Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Missy was such a goof when I opened the door to Young’s Hill this morning! She ran right out (and lots of folks followed her) and went up to the new climbing structure in the bamboo.
After sitting there for a little while, she decided to get a better view of the hill:
And then goofiness with her best friend Annie ensued
Burrito can be a little reserved in social situations, so it was especially nice to see him working so hard to get Foxie to play with him this morning.
Volunteer Katelyn is in training to be a caregiver. We like to think of training as not only a time to teach people about chimp behaviors and how to safely interact with the chimpanzees, but it’s also a time to foster new friendships. The process usually takes several months beginning with the trainee sticking close to the trainer until gradually the trainer gets further and further away and the trainee gains more independence. It’s a fun process to watch, especially when you watch the chimps become more and more comfortable with the person, and watching their friendship begin. That’s what I witnessed today with Katelyn. She hasn’t had many interactions with the chimpanzees, but today we spent a good deal of time interacting with almost everybody! We played tug of war with Missy and a sock, and Annie came over and tickled the back of Katelyn’s hand– a rare treat! Later, we spent some quality time with Foxie in the greenhouse. Foxie was so playful! She literally rolled the entire length of the deck during a chase game– a sure sign that Katelyn going to be a fun friend.
I feel I should point out that Katelyn and I are standing on different steps in the next couple of photos 😉
Caryle Johnson has sponsored today in memory of Jay Johnson on his 60th. What a lovely memorial. Thanks, Caryle!
The chimps spend a good deal of each day grooming. Grooming serves a hygienic function, but it also helps to strengthen social bonds between individuals. In some ways, grooming is the glue that holds the group together.
I’ve mailed out quite a few misprinted t-shirts this last week to eager crafters across the country. I can’t wait to see the projects that everyone comes up with!
We still have plenty of t-shirts left, so check out the challenge on the blog and on Pinterest. Share it with others, and email me ([email protected]) to get your shirts.
I’m planning on making the deadline for getting projects back to us September 10th – Annie’s birthday. How does that sound?
I managed to find the missing footage taken from the GoPro camera earlier this week. I think it’s interesting to see how the chimps see the world from within their enclosure.
As Jackie mentioned, most of the new posts that you can see in this video will be used to support a wood and fire hose bridge made by the Boy Scouts. While the scouts were working on this over the weekend, we put in about 20 other posts that will one day become climbing structures, tree houses, and crow’s nest lookouts. The money for some of these projects was donated during the fund-a-need portion of last year’s auction. Our goal is to connect all of the structures on Young’s Hill with bridges, beams, and fire hose so that the chimps can move around the two-acre enclosure without having to set foot on the ground.
This sanctuary is definitely a work in progress. But I mean that in a good way, in that we will always add new things and change others to keep life interesting for the chimps.
