Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for February 2016

Missy Chimpanzee

by

Age: 41ish. Her birthday is unknown, but it’s estimated she was born in 1975. We celebrate her birthday on September 23 each year.

Nicknames: Miss, Miss-Miss, Little Bigfoot (we often joke that she resembles Bigfoot when she stands bipedally on Young’s Hill)

Best friend: Annie
Favorite foods: Tomatoes!

Distinguishing physical characteristics: distinctive white patch above her upper lip on the left side of her face, somewhat square body with no neck (she does have a neck, it’s just short).

Favorite things to do: Running, jumping, sprinting, climbing and other various acrobatic feats (including, but not limited to, firehose walking, leaping and balancing), building big nests and playing with Annie. She is also pretty serious about grooming sessions, including grooming herself with a tool.

Personality: active, energetic, graceful, adventurous, good sense of humor

Other: First to offer support/back up to the other chimps and she almost didn’t make it to sanctuary.

web_Missy_closeup_face_GH_kh_IMG_4744

web_Missy_closeup_lie_down_hold_railing_bridge_PR_kh_IMG_3844

You can find out more about Missy’s story before coming to CSNW here.

A shock from the past

by

When I was gathering photos the other day for the Share the Chimp Love Video, I came across the photo below of Jamie and gasped out loud.

I think it’s been a few years since I saw this image, but it’s very familiar. It was taken in September of 2008, three months after the chimpanzees arrived to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. J.B. posted it to the blog back then.

It was one of the best photo portraits we had of Jamie, and we even used it for some early  postcards that we made.

jamie
Jamie “Before”

 

But looking at it now, it’s just not the Jamie of today.

Her cheeks were hollow and her eyes sunken. Her freckles were more pronounced – maybe because they hadn’t darkened from sun exposure yet. And the look in her eyes just wasn’t the determined, curious Jamie that we now know and love.

Compare that before photo with the one I included in the Share the Chimp Love Video, taken last summer:

Jamie strong and confident

 

Or these that I took this morning of Jamie getting the most out of a new book:

Jamie look at camera

Jamie book in face

Jamie eating book

Jamie look at hand

Stirring Up Trouble

by

Jamie does not live in the moment. She is a thinker and a planner. Sometimes you can see her wheels turning and you have to wonder what she’s up to. As the leader of her group she performs frequent dominance displays, but with Jamie, they don’t always seem to be about dominance. Or at least not solely about dominance. Sometimes it seems that Jamie displays because she’s bored and wants to stir up a little excitement.

This happens a lot when all of the other chimpanzees are settled down, quiet and doing their own thing. Jamie struts around the room, assessing the situation and planning her strategy.

web_Jamie_quadrupedal_stand_plan_next_move_PR_ek_IMG_7622

Then her hair stands on end, she pant hoots, drums on her go-to plastic barrel, and ends by screaming and throwing the barrel across the room.

web_Jamie_display_PR_barrel_kd_IMG_9019

She then quickly looks around to see if she got anyone riled up. If not, she tries again. And again. Eventually the other chimps can’t help but get caught up in the excitement. Pant hoots are like yawns to chimps – they’re contagious. Once the chimp house is a cacophony of noise, Jamie seems to feel like she’s done her job and she’s finally able to settle down.

web_Jamie_hold_cloth_enrichment_PR_ek_IMG_7626

web_Jamie_inspect_cloth_enrichment_PR_ek_IMG_7624

web_Jamie_inspect_cloth_enrichment_PR_ek_IMG_7625

web_Jamie_hold_cloth_enrichment_look_toward_camera_PR_ek_IMG_7627

web_Jamie_profile_PR_ek_IMG_7630

web_Jamie_PR_ek_IMG_7633

web_Jamie_PR_ek_IMG_7631

Thank you, Joanna!

by

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Joanna Morris in honor of the chimpanzees! Joanna shared how much she loves the chimps’ different personalities and today she wants to celebrate each of these amazing beings.

Joanna, thank you so much for not only recognizing and honoring how special and unique each of the chimpanzees are, but for helping to give them the lives they deserve in their sanctuary. We are so grateful to you for your compassion and generosity!

Best friends, Missy and Annie playing chase on Young’s Hill:

web_annie_grab_missys_foot_chase_yh_jb_IMG_7111

Courageous Foxie exploring with Dora:

web_Foxie_dora_tower_roof_YH_jb_IMG_4568

Burrito accompanying Jody on one of her foraging adventures:

Burrito and Jody with bamboo

And of course, Boss Jamie and Queen Negra:

Negra kiss Jamie

What a perfect Sponsor-a-Day to be gifted with as we kick off our Share the Chimp Love fundraiser for Valentine’s Day! See how your support has not only changed the lives of Annie, Missy, Foxie, Burrito, Jody, Jamie and Negra, but has also made it possible for us to begin our Sanctuary Expansion Fund so that other chimpanzees in need may experience the hope, love, home and sanctuary they deserve.

Burrito’s invisibility cloak

by

Burrito is known for his ridiculously adorable shenanigans. And today was no different. (There are some blurry action shots that I just couldn’t leave out).

web_burrito_veil_play_I_kd_IMG_7604

web_burrito_veil_play_II_kd_IMG_7606

web_burrito_veil_play_III_kd_IMG_7607

web_burrito_veil_play_IV_kd_IMG_7608

web_burrito_veil_play_V_kd_IMG_7609

web_burrito_veil_play_VI_kd_IMG_7610

web_burrito_veil_play_VII_kd_IMG_7611

web_burrito_veil_play_VIII_kd_IMG_7613

web_burrito_veil_play_X_kd_IMG_7615

web_burrito_veil_play_XI_kd_IMG_7617

Despite the blur of Burrito, I love his huge play face you can just make out under the veil. At this point, he jumped down to begin a raucous game of tug o’ war with the scarf. This guy.

web_burrito_veil_play_XII_kd_IMG_7618