Happy 2011, everyone! Not only are we celebrating the new year today, but we are about to reach a big milestone. This, what you’re reading right now, is our 995th post on the blog.
For our 1,000th post, we want to do a little reflection. We would love to know what your favorite blog posts have been over the last two and a half years. Just leave us a comment below and tell us your favorites and why.
Later today, I’ll share a post with all of the caregivers’ favorite moments of 2010. We have a lot to reflect upon!
Oh gosh…..remembering my favorite is a problem! I have so many in my mind that have brought me smiles and have also brought me to tears! I’ll spend tomorrow going through the posts just to make a list!
im with Julie , will have to take a look over all the old blogs ! be a chore i know but ill soldier on lol 🙂 x
I sincerly enjoy every post, every blog and every comment about the lives of these animals that you have turned around for the better. I log in every day to see which milestone the chimps have achieved that partictular day. I so look foward to reading about the days when the chimps are able to enjoy the great outdoors in which some have probably never have done before and that is when I believe that we will see them exhibet chimp behavior that they didnt know they had in them. Wishing all of you at the Sanctuary, people and the hairy guests (lol), the best year ever and many more to come. So I answered this like a politition but I really can not choose a favorite but if I had to it would be the announcement of your biggest project to date which was the announcement of introducing these amazing creatures to the great outdoors. To all at CSNW, thanks for all you do and every supporter that helps you achieve your goals!
I have only recently connected with you. I love all the videos, etc but I must say Jamie and her cowgirl boots is a favorite. I love the photo of Annie & Missy playing and laughing–how charming is that? Keep up the good work, I will continue to be a supporter and let others know what an amazing place CSNW and its residents & staff are. Thank you!
Marcia i know what you mean with Jaimie and her boots ! one of my top posts is when she got a boot nearly all the way on !her happiness was there for all to see her in her triumphant pose 🙂 x
Hands down….my favorite was Let It Snow on Dec 13, 2008. https://chimpsnw.org/2008/12/let-it-snow/
I saw the video on the local news channel and was hooked immediately. I remember spending hours upon hours looking at every past blog post during that snow storm. I am so grateful that I have been part of the support team for our chimp people – albeit only financially. As I look back at that video today, I am pleased that I recognize each chimp through their faces, build and gestures. My heart opens for each one as they tentatively sample the snow. Thanks to the care team for great usage of technology to keep the support team informed, entertained….and continuing to contribute.
my favorite moment i think was when, after being a caregiver here for over a year and a half, annie played with me for the FIRST TIME(!!!) just a few weeks ago. it was awesome! 🙂
so many great blog posts, how can we pick just one?!?! but if i had to… i think i’d go with their first day out, just because that is a really big deal. 🙂
Ha, Deb one of my best moments was when Missy decided that I was worthy of being able to play chase with her. You know how picky she is about her human play friends…. I was so excited, it was like a right of passage as a caregiver for the CE7. I shouted to JB ad Diana who were outside… MISSY PLAYED WITH ME….
Anne has yet to play or interact with my other than some very excited greetings which are special moments for me. the joy on her face and she comes runnig up to greet you is heart warming.
i think part of the reason that these moments are so special is that although it does make us as caregivers feel special to get the chimps’ attention, it also symbolizes their “coming out of their shell” since living in sanctuary. i can remember when each chimp seemed to accept me as a friend and play partner, but for some it took longer than others. i believe this is partially due to their hesitation in trusting humans after undoubtedly living in fear of them for so many years. and it’s not just in their interactions with us caregivers but also others things, too, (e.g. foxie’s slowly being more comfortable with enrichment) which gets back at the point of this milestone blog post. csnw allows for them to be chimps, not guinea pigs.
my two favorite things about chimps: 1) that even when they are 30 years old, they still know how to play and have a totally awesome time at it! (especially our friend missy) and 2) that they are so forgiving for what we have done to them. it’s very humbling. they really can teach us so much, and most notably for myself, to take everyone and everything on their own terms. washoe taught me that years ago and it has definitely affected how i see the world.
Too hard to choose! But one that stands out for me is “a new doll for Foxie” on 10/27. It’s fantastic she’s starting to use other enrichment, but that video mesmerizes me (just like she is with her new doll lol).
Ok….I only went back one year and my list was growing too long but here are a few of my favorites:
Foxie and the Giant Troll 10-4-09
Laughter 10-20-09
Smiling? (because it enlightens us to the fear grimace) 10-29-09
Negra’s son Noah 01-14-10
Mother’s Day party (my daughter and I are in the pics!) 05-09-10
Chimps still in Labs (very informative!) 05-13-10
Foxie’s new baby 05-20-10
We’ve Come a Long Way Baby! 05-27-10
Burrito/Sarah play 06-04-10
Jamie Then & Now 06-08-10
Negra Moments (it inspired Margaret’s painting of Negra In The Sun….loved reading it again and cried!) 06-13-10
Bounty of Trolls 07-06-10
GAPA (lots of great links) 08-03-10
Nest Building 08-17-10
Video of Young’s Hill 08-19-10
Annie & Missy grooming 08-31-10
Hand/Foot photo in memory of Diana’s mom (beautiful!) 09-12-10
Cowgirl Jamie (with a boot on her foot!) 09-20-10
Harvest time (great to see CSNW growing their own food!) 09-21-10
Halloween Party (I was there to witness their enjoyment!) 10-31-10
Negra’s daughter Heidi 11-19-10
Sorry…..I said my list was long! It was fun going back to see all the changes that have taken over the last 2.5 years! You HAVE come a long way baby! I can’t wait to see Young’s Hill take shape and how the chimps react to it. Thank you to all the staff and other bloggers who give us insights into these beautiful beings’ lives.
My favorite blog post was of Jamie witha purse. There was tissue and an emery board in the purse. Jamie wiped her nose and filed her nails like a pro. This was a profound video for me. I realized at some point in Jamie’s life she was someone’s pet and then somehow she ended up in a basement isolated plucking her belly hairs out of boredom. On one hand I was so happy to see Jamie living in a safe place with people who loved and respected her and I’m sure spend lots of time trying to figure out how to challenge Jamie. On the other hand it is terribly sad to think of all the chimps in research and those that are used in entertainment and as pets and what their fate will be. This video is partly why I constantly pester my government representative to co sponsor the Great Ape Protection Act, why I write TV executives not to use great apes, why Jamie’s art is in my office which open’s the door for me to share her story and all the others with my co workers.
Hi everyone,
Happy New Year!
My 2 favorite blog posts (I love them all) are Foxie’s new doll and the picture of Jamie in the hand chair. At least at the moment, that I can think of. There are so many, especially from the first year when we were all just getting to know each other!!!
I would have to pick the blog and video of the day when Jamie got another new boot and in the very next scene she’s flipping through the pages of a boot catalog!! It was surreal, but made so much sense. She was simply looking at something she loved, just like when we look at these 7 amazing chimps every day. We do it because we love them!!
It’s not one specific post, but I really loved seeing the chimps enjoy the food from their garden. Especially Jamie (I think) going NUTS over the onions (I think). I got to watch them being fed outside one day towards the end of the “harvest” and she wouldn’t touch anything else until all the onions were gone. Safeway is very generous to give us all the produce they do, but it was nice to be able to give them truly fresh produce. I’m such a city girl I never knew what any of it was, I always had to ask!