Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for December 2014

Today is for Jack and Sue Dignum!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Gary and Jan Scott in honor of Jack and Sue Dignum with the following message: “Merry Christmas! Thanks for introducing us to so many animals this year!”

Jack and Sue are amazing friends and supporters of the chimpanzees (and the humans!) and we are so grateful to have them as part of our chimpanzee family. They do so much to advocate for the animals we are so fortunate to share this planet with.

Gary and Jan, thank you so much for honoring Jack and Sue by making a difference in the lives of the chimpanzees! We are thrilled to know the chimpanzees have even more wonderful friends.

From all of the primates here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, we wish you all a Christmas Eve and year ahead filled with the love, kindness, and compassion that you so graciously share with others.

Jack and Sue’s buddy, Burrito:

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Be sure to tune in later today for the beginning of the holiday celebrations for the chimpanzees!

Resting Up For Big Days Ahead

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The next few days are going to be filled with parties and festivities for the upcoming holidays and I think the chimpanzees are resting up in anticipation. This morning while caregiver Katelyn and I were cleaning the Playroom, we noticed an exceptionally well-made nest. Actually, it was two nests made together, causing us to believe that they were made by Missy and Annie. Missy takes great care to make her nests with high walls, but this one was beyond most I’ve seen. They were over a foot high and in total the nests contained 25 blankets!

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Negra taking a nap in her cozy blankets.

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Jody

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Even Jamie took time to rest up this afternoon.

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Today is for Sam Simon

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Tracy Dunham in honor of Sam Simon! Tracy would like to share the following note for Sam: “Merry Christmas Sam Simon. On behalf of all the animals who have a better life because of you.”

As many of you may know, Sam Simon is an acclaimed writer, producer and director, and famously co-produced “The Simpsons.” Sam was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2012 and since that time he has poured his heart and soul into philanthropy, choosing to donate the majority of his earnings to animal welfare and fighting hunger, among other causes. He also founded The Sam Simon Foundation which rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to provide assistance to veterans and hearing impaired individuals, enhancing the lives of both dogs and humans.

In a recent interview with NBC News, Sam shared, ” I think that my passion for the animals and against animal abuse is based on the knowledge that these creatures who feel and think can’t speak for themselves and they’re dependent on us for that. And so I feel it’s my responsibility to speak for those that can’t speak for themselves.”

Tracy, thank you so much for giving the chimpanzees a special day in honor of such a special human. And Sam, if you happen to read this, we cannot thank you enough for being the inspiring and special soul you are and for all you do to give so many other beings the lives they deserve. Thank you for making the world a better place.

Jamie, chimpanzee woman extraordinaire:

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You too can sponsor a day of sanctuary for someone you admire, adore, or want to celebrate (this includes sponsoring a day for yourself!). We’re so close to reaching our goal of 50 new sponsored days by the end of 2015. Learn more about the sponsor-a-day program or make a sponsor-a-day donation now.

Possibilities

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The chimpanzees access Young’s Hill, their two-acre outdoor habitat, through a doorway in the greenhouse. Missy is sitting in front of that door in this photo:

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During the day, the chimpanzees spend a lot of time in front of this doorway looking out toward the hill. I think as much as they like being outside, they like the possibility of being outside almost as much. Today I caught some of the chimps taking turns sitting in the doorway and considering the possibilities.

Missy:

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Jody:

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Annie:

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Jody’s Snack Preference

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Out of the seven chimpanzees here at the sanctuary, Jody is the one most likely to forage for native plants on Young’s Hill, earning her the title of “Jody the Harvester.” Throughout the summer there are a variety of plants to choose from. However, during this time of the year, there really are no green plants growing on the hill other than the bamboo that we have planted. Even though we serve the chimps fresh fruit and vegetables each day, Jody still likes to have a little snack in between meals.

Shortly after we opened the door to Young’s Hill this morning, Jody was quick to check out what it looked like outside. Timing could not have been more perfect. There was a glimmer of sunshine peeking through a miniscule hole in the clouds. And, it wasn’t raining. She went out onto the hill and came back with this piece of bamboo to munch on.

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Are Chimpanzees Picky Eaters?

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People are often curious what foods the chimps like. The Cle Elum Seven as a group are not very picky – not nearly as picky as other chimpanzees I’ve known. The bulk of the food we provide for the chimps is raw (or sometimes baked or otherwise cooked) fresh produce, and almost everyone eats almost everything we serve. There are a couple of exceptions, of course.

Jamie, for example, eats almost everything, but really does not appreciate the skin of carrots, so we peel hers for her. She also will often turn up her nose if there’s raw spinach in the chimps’ morning smoothie, though I discovered the other day that cooked spinach (frozen and then thawed and blended up with some fruit and almond milk) is better than okay in her opinion. Foxie is probably the pickiest, and declines several different vegetables, preferring fruit. Surprisingly, she loves smoothie with either raw or cooked spinach, even though it’s doubtful she would eat spinach on its own.

Strangely (or maybe not so strange for those who agree with their tastes), as a group they don’t seem to care much for zucchini or summer squash, but they love pumpkin and they like spaghetti squash, so we’re always asking each other – do you know if they will eat this squash? This is what happened tonight when Elizabeth and volunteer Tania were getting dinner together. Elizabeth held up a butternut squash and asked if I knew if the chimps liked that variety. I really wasn’t 100% positive, but Negra gave us the answer with her food squeaks:

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It turns out they all loved it. Missy was probably the most excited, but was moving far too fast to get photos. We’ve learned it is always best to give things a try, even if there’s a chance that one of the chimps might not like one of the foods we serve. Sometimes tastes change, and, because we provide as large a variety of produce as possible and always have three or more choices in a given meal, there’s always something for everyone.

Summer in December

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We set out a chow forage after cleaning the greenhouse this morning, but for some reason only Burrito went out when I opened the door. That was fine with him.

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After breakfast, Missy and Annie sat in the doorway to Young’s Hill, trying to decide if it had warmed up enough yet to go out.

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Jody was the first to go out. At first she seemed a little uncomfortable, but as soon as the sun came out she began to relax.

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Jamie and Missy immediately set off around the hill.

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Annie came out too, clutching her blankets.

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Foxie hung out with her troll in her usual spot on the lower platform.

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This is downright balmy weather for Central Washington in December and the chimps seemed eager to spend as much time as possible outside.

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Everyone but Negra, of course. She took her time finishing her apple from breakfast and then made her way back to bed.

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Later in the day, a light mist started to fall, but Missy and Jamie kept at it. We are at walk number six now, and there’s plenty of daylight left. Got to take advantage of this weather while we can.

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