Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for December 2013

The Wonder of the Season

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For Burrito, the wonder of Christmas includes Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest’s traditional hanging (and therefore spinning) Christmas tree. Just see the earnest look on his face in the photo below:

Burrito chimpanzee gazing at tree

Not surprisingly, the reason he is so enamored with this tradition is because it involves food. Today we stuffed the tree with mini-bananas and coconut covered dates. Jamie monopolized the tree in the beginning.

Jamie spinning tree

Jamie spinning tree

Jamie spinning tree

Missy, being Missy, tried a more daring approach

Missy stand xmas tree hanging

Foxie looked on from above

Foxie looking down at xmas tree from catwalk

Once Burrito thought it was okay with Jamie to approach, he joined her in the tree worshiping

Burrito looking into tree

Burrito gazing at tree

and spinning

Burrito spinning tree

Burrito and Jamie look at tree

Jamie and Burrito spinning tree

Later, someone decided to pull the tree up onto the catwalk, which provided some browsing – the chimpanzees like to eat the pine needles too, making the whole tree a treat!

Negra sit by tree

and it served as a nesting companion for Negra too

Negra lay by tree

 

Welcome, Christmas!

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Christmas (and a whole lot of troll dolls) arrived in the chimp house this morning! And thanks so much to volunteer caregiver, Patti, an amazing fireplace, loads of decorations, and an incredible Christmas lunch!:

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Foxie checking out one of the stockings:

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Patti, made the most incredible Christmas lunch, complete with field roast and cashew gravy, cranberry sauce in pumpkins and sparkling apple cider!:

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Negra enjoying her Christmas dinner as the trolls look on:

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Missy enjoying some Brussels sprouts:

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See if you can spot Annie:

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A big hit of the day were these giant cardboard tubes which came courtesy of Santa’s elf (and volunteer caregiver, Seana), which she stuffed with paper and nuts:

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Foxie gazing adoringly at one of her many new trolls:

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And in true holiday fashion, Burrito was too full to move by the end of dinner, but that didn’t stop him from making room for pumpkin and Brussels sprouts that lay within arms reach:

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Annie’s feet as she takes a rest after the celebration:

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And for all of our Jody fans, no worries, she enjoyed the Christmas extravaganza as well, she was just avoiding the paparazzi today. Thank you so much to volunteer caregivers, Patti and Seana, for making the chimpanzees’ day so wonderful, amazing supporters Jayne R. and Pam O. for supplying trolls and decorations, Laurel H. for sponsoring today, and to everyone else who contributed to today’s festivities. And from my heart (which in Grinch style grew three sizes the day I met these chimpanzees) thank you to all of our supporters near and far who help us give the chimpanzees the kind of days they deserve. From all of the primates here at CSNW, we wish you the happiest of holidays!!

Happy Birthday, Laurel!

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A Christmas day of sanctuary was sponsored by Laurel Hecht! Today is Laurel’s birthday and in the true spirit of giving, she chose to celebrate by giving a special day to the chimpanzees. Laurel, what a kind and generous thing to do! Thank you so much and from all of us here at CSNW, we wish you the happiest of days (enter pant hoots and food squeaks here)!

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The chimpanzees are waking up to a bustling chimp house this morning as we prepare for all the holiday festivities so be sure to check back later today to join in the celebration!

Happy Holidays, Julie and Rob!

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A Christmas Eve day of sanctuary was sponsored by Jean Bengston as a gift for Julie and Rob Sweet! Jean shared what fans Julie and Rob are of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and that they wish to give this gift to the chimpanzees as opposed to themselves. We have the most generous and compassionate supporters! Thank you so much, Jean, Julie and Rob, for making the chimpanzees’ Christmas Eve even more magical.

Happy Holidays to you all!!

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Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming!

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As the year comes to a close we are thick in the heart of the holiday season enjoying all that this can entail: friends, family, food and fun. Here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest the trick to celebrating the holidays is creating engaging and chimpanzee friendly traditions. Now, for myself, this will be my first year to enjoy the holidays as a member of the CSNW family but they’ve been at this for a while and are definitely pros. You can check out previous year’s party posts to read about ghosts of Christmas past:

2012 – Merry Christmas!
2011 – Best Christmas Ever
2010 – Happy Holiday!
2009 – Party in the morning . . .
2008 – Holiday celebration with the Cle Elum Seven

Or, if you just need a little seasonal cheer to tide you over until Christmas morning check this out!

Nothing To See Here

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Posting to the blog is one of my favorite job duties. I love sharing stories, photos, or videos of the chimpanzees, because someone is almost always doing something funny, endearing, impressive, or otherwise interesting. But capturing these moments on camera can be a challenge.

I just came across a series of photos Diana took a couple of weeks ago of Foxie and Burrito playing. The series perfectly illustrates our daily struggles trying to get photos of the chimpanzees for the blog. When we witness moments like this, we run and grab the camera.

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But as soon as the chimps catch sight of the photographer, whatever blog-worthy thing they were doing often comes screeching to a halt, as though it never happened.

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