A couple of weeks ago we introduced you to Foxie’s new love of a purple haired Strawberry Shortcake doll. Well yesterday her new shiny friends arrived in the mail! Foxie was so excited that she wanted us to playfully chase her around holding the box before she could even bring herself to cuddle them.
Archives for October 2017
Lazy play for a lazy day
Missy and Negra didn’t feel the need to release much energy in this morning’s play bout. Notice how it devolves slowly into a grooming session. Negra approves of all interactions where she gets to stay in bed!
Happy Birthday, Jan!
Kery Shaw and Terran Baylor sponsored a day of sanctuary in honor of Jan Galeazzi! They shared this message about their gift:
“Jan Galeazzi is Animal Place’s Rescue Ranch Manager. She is a chicken mom, goat whisperer and mentor. Above all Jan is humble, smart, selfless, and passionate, and just an incredible human being. Jan has had several lives, doing several things, which left her feeling not satisfied. Through one of her jobs she met her fiancé who was aware of her feeling dissatisfied and yearn to do more. He encouraged her to go do those things. She loves running, rock climbing, kayaking and being around intellectual individuals very much like herself. Most of all, Jan is a giver and a healer. She saw an opportunity to volunteer at Animal Place and being an animal lover, saw it as a great opportunity to give back. It did not take long for Jan to be hired on as a full time employee and then eventually take on the position she has now. The first time I volunteered at Rescue Ranch I was immediately impressed at the way things were run. The staff remarked it was because of Jan. There is not a single person or staff member that does not love her, including myself. Jan works really hard and has made several compromises to do what she does. She has seen a lot and knows a lot. People have no idea what it truly takes to handle the emotion and physical aspects of her life. To know a woman of such a great caliber blows my mind. I am proud and honored to know her and call her my friend. So much love and respect. Today and everyday we HONOR and CELEBRATE you Jan! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, All our Love, Kéry & Terran”
Thanks so much Kery and Terran for thinking of the chimps as you celebrate Jan! We appreciate you always holding them in your hearts.
Jan, all of us at CSNW wish you the happiest day and hope that all you contribute to the world and those around you comes back to you tenfold. Happy Birthday!
Resident handsome guy and charmer, Burrito:
Challenge for Friends of Burrito!
A generous anonymous donor has come forward with a $5,000 challenge donation to support Burrito and Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest today, on Giving Day for Apes!!
But wait, here’s the thing – there’s a Power Hour coming up from 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm PT (that’s 7:00 – 8:00 pm for those on the other coast). The sanctuary that raises the most in donations during that hour will get an addition $2,500.
We didn’t win the last Power Hour (congrats to Center for Great Apes!), but we did really good, thanks to everyone who gave.
What do you say, will you make a donation in honor of Burrito and towards the future between 4:00 and 5:00 pm today?
Here’s a video in case you need a little Burrito-inspiration:
Crisp days and spooky nights
We’ve already seen some snow in the surrounding mountains and apparently have a long stretch of rain on the way, but for now the days have been dawning with beautiful blue skies and crisp, frosty mornings. Despite being able to see our breath in the morning air, the chimps have been loving being on Young’s Hill and waiting to warm up in the bright sun:
Peas-in-a-pod, Annie and Missy, climbed up together to enjoy the view in the cold autumn air:
Jody sat for ages in the morning sun then ventured up the hill for a snack to bring back to the top of the greenhouse where she could warm up:
And much to my surprise, when Jamie and I were returning from a walk around the hill, I spotted Negra of all people enjoying the sun and the view despite the cold temperatures:
I think Foxie was just as surprised to spot Negra out on such a brisk morning and decided she and her current favorite doll would check in on Negra:
Double-decker chimps:
In other news, Jamie has been doing something new this year! As a little background, if you’ve been a follower of the blog for very long you are probably aware that Jamie often enjoys late evening strolls with her caregivers. After dinner, after the other chimps have gone to bed, and past the time that her caregivers are supposed to go home for the day. We can’t blame her, evenings at the sanctuary are lovely, peaceful times and during summer a welcome relief from the heat of the day. We’ve adjusted our schedule so that we all rotate to cover PM on call in the evenings and two of us can be with her in the event that she (or anyone else) chooses to stay out past the end of our shift. This is one of many beauties of sanctuary; the chimps get to choose when they want to come in for the night. And it’s really a heartfelt joy and honor to be able to provide such a home for them.
Up until this year, we knew that even if Jamie wanted to stay out late, once it got dark she was ready to come inside. Well, that’s no longer the case! Back in August, and again last night, Jamie decided to brave walking around the hill with us in the pitch dark! The first time Jamie did this she was clearly nervous, but clearly wanted to go so Kelsi and I grabbed the spotlight and scanned the hill for her so she could see everything and know she was safe. It took her awhile to build up her courage, but once she made up her mind we were off! Kelsi held a light for us to see where we were going while I held the spotlight just ahead of Jamie to light her path. At every corner of the perimeter we’d stop and I’d light up the entire path ahead of her to remind her she was safe and then we’d venture on.
It’s phenomenal to me when I think how much courage this took for her to do. Not only is it entirely unnatural for a chimp to be on the ground outside in the dark (let alone one who spent three decades in a small cage in biomedical research), but she had to trust us enough to hold the light for her all the way around and not leave her. But once we made our way safely around she was thrilled, ready to go again! We walked around and around that night, carving a path with the light until 10:30!
So last night Jamie decided she was ready for another brave adventure. In the spirit of spooky, magical autumn nights and the month of Jamie-ween (we celebrate Jamie’s birthday on Halloween) here is Jamie in the pitch dark of the green house last night gesturing for Kelsi and I to put on the cowboy boots and get ready to run around the hill again. To say she was thrilled with the evening is an understatement. You can see the light from the chimp house through the doorway behind her where everyone else was cozy and asleep in their night nests. And what better way to celebrate Jamie’s birthday month and get into the spirit of Jamie-ween than a photo a little reminiscent of the “Blair Chimp Project”:
Forage While We Can
What a great day to be at the sanctuary! The morning started chilly and we thought the chimps couldn’t possibly want a forage on the Hill. But, to our delight it was the perfect day to be outside and especially to have a forage on the Hill. It is important to spend time outside while we can before the dreaded winter comes. The chimps spent a great deal of their day in the Green House and out on Young’s Hill. We also had some visitors for our lunch forage that Jamie was very curious about. She even had the group walk the perimeter with her.
Negra nestled in the comfy nest soaking up the morning sun:
Jody also relaxing in a soft warm bed soaking up some vitamin D:
Missy sitting on the window ledge in the Green House:
Annie being very photogenic as per usual:
Negra enjoying the forage and observing guests:
Annie foraging:
Jody with a handful of food and trying if there is any more left:
Jamie sitting on the fire hose and eating kale:
Jamie also wanted to show off a bit for the group:
And man does she have balance:
After Jamie made the group go on a walk with her:
A Nod to Dr. Jane Goodall
Thanks to CSNW board member Elizabeth List, J.B. and I recently had the opportunity to see Jane Goodall give a presentation to a small group of people hosted by the Seattle Foundation.
Here is Elizabeth and Dr. Goodall (you may be able to tell from this photo that Elizabeth was pretty excited to share a stage with Jane):
And here we are, in case you didn’t believe me:
Like many other devoted fans, we’ve met Dr. Goodall several times over the years and have seen her speak in very diverse venues, and she never fails to be truly inspirational. She’s a force for good in this world. Her legacy reaches every corner of the earth, in both big and small ways. She is a groundbreaking animal behavior scientist, a role model for girls and women, and a voice of both compassion and reason in matters concerning the environment and animals.
In my world, her influence is present nearly everyday because she literally wrote the book on chimpanzee behavior. When we describe chimpanzee facial expressions, vocalizations, social interactions, and all other behavior, we are most often using the terminology that developed from the hours upon hours that Jane Goodall observed chimpanzees in their natural habitat. She published papers and books that proceeded it, but the quintessential academic book on chimpanzee behavior, that every primatologist has on their bookshelves, is called The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior.
I could say that this blog post is a nod to Jane Goodall’s work, but really almost all of our blog posts, and, indeed, the sanctuary itself, in the big picture, is thanks to Jane Goodall and her work that allowed us all a glimpse into the world of our closest living relatives.
As I’ve written before on this blog – my favorite chimpanzee facial expression is, as Jane Goodall named it, “relaxed face with drooped lip.”
Among all of the chimpanzees who I have worked directly for over the years, there is no one that illustrates that face better than Jody. Here are two photos that J.B. took of Jody demonstrating the perfect relaxed face with drooped lip: