Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for July 2018

In memory of Kevin Clark

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Shelley Winfrey sponsors this day each year in memory of her brother, Kevin Clark with these sentiments: “For my brother, who passed away…he would have loved the chimps.”

Shelley and her mother, Patty, are such good friends to the chimpanzees and we’re so thrilled to have them as part of our chimp family. We’re touched to be able to celebrate Kevin’s memory with them today.

Thank you, Shelley, for always holding the chimps in your heart and for all you do for them. We are all thinking of you and your family today and sending all good thoughts for comfort, peace and joyful memories.

Burrito:

Going gray

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People often mistake the white hair around a chimpanzee’s mouth and chin for a sign of old age. This “beard”, however, is part of a chimpanzee’s normal coloration and is generally present at birth.

But many chimpanzees do go gray as they get older. Over the last ten years, we’ve watched Foxie’s patches of gray hair proliferate into a “salt and pepper” look, most notably on her arms.

As my own gray hairs have also begun to proliferate, I prefer to think of it as a distinguished look.

Chimp Proof

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One of the chimpanzees’ front rooms was closed off for maintenance recently. For seven straight days, the chimps watched as Co-Directors J.B. and Diana stripped the walls and gave the room a facelift. Most of the chimps took it in stride, but boss Jamie is always very interested when maintenance is happening, and she did not appreciate being locked out of the room (on principle only – it’s not a room where Jamie chooses to spend any significant amount of time). Because chimps are very strong and very destructive, any maintenance done to their enclosures has to be chimp-proof. Jamie, especially, can always be relied upon to point out any flaws in workmanship.

Jamie Tries to Undo the Humans’ Hard Work: A Photo Essay

Eagle eyes

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There are moments in every caregiver’s life when a chimpanzee is wildly gesturing for something that they want, but we simple minded humans just can’t decipher their communication.
This afternoon Jamie spotted something on the ground that she needed me to give her.

After several minutes of frustrated gesturing. I spotted this single tiny black currant that had fallen on the ground at breakfast.

All is well.

Bonus!
Annie has chosen to make the switch from yellow to orange.

The portrait studio recently received an extreme makeover (more on that tomorrow). Look for portraits to feature a lovely grey backdrop from now on. Here’s Jody:

Not worth the risk

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Missy and Jamie have tightrope walking skills that are unparalleled by any of the other chimps at the sanctuary.

Some of the other chimps will use the horizontally stretched fire hose, but usually more like this:
(Annie)

Today Burrito tried his hand at the tightrope:

But immediately thought better of it:

His preference seems to be a more solidly built platform:

A summer day

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When the sun began to lower in the sky and shift away from the greenhouse this afternoon I found Foxie and her doll sleepily stretched out in the heat. In classic Foxie style, she stuck her toes out for a tickle to greet me as I sat beside her. And for just awhile, we got to spend a quintessential summer day lingering together, two friends, in silence and the shade found on a hot summer day with a warm breeze.

The Chimp Days of Summer

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It’s hot y’all. We’re in the midst of a heatwave here, but it is summer after all. Being in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains we’re fortunate to usually cool down at night so mornings tend to feel refreshing and cool for a short time before it heats up again. So the chimpanzees have been enjoying breakfast forages on Young’s Hill in the fresh morning air for the past few days. Negra headed straight for her cabin where she could enjoy her fruit in the shade:

The day has been playing out more and more slowly as the heat rises and the chimps have been making their way between ice cubes snacks, ice water buckets, and lounging in the cooler playroom. In fact right this minute, I can hear Foxie in the playroom slurping repeatedly on the straw of the water bucket, meaning it’s time for a refill! (As a sidenote, the chimps have access to water any time they want via several spigots throughout the chimp house. But it’s always more fun to drink from buckets and straws and cups, right?!).

Burrito and Jody chose an after lunch nap on the bench between the playroom and greenhouse where they were shaded, but could catch a good cross breeze:

Jody made sure to leave her corncob wadge within close range so she wouldn’t have to move too far when she wanted it:

Foxie and her Strawberry Shortcake dolls were the only ones dozing in the heat of the greenhouse, but the breeze blows right through. Summer, in full swing:

I was reading about the “Dog Days” of summer, a saying that originated from ancient Greek and Roman beliefs that the hottest days of the year occurred when Sirius, the dog star, appeared to rise just before the sun which they believed compounded the heat. There isn’t a chimpanzee star, but of course, we would all vote that there should be. Nevertheless, the Chimp Days of summer seems apropos in our world and are definitely upon us.