Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Archives for November 2021

Lucky’s 30th Birthday Celebration

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How lucky are we all that we have Lucky Chimpanzee in our lives now?! As Katelyn described, she is a gentle soul with an ineffable charm.

Her lunch forage, as seen in the video above, also included cherry tomatoes, of course, as we have noticed that is one of her favorite foods. We didn’t get a lot of video or photos of Lucky because she, Rayne and Dora enjoyed the party upstairs while “the boys” partied on the first floor

I love these photos that Kelsi took after the party because they are so sweet and because I know she had to go to some lengths to take the photos through the upstairs window to that playroom.

Lucky is the chimp puddle in the front of the photo below, with Terry far left, Dora far right, Cy behind Lucky, and Rayne’s foot in the right corner:

Lucky and Rayne:

Rayne sleeping off that oatmeal:

Thanks goes to Chad for the party plans, Dr. Erin for the oatmeal idea, Kelsi, Anna, J.B. and Lizz for pulling off simultaneous parties in different parts of the sanctuary, and also to Paulette once again for sponsoring Lucky’s special day.

Happy Birthday, Lucky!

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“It’s our Lucky day!”, Paulette Wrisley shared when sponsoring this special day of sanctuary, and how true that is! We are thrilled to be celebrating Lucky, who’s turning 30 today, her first birthday celebration here in her new home at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest!

Thank you, Paulette! Your heartfelt dedication to honoring the chimpanzees and bovines on their birthdays has been amazing and truly touches our hearts!

In our recent November birthday wishes post, I shared a little of our joy and honor in getting to know Lucky and what a very special chimpanzee woman she is. We are most definitely the fortunate ones having Lucky and her family grace our lives. In the last year of Lucky’s life I would imagine that her world has changed and grown more than she could have ever imagined. That’s thanks to all of you who made it possible to welcome her and her family to their new home only a few months ago. In some ways, it still seems Lucky’s group has just arrived. But in most ways, none of us could imagine our lives without them.

Happy Birthday, beautiful Lucky! We love you so much! You are a gift in all our lives.

The gift of Lucky, self-wrapped in paper:

or a box:

or a beautiful scarf:

or a firehose:

Lucky is a quiet, joyful soul. Here she is playing with her good friend, Dora (lovely Rayne in the background):

I love this photo so much! Lucky, Dora and Rayne (who happens to be Lucky, Cy and Honey B’s half-sister!):

Thank you again, Paulette, for helping us celebrate this wonderful chimpanzee lady!

Naturally, party prep is underway in the chimp house, so be sure to tune in later to see the happenings!

The Road More Traveled

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Young’s Hill is not a very densely vegetated enclosure. Nevertheless, the chimps have developed a network of trails throughout its two acres.

You’d hardly think it necessary in such a wide open space. Perhaps it’s the dampness of the grass in spring or the potential dangers that lurk beneath in late summer. Leaving the trail often means walking bipedally, which is not a comfortable mode of long-distance travel for chimpanzees.

Most of the trails are single tracks, which is partly why you often see the chimps traveling in a long line.

Every once and a while, a trail veers around an “obstacle” such as this alfalfa plant, which had the gall to establish itself along one of the chimps well-traveled routes. In this case, the chimps follow two different detours. I can almost guarantee you that while some chimps go left and others go right, each individual chooses the same left or right detour every time. Creatures of habit, these chimps.

Jamie follows the trails religiously. In fact, she probably established most of the trails long ago through her disciplined daily patrols.

The chimps aren’t the only ones who prefer a well worn path. We humans do, obviously, but so do cows. This trail winds down a slope from just above Young’s Hill and the cows rarely stray from it when crossing between pastures. Switchbacks like this do serve a purpose, in that they reduce a trail’s grade. I often wonder if this particular squiggle was the most efficient way down the slope or if it began somewhat randomly and took on a life of its own.

The deer have created their own network of trails throughout the sanctuary’s 90 acres. One of their paths follows an old irrigation canal along the sanctuary’s western boundary.

Our dogs also like to follow these paths. It could be due to the scents left behind by the deer, but I think there’s more to it than that.

These trails begin for practical reasons – they are safer and less strenuous routes for cows traversing a slope, shortcuts for deer when leaving the relative safety of the woods to feast on pears from the sanctuary’s orchard, and territorial boundaries for chimpanzees. But eventually the trails themselves become the reason for traveling the route. They practically beg to be followed. Robert Frost notwithstanding, we tend to take the road more traveled.

Thursday Mood

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Today the November rains seemed to fully set in. The chimpanzees have been nesting, napping, grooming and intermittently going for walks on Young’s Hill between cloud bursts. I caught Burrito in relaxation mode lounging in the portrait studio. 

Just try not to YAWN when you see this photo. Side note, have you ever thought about where and how your tongue moves when you yawn? What about if you yawn when you’re laying on your back? Does your tongue change positions? These are my deep thoughts on a Thursday.

Jamie’s the Coolest!

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Throughout the day we have moments where we are like, “Jamie is the coolest”. I think I write a blog every year about how much I admire her. She just isn’t afraid to be herself. She says what she wants, does what she wants, and means it whether you like her answer or not! I think we all have to admit that is pretty freakin’ cool. What I love about Jamie is that she has so many layers. She is scary, she can tend to be bossy, but she is also silly and funny. This afternoon as I was trying to find blog material and I found Jamie demanding something very specific. I couldn’t find the exact thing she was looking for until I found her new star cowboy boots. On the other side of the building JB and a helpful volunteer are putting a roof on green house two and three, so she got a bit distracted and went to the window to watch. I went around the building to the window where she was looking out. She let me take these amazing pictures of her and then she ran out onto the Hill very playfully. Her intentions were not to walk but to get a better look at the project going on, Willy B in the chute, and of course to demand me to give her whatever grapes were still left!

This was the lineup for Jamie, including Chad’s cleaning boots that I was sporting for her.

These were the boots she was looking for!

View from the top of the green house. This was the project Jamie was managing from the window.

Jamie, isn’t she amazing!

Happy November Birthdays!

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Well, since Monday was October 32nd, and if you’re me (worshiper of all things October and Jamieween), it follows that today is October 34th, so I’m right on time with our happy birthday wishes to all our November celebrating friends and followers! We are so grateful to each of you and hope your own special days are as wonderful as you help to ensure the chimpanzees’ and bovines’ days are.

Admittedly, a birthday month following “Jamieween” leaves celebrators with a tough act to follow. But don’t fret people. You now have Lucky on your side! And believe me, you have no idea how special that is. And as if that weren’t enough, you also have Honey Cow in your birthday camp!

Lucky is turning 30 on November 6th and we cannot wait to celebrate this beautiful chimpanzee woman! We are still getting to know Lucky and her five family members, just as they are still getting to know all of us. As is the case for most of us when, well, pretty much everything about our life as we’ve known it suddenly changes in one fell swoop, our personalities tend to take time to shine in their full light again while we make sure that we’re safe and settled. While some of Lucky’s family members are a little more front and center, like her look-alike brother and seeming alpha of the six, Cy, or endearing and animated, Terry, Lucky is someone who has been quietly taking in her new life in her own way and time. But make no mistake, she is no less present. She is kind and patient with her chimpanzee and human friends. And once you’ve earned a bit of her trust, she’ll swing right over and sit as close to you as she can, gazing at you, just as you cannot help but gaze in return, full of awe.

One thing Lucky loves is to have her belly knuckle-rubbed by her caregivers during greetings or times of excitement. We’ve also learned that she appears to really enjoy wearing scarves she finds in the chimpanzees’ daily enrichment that we put out. And tomatoes! Lucky loves tomatoes! While not quite Missy level tomato love, it could still be coming.

Thinking about Lucky, I find myself thinking of one of my most beloved poets, Mary Oliver, and specifically, her reverence for attention. Of being present, looking more deeply and “seeing through the heavenly visibles, to the heavenly invisibles.” That’s Lucky. She holds a quiet beauty all her own that can’t be missed. But she also holds an as of yet ineffable grace behind those beautiful eyes, in her being. All you have to do is be present, pay attention, and you will immediately see just how very special she is.

As with most months now, we have a bevy of celebrations to look forward to and be grateful for! On November 2nd we’ll be celebrating our tiny bovine family’s 3rd arrival anniversary. They’ve bravely embraced, and are thriving in, what I endearingly refer to as their mountain cattle lifestyle.

When they first arrived from California, they naturally weren’t so accustomed to our wintry weather and hilly property. It understandably took them some time to quite literally get their legs under them in their ice and snow-covered pasture. But just yesterday, they were all grazing comfortably in the rain of a chilly November day when Diana and I watched them all suddenly race past the office window, Betsy leading the uphill charge into the trees above their winter pasture, on some secret bovine mission. (Honestly, I’m not sure Nutmeg, Honey or Meredith knew what the mission was either, but they diligently followed Betsy!).

(L-R) Meredith, Honey, Nutmeg and Betsy:

And oh my gosh, you should just see the luxurious floof of their winter coats coming in. They are literally glowing. Try to run your fingers through that floof though and they will have some words with you, especially Honey, lover of her personal space. Which brings us to our second November celebration at the sanctuary, beautiful Honey is turning 14 on November 10th!:

Happy Birthday, November human friends! We are so glad you are here!

Jamie’s Boots and a Scarecrow Murder Mystery

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Before I begin, let’s play a game! Who killed the scarecrow?

If you look closely, there is a hint. Be sure to think about it as you continue reading on. The answer will be revealed at the end!

Last week, I received a new pair of Xtra-Tuf boots. After a year and many miles put on them, holes were starting to develop in them. It is manageable though, however, after the other caregivers noticed my boots, I was convinced to finally retire those pair.

“Retire them” is a vague term however. As you may know, Jamie is a fan of the Xtra-Tuf boots. She is also a fan of what boots belong on what humans.

When I unboxed my new boots, I casually walked near the doors to Jamie’s Playroom, just to see if she would notice without any kind setup. It took her about 2 seconds to notice I was not wearing my “normal” boots. As you know, with any new boots, Jamie has to thoroughly inspect them by grooming them.

This moment lasted about two minutes. Jamie quickly determined that these boots do not belong on this human. In fact, these boots belong on any human except this one.

First, she demanded(!) Katelyn wear them around Young’s Hill with them on, not once, not twice, but three times.

Then, she demanded Katelyn take a trip around Young’s Hill (while showing them off) on the Gator with Sam as the driver.

She even wanted to really break them in by racing the Gator.

Funny story about this photo. I was behind the Gator, which Sam was driving and Katelyn was riding in wearing my boots. I was wearing my old boots because like I said, they belonged on anybody but me. I also didn’t belong in the Gator apparently.

Over the past week, she has had every other human wear them.

Jamie grooming them while Sam wears them.
Sofia wearing them around Young’s Hill with Jamie.

During my weekend, I was also informed Diana and Kelsi were told they had to wear them throughout the day.

At this point, I think it’s fair to say every human has worn them more than me. I’m not mad or upset about this. I am fully aware this is Jamie’s world and I’m just living in it. If these boots don’t belong on me, then those are the rules.

Here is a bonus photo of Missy from yesterday. As Burrito and I were running around Young’s Hill, Missy came out with a Brussels sprout stalk in her mouth. She ran the entire way with it in her mouth as if it were the Olympic Torch. As I witnessed this, I radioed Anthony to get a photo before she made her way inside. Where did it come from? The only explanation is that it was stowed away safely somewhere after Jamieween.

Have you locked in your guess who the scarecrow killer was? The person who caused this grisly scene was…

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JAMIE!!!!!

Though she also had accomplices.

Missy and Annie were Jamie’s accomplices.