Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Archives for November 2011

Besties on the hill

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I have been completely amazed at how much time the chimps have been spending on the hill these days! The other day it was cold, cold, cold. But Annie, Missy, Jody, Foxie, and Jamie (or the “Young’s Hill superstar five”) spent almost 2 hours out there! Missy and Annie ran around playing chase and wrestling with one another the whole time. Jody, Jamie, and Foxie jumped in the games at various times, but Annie and Missy didn’t stop… maybe because they are best friends, or maybe it was just a great way to stay warm! Either way, they seemed to be having a blast!

The games rapidly alternated between Annie chasing Missy, and Missy chasing Annie

As the chaser, Missy’s technique to slow Annie down was to grab at her feet

Missy chased and wrestled with Annie on this climbing structure for a long time. They went ’round and ’round and ’round until Annie was able to escape onto the nearby rope bridge

Giant box enrichment

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The other day, Denice and I filled a giant refrigerator box with all of the chimps’ enrichment and blankets. Not surprisingly, Jamie was pretty interested. But Jody, Missy, Foxie, and Negra showed some interest as well!

Winter Break

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It was gorgeous this afternoon! No wind (a rarity around these parts), clear skies and that welcoming yellow orb in the sky. Everyone except Burrito and Negra spent quite a bit of time on Young’s Hill enjoying this little break from winter. Burrito was very happy to grab snow from the raceway and Negra peaked out but went back to the warmth of her nest.

These two don’t spend much time with each other, but today Annie and Jody went on a little hike together:

Jody and Annie in the bamboo

Jody hid herself above the bamboo:

jody behind bamboo

Annie found a perch:

Annie perched on log

 

Meanwhile, Missy was busy with a large piece of ice she found in a tire:

Missy hold ice

Missy eat ice

Missy carry ice in mouth

 

Jamie was busy trying to stuff a tie (with a troll doll tied to it) into one of the holes in the treat rock:

Jamie stuffing tie into treat rock

 

and Foxie wandered all around with her dolls:

Foxie walking with troll dolls

Foxie walking with troll dolls 2

Jody and Foxie on the hill

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Jody sampled the snow from many different areas of Young’s Hill today. Her favorite seemed to be the snow from the crater in our miniature Mt. St. Helens replica.

Foxie also went all the way outside today, but she tried to keep her feet off of the snow as much as possible.

Everyone else seemed content to grab some snow from the end of the raceway and watch Jody and Foxie brave the cold from the warmth of the greenhouse.

Thanksgiving Day Brunch

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At my house, we traditionally have our Thanksgiving Day meal at lunch because usually we all eat so much that we need a nap almost immediately, but then can get up later and have leftovers and pie! In the spirit of family, I incorporated some of that tradition into the chimps’ day, only they had brunch instead (so they can still have room for their Field Roast dinner and dessert tonight!). Their Thanksgiving Day Brunch included small plates of sweet and regular baked potatoes, Brussels sprouts, onions, pumpkin, cranberry sauce, and some delicious blueberry pomegranate juice. They were going crazy watching us set it all up!

The chimps were so excited when they went into the playroom that a small fight broke out. Chimps are very emotional and sometimes excitement can lead to aggression, which is exactly what happened today. Chimps’ emotions are very strongly tied to their limbic systems, meaning they have less control over their emotions- so when they feel something, they truly feel it and sometimes it gets out of hand (which is why the most predictable thing about chimps is that they are unpredictable). Not surprisingly, like a true Queen, Negra stayed out of things while everyone else worked it out. In fact, while everyone else was screaming and running around after each other, Negra was quietly sitting in her nest enjoying her Brussels sprouts. The argument only lasted about 2 minutes and soon everyone was quietly enjoying their Thanksgiving brunch together.

Negra enjoying her Brussels sprout stalk while sitting in her nest in her favorite spot in the playroom:

Jamie loved the Brussels sprouts!

Missy enjoying a little onion

Burrito was so excited! I wasn’t able to get too many good photos of him today because he was moving around so fast collecting his favorite foods! Here’s a photo of him mid-chew, enjoying the delicious baked potatoes:

Annie enjoying her sweet potato:

Here at CSNW, we have a lot to be thankful for! It’s been a spectacular year and so much of that is because of our generous donors and supporters! In addition to Emily Ruch and Marcia Douthwaite, who both sponsored today, a special thank you goes out to Robyn Petticrew and Barbara Bakaletz, who both made recent donations to help ensure a spectacular day for the chimps! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Today the chimps are thankful for… Emily Ruch and Marcia Douthwaite

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Emily and Marcia have each sponsored today as a Thanksgiving gift to the Cle Elum Seven.  Their generosity has helped enable us to plan the big bash about to get underway.  (I’ll give you all a sneak peek: it’s going to involve Field Roast, cranberries, chunky homemade applesauce, pecans, warm rolls, and sugar-free pumpkin pie for dessert.)  We are so thankful for Marcia, Emily, and all of you who love these chimpanzees as much as we do.  Happy Thanksgiving!

(Be sure to check back later for photos and video of the party.)