks to everyone that has helped get this place in shape for spring.
In addition to grooming one another, the chimpanzees sometimes enjoy grooming their caregivers. To keep everyone safe, our fingers never penetrate the caging, but the chimps can extend their fingers through the caging and make contact with the backs of our hands (or the bottom of our shoes, as you will see in this video).
The world lost a true legend and hero yesterday – Carole Noon. She was the founder and President of Save the Chimps. Hundreds of chimps, including Annie’s son and Foxie’s daughter, are free today because of her, and I can’t think of a better tribute.
I am happy to say that I worked with her a bunch over the last 8 years or so, and I learned so much from her. I remember walking into the halls of the former Coulston Foundation right after she took it over. Words can not even begin to describe how intense that place felt – it was paralyzing. Yet Carole took on the challenge with ease and transformed that dungeon into a joyful, wonderful sanctuary. Years later, she took in several chimps near and dear to my heart who desperately needed rescue.
Carole had a feisty spirit and let no one get in her way. I won’t lie – when she was my supervisor I sometimes feared her phone calls. She didn’t hesitate to tell me exactly what she thought and it wasn’t always pretty! But working with her and learning from her was an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. She taught me to confidently carry forth in any chimp situation. I will always be grateful to her for that “chimp confidence.”
Today, I’m very sad about losing Carole. But that feisty independent spirit will always be with me. May she continue to inspire us to keep doing more for chimpanzees everywhere. She left a truly amazing legacy.
We recently discovered that the chimps are crazy about grass. Today we picked some fresh grass from the pasture on the grounds and spread it in the chimpanzees’ outdoor enclosure. Here are some pictures of Annie and Jody enjoying the forage. Unfortunately, the pictures were not able to capture Annie’s delighted food squeaks.
And here are a couple of pictures of JB serving lunch outside yesterday. The second one is a complete family photo!
