Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for November 2013

In honor of Sarah Baeckler

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored in honor of Sarah Baeckler by Patty Wilkerson! As Patty appropriately summed up when asked about sponsoring the day, “Who doesn’t love Sarah?!” And we couldn’t agree more! Sarah is the former Executive Director of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and recently moved out of state and into the next chapter of her life as Executive Director of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance. And though she works tirelessly to improve the lives of primates everywhere, she still manages to come back to volunteer her time at the sanctuary as a volunteer caregiver. (As a side note, Patty is a chimp house volunteer who also comes from out of state. We have the most dedicated volunteers!).

I suspect Foxie is going to be doing a lot of pirouettes and back flips when she sees her good friend, Sarah, today. We humans might as well, but that would just be awkward, so we’ll leave it to Foxie.

Foxie with a playface

Patty, thank you so much for honoring Sarah and the chimpanzees in such a thoughtful way!

The inimitable Jamie

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Just as humans do, each of the chimpanzees has their own unique personality. And Jamie’s is like a kaleidoscope. She surprises us every day with her strength, beauty, intelligence, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and sheer, well, Jamie-ness. Jamie was my first chimpanzee friend and as such she holds a special place in my heart. While she can be demanding and intense in her relationships with both humans and chimpanzees, she can also be joyful, caring, and so much fun to hang out with. But one thing that Jamie consistently is, is a privilege to know, and an honor to call my friend.

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As Diana mentioned earlier today, it takes a virtual village to care for these seven amazing beings and we are so thankful to all of you who help provide them with the sanctuary they deserve. While this next photo of Jamie was previously posted, it’s one of my favorites and I feel, catches that inimitable spirit of hers. It also reminds me, as does Jamie, of one of my favorite quotes by Federico Fellini, “You have to live spherically – in many directions. Never lose your childish enthusiasm – and things will come your way.” Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for enabling things to come Jamie’s (and all of the chimpanzees’) way.

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Thank you for getting us to our goal!

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Yesterday was a bit of a roller coaster. At one point in the afternoon, we thought we had exceeded our goal in the Biddin’ for the Seven online auction, but then we received notice that someone had mistakenly made a large guaranteed bid on an item. We corrected the mistake and watched several thousand dollars disappear from the fundraising thermometer.

We were down to the last several minutes of the auction and still had some money to raise to reach the goal. But you pulled out all the stops, and we ended up going over our goal with a total of $12,757 in bids and Sustain the Sanctuary donation pledges!

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Thank you so very much to those who participated in the auction! I’ll be sending off auction items to winning bidders in the next several days, and will be excited to hear how you like your new stuff! If you have any questions about paying your invoice, don’t hesitate to contact me: [email protected].

It’s kind of funny that I was so wrapped up in watching that fundraising thermometer – $12,000 was somewhat of an arbitrary number. It sure did feel great to reach and then exceed that goal, though! It’s not, of course, all we need to end the year strong, so we’ll be doing some end-of-year fundraising and we hope you’ll sign up for our Chimpanzee Pal program or make a general donation.

It truly does take a virtual village to run a chimpanzee sanctuary, and Burrito, Negra, Jody, Jamie, Missy, Foxie, and Annie rely on their virtual family out there in the world to keep them comfortable, well-fed, healthy, and happy. The photos and videos on this blog are a testament to what donations to sanctuaries can provide, and we can’t thank you enough for taking part in giving the chimpanzees the second chance they so deserve.

Right now there is another way that you can help Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest as well as two other animal sanctuaries. Herbivore Clothing Company is spearheading a 10% for sanctuaries week, with lots of businesses participating. Take a look at the list of companies that are participating, and start shopping or make a donation here. Big thanks to Tofurky / Turtle Island Foods and Chicago Vegan Foods for kick-starting the donations!

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And if you’re still in the bidding mood, there’s still time to bid on Jamie’s painting (or any of the great paintings) in the HSUS Chimpanzee Art  Auction, with proceeds going to the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance.

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Only Hours Left to Bid – Help Us Reach Our Goal!

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If you’re signed up for our e-news list, you received the below in your inbox. Please share and help us reach our goal! And if you’re not signed up to receive our emails, sign up here.

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November 11, 2013

10:00 am PT

There’s still time to bid. Help us raise $4,000 in 10 hours!

 

Quick Links:

 

The Biddin’ for the Seven online auction got off to a great start and is going strong, thanks to everyone who has already participated!

We can meet our $12,000 goal if you place a bid or make a Sustain the Sanctuary donation. Your donation provides the Cle Elum Seven with fresh fruits and veggies, medical care and a stimulating environment. 

Though many items were grabbed up with the guaranteed purchase price over the course of the last few days, there are still plenty of items to bid on. Here are just a few:

 

Hand Painted Jody Wine Bottle

Jody wine bottle

Decorative wine bottle featuring a photo transfer of Jody from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Hand painted with a combination of latex and acrylic paints and adorned with beads and charms at the neck. Created by volunteer caregiver Stephanie Perciful.

Explore Europe Ritz Carlton package

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Five nights at your choice of participating Ritz-Carlton Resorts in Europe with breakfast each morning (can split the stay between more than one resort), round-trip airfare for two, and complimentary booking. Minimum bid price just reduced!

Two Giraffes in Golden Light

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18″ x 28″ canvas with a 1.5″ edge. A photograph of two giraffes side by side, looking out towards the setting sun in the golden grass of a savannah in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Photo by Kathy Cochran.

Ecolodge Excursion in Equador

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Four days and three nights, meals, and guided tours for two at the Kapawi Ecolodge and Reserve where you will be surrounded by wildlife in comfortable lodging by night and have opportunities to explore one of the most pristine and remote environments in the world by day.

Missy in the Bamboo Forest

Missy in the Bamboo Forest

One-of-a-kind handcrafted necklace by Tamela. The chain is a mixture of ceramic and sterling silver beads. The colors were carefully chosen to reflect the natural colors on Young’s Hill at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. 21 inches long with sterling silver clasp The pendant is 99.9% pure silver, 1.75 x 3.25 inches, kiln fired, hand polished, accented with a bamboo pattern, oxidized to give a subtle antique look, then coated lightly with a jeweler’s wax to protect and preserve the finish. Marked as fine silver on the back and given the artist’s own “T” mark.

 

See these and more items on the Biddin’ for the Seven auction website.

 

negra under blanketJoin the virtual village in caring for the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees by giving your Sustain the Sanctuary donation in any amount.

We have $1,650 to go to reach our goal of $4,000 for Sustain the Sanctuary donations on the Biddin’ site. Help us get to our goal by making a donation and sharing the donation page with your virtual friends on Facebook and other social networking sites. We will send you a special thank you in return for your donation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Young’s Hill

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The chimpanzees’ relationship with Young’s Hill has certainly developed over the time they have had access to it. Sanctuary has provided them with the room to run physically as well as the room to expand psychologically. Not only have they grown as individuals as a result of the space provided but their relationships and sense of self appear to have evolved as well. Today, in honor of the gift that space provides, here is a visual exposition of the chimpanzees experiencing the splendor of Young’s Hill.

Annie foraging:
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Jamie walking through the grass:
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Burrito climbing over logs:
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Missy smiling while running:
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Foxie sitting up on one of the wooden climbing structures:
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Jody walking through the grass:
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Negra enjoying the sun (a repeat but one of my favorites!):
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The Chimp Whisperer

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If there’s one chimpanzee who plays the role of peacemaker in the group, it’s Foxie. It seems to be her personal ambition to make sure everyone is getting along. During conflicts, she often runs around and tries to calm everyone down. You could say she’s a bit of a chimp whisperer.

So it’s not surprising that she’s a preferred play partner for a lot of the chimps. If Jamie or Burrito are looking for some fun, it’s almost always Foxie who they’ll seek out. (Burrito has the problem of being a little intimidated by almost everyone else in the group, and Jamie has the problem of almost everyone else in the group being a little intimidated by her.)

Diana got some footage of Foxie working her magic with Burrito and Negra (who doesn’t play very much with anyone due to being somewhat of an old lady) this weekend while the chimps were waiting for the humans to finish cleaning the playroom.

On an unrelated note, thanks so much to everyone who came out for Sippin’ for the Seven last night. You can see photos from the event here. And bidding for our online auction is open until Tuesday, so be sure to check out the items and get your bids in!

Sippin’ & Biddin’ for the 7 – Today’s the Day!

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Sippin’ for the Seven is tonight at 5pm in Roslyn, WA – you can buy tickets online or pay at the door ($35). It’s going to be a great night and we’re looking forward to seeing lots of friends of the seven there!

And bidding for the Biddin’ for the Seven online auction just opened! Bidding is super easy and fun. Go to the site now to check out the items and place your initial bids.

In addition to Biddin’ on items, we’ve set a goal of $4,000 to raise in donations to Sustain the Sanctuary. You can make your donation anytime – you don’t have to wait until the auction ends. Donations that help cover our basic expenses like food, electricity, internet (so we can keep up this blog!), and medicine may not be glamorous, but they are crucial to the ongoing care of Negra, Jamie, Missy, Annie, Burrito, Jody, and Foxie. We really appreciate this support and will send you a special thank you for your Sustain the Sanctuary donation.

There are some really amazing items to bid on in the auction, including:

  • Lou Reed mural doors from Seattle’s Easy Street Records, signed by the musician in 2003 (these, for obvious reasons, are for pick-up in the Seattle area only):

Lou Reed doors

Negra watercolor by Margaret Parkinson

 

 

Have fun bidding while helping the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees at the same time!