Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Jody was quite busy this morning harvesting plants from a mound on Young’s Hill. This particular mound has been producing more and more edible vegetation each year.
We call Jody “Farmer Jo” mostly because she collects the fruit and vegetable forages that we spread all over the hill and brings her collections in to the greenhouse in large armfuls, but today she was harvesting the natural plants and eating them as she harvested. And she looked quite beautiful while she was doing it.
Young’s Hill is a magical opportunity for the chimps. It is a place to feel free, it is a space they can protect, a place to escape to be alone, and a place to play and have fun with friends. And to me that is sanctuary. I have a collection of photos of all the ladies on the Hill from the past week. I can’t explain how it feels to watch these 7 chimps go out on to Young’s Hill and that it’s just part of their every day life. That for some chimps like Jamie they get to do what wild chimps would do; patrol their perimeter. If they can’t be wild I hope all chimps get this experience.
Foxie:
Annie:
Jody:
Missy:
Jamie:
Negra:
The chimps’ dear friend, Meg Lunnum, sponsored today in honor of some new friends of hers!
“I would like to honor my new chimpanzee friends from the Tulsa Zoo, Suzy, Morris, Hope, Vindi, Bernsen, 5 year old Enloe and Jodi. The day I visited, it looked like they didn’t like kale very much but were having lots of fun with shredded sisal packing material. Based on the accommodations for the Cle Elem Seven, I always try to see if chimpanzees at zoos I visit are happy.”
Meg, thank you so much for looking out for chimpanzees everywhere and for introducing us to these lovely people. Enloe and his mama, Jodi, are awfully sweet. It makes us so happy to know that you hold the the chimps’ lives here as an example of joy and well-being. We’re grateful to you for helping to ensure that for them. We certainly hope for all animals, in captivity and the wild, to experience such things in their lives.
Beloved Annie:
Negra was first outside this morning and she had one goal: eat lots of wild prickly lettuce! This plant grows naturally on Young’s Hill and is a go-to treat in the spring time.
The chimpanzees recently had some visitors from KIRO 7 News in Seattle, who put together this great piece about the sanctuary and the plans for expansion. Below is the video and here’s the link to the page on the KIRO 7 News page.
If you needed something to make you smile or a good laugh, you have come to the right place!
We had a very silly Burrito:
A Jamie full of mischief:
Negra wasn’t quite ready to get out of bed this morning:
But Foxie and Burrito were grooming up a storm:
Negra did venture out to the Hill later in the morning:
Foxie wanted to play a very lazy game of troll toss in the green house:
Annie and Missy could be found lounging all around the chimp house today or rippin’ around Young’s Hill:
And the wonderful miss Jody spent her day quietly foraging on the Hill and napping in the green house:
There are a few weeks each year in early spring that are dreamlike here at the sanctuary. Of course, the sanctuary holds it’s own magic year-round, but this time of year the world briefly turn lush, vibrant green, the air is scented with lupine and the birdsong is never-ending. It’s glorious, really. And even more so to watch the chimpanzees enjoy these days.
Bleeding hearts:
This little finch sang and sang all the day long:
We’ve had a literal superbloom of balsamroot this year and the entire canyon is covered in bright yellow blooms:
Everyone was at the top of the hill together this morning already on snake patrol:
Foxie:
Dear, sweet Annie wanted to join the group, but she was more concerned about walking through known “snake territory” to join them and opted to use the firehose to avoid stepping on the ground. The chimps have been seeing a snake the past couple of days, most likely a harmless racer or garter snake, and if you’ve been following for awhile you might recall that Annie HATES snakes. She screams at the top of her lungs at the mere suggestion of one:
Safe with Missy:
Jamie and I went walking before dinner and I quickly figured out we were on a serious snake hunt. She bravely scoured under every log and patch of flowers she could find:
I found a snake on my side of the fence, but I didn’t tell Jamie about this green racer taking a nap outside of Young’s Hill:
Lupine:
Swallow couple nesting:
May your spring days be as magical as the chimps’!
