Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
How many chimps are in this picture? Can you name them? Ready… Go!
Bonus photos!
Annie sitting on top of the Twister:
Foxie:
Missy eating snow:
Burrito taking a stroll with the ladies:
Jamie ready for a walk and Missy following behind:
Jody was on a mission (probably to find snow):
Jody and Foxie:
While everyone was outside Negra grabbed a bunch of blankets and took a nap:
Later, Jamie went out and sat on the Twister for a while:
Eric Beckley sponsored a day of sanctuary in honor of Adrienne DiCerbo with this lovely message:
“For Adrienne on her Birthday. From Eric and Leo. She briefly volunteered at your sanctuary and loves all your chimps, especially when they are playing, eating, and loving each other.”
Eric thank you for choosing such a kind and compassionate gift for Adrienne and the chimps!
And Adrienne, we so appreciate you sharing your birthday with the chimps and continuing to help ensure that all the chimps’ days are filled with joy, good food to grunt and squeak about, and so much love. We hope it’s the best birthday yet!
Happy Birthday from all of us at CSNW!
A Jamie and Foxie pretzel:
The other day, after the PRT session that Elizabeth filmed, Jamie and I followed a typical post-PRT routine. Because I had spent the last fifteen minutes requesting that she do things, it was her turn to request that I do something (I’m pretty sure that Jamie believes it is ALWAYS time for the humans to do something for her, but I digress). So I put on her latest favorite pair of boots, we did a perimeter walk, and afterward we settled in for a grooming session in the greenhouse.
Jamie is easily the most dexterous chimpanzee I’ve ever known, and she’s a master at using tools. Her fine-motor ability is really quite impressive. Just watch this video of Jamie giving J.B. a “manicure” and read this story about her tool-altering skills and forethought.
It was just Jamie in the greenhouse, grooming my fingers and the boots, when Annie came over with a tool of her own.
For the first several years of Annie’s sanctuary life, she didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the humans – not because she wasn’t interested in us, but, I think, because she was a ball of anxiety, and she didn’t want to over-step her place in the social world of chimpanzees and humans. We have written many times on the blog about Annie’s ever-growing confidence in the last few years (for example, this touching post from Elizabeth).
We’ve witnessed all of the chimpanzees trying new things over the last nine+ years at the sanctuary. We’ve gotten to know them so well that when they do something new, it stands out. You may already be familiar with “Fake Neggie” – a nickname for Missy when she is adopting Negra’s quintessential blanket-over-head nesting style.
You may not know that there was a time a few years ago when Negra decided troll dolls were her thing too, carrying one with her from bed to meals to adventures on Young’s Hill.
It lasted for a few weeks, then the fad seemed to pass for Negra and she’s been mostly troll-less ever since, leaving the doll obsession to Foxie.
Jody is sometimes seen with troll dolls, and Annie tries them out once in a while too.
Imitation is an important part of observing and learning. J.B. wrote a blog post back in 2012 about how copying the behavior of others shouldn’t be dismissed as somehow intellectually unimpressive. It’s worth the read.
When Annie confidently walked towards me with her rather blunt tool and pushed it out through the caging to groom the boot I was wearing, my smile could not have been any bigger. She was clumsy and awkward with the over-sized tool she had chosen, but she gave it a go, even with boss Jamie sitting right there to watch.
Annie didn’t stay long, and I don’t think she had any kind of magical insight about why Jamie spends so much time engaging in this behavior.
To have an interesting and full life and to get a better idea of who you are, you have to try new things – even things you aren’t sure you will be good at doing. Annie seems to know this now. She’s 100% signed up for this sanctuary life, and I have no doubt she and her chimpanzee companions will continue to try new things, figuring out more about themselves and delighting and surprising us along the way.
I am feeling quite lucky today as I just got back from a beautiful family vacation last night! After being away for a little while, the humans at the sanctuary are always happy to be reunited with their chimpanzee friends, and the feeling is usually mutual. I was delighted to see that Central Washington has maintained its mild winter, so the chimps and I celebrated the morning with multiple walks around a snow-less Young’s Hill.
Ellie the neighborhood elk has been spending most of her winter away from the sanctuary, but now that the snow has gone, she made an appearance on the property this morning.
At one point, I saw each of the 7 chimpanzees get some fresh air, including Foxie accompanied by her Dora doll.
More walks are in order this afternoon, so I’ll just leave you with a bonus photo of this much smaller non-human primate we saw leaping through the trees of a Costa Rican national park.
We’re still plugging away at our Positive Reinforcement Training program and the chimps continue to make strides everyday.
This morning, Jody led Foxie and Burrito on the first perimeter walk of the day!
The sun was out, but a slight breeze made for a very brisk walk.
The Cle Elum 7 love snow, so no matter how chilly they might feel, they still like to collect an icy snack to take inside with them. Jody is no different!
Dawn Garcia and Jo Arroyo sponsored a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees and one of their (and our!) dear friends, Lynn Williamson! They shared this lovely message about this lovely woman who we are all thrilled to celebrate today:
“Happy Birthday Lynn Williamson! We knew this gift, sponsoring the chimps for a day in your honor, would be exactly what you would want. Lynn has been a dear friend for decades. She was a champion for the Cle Elem Seven upon her very first meeting years ago. She adores them and as a dedicated volunteer, has favorite stories she shares about each one, but we won’t tell if she has a favorite! Lynn has a huge heart for not only the chimpanzees but all animals. She is very compassionate about captive wild animals, doing her part to make them comfortable and enriched. That’s one of the reasons she volunteers with CSNW; DIana, JB and the chimpanzee caregivers ensure the chimps have the best life possible. Lynnie is a gentle soul, loyal, fun and a sometimes silly, best friend. Seattle BFF, enjoy your happy day! with big love, Dawn and Jo”
Thanks, Dawn and Jo, for sponsoring today for the chimps and Lynn! We so appreciate your big, compassionate hearts.
Lynn, we’re so happy to celebrate you today and hope your heart is full of all the good things. Thank you for all you do for our fellow animals of the world. We’re all lucky to have you here. Happiest of birthdays from all the primates at the sanctuary and whether you choose to relax or kick up your heels (or both!) we hope it’s the best one yet!
