December 30, 2017 - Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

This morning I took this photo of Negra:

It’s not the greatest quality because i took it with my somewhat outdated phone.

It got me thinking about this photo that I took last week while Negra sat in the same spot eating a pomegranate:

For fun, I did a search for photos labeled with the words “Negra” and “arms crossed” and I found some of my favorite photos of this iconic queen of the sanctuary. Enjoy!

I hope that you are having a Negra kind of a day – resting comfortably and just being yourself. And I hope you’ll take a moment to support Negra and her friends before midnight tomorrow by making a donation towards our $20,000 year-end goal. We’re about 40% of the way there so far!

In her desire to do something special for the chimpanzees, Trish Loesch recently sponsored not one, but two days of sanctuary, with today being the second!

In the immediate sense, we’ve been watching the chimps enjoy so many joy-filled days this holiday season. Warm, yummy foods, heaps of the softest of blankets, new enrichment to spark their curious and intelligent minds, beloved favorites like boots and dolls, and all the comforts and joys we as humans enjoy as well.

And in the long-term, we’ve been watching the chimps step more fully each day into the freedom to make their own choices, the dignity that comes with being respected and appreciated just for who you are, the courage to explore and take new risks, and the comfort of being at peace in one’s own skin and own home. Those are no small gifts.

Trish, thank you for immensely for contributing to the ever-expanding ripple of love, compassion and generosity surrounding the chimps that not only makes their lives in sanctuary possible, but makes more than they may have ever dreamt, possible.

Jamie: