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Archives for January 2022

Fantastic B’s And Where To Find Them

January 5, 2022 by Chad de Bree

This week has started with a year brand new,

So here is the Eve of Burrito, Part II.

 

The day began as I walked through the gate,

Opening the Chimp House not a second late.

In this community lives magnificent beings,

When you meet them you’re overcome with feelings.

 

But this day in particular I’m looking one,

His name starts with a B and he likes to run.

I head through the door and who do I see?

Why, it’s one of my other friends, Mr Willy B.

“Hey you human! I am glad you are here!

There is a peanut out of reach, right over there!”

“Here you go friend,” I say with a smile,

“I wonder if you could help me all the while?”

“I might, but make it quick!

I have neighbors to rile up and doors to kick!”

Willy B is a big mighty man,

So without hesitation, I told him my plan.

“I’m looking for someone whose name starts with a B,

You’ve met him before, though it was not meant to be.”

He looked at me with a stern look on his face,

Then looked around to survey the entire place.

 

“Ah yes, I know such a person,

They are in the mezzanine, but they can be a diversion.”

Off I went, to the ladder I climbed,

I peeked my head over and who did I spy?

“My sweet Honey B, it’s great to see you,

Could you help me find another friend too?

He’s wild and crazy, and spies all day long,

And just loves Giant Kongs!”

 

“Oh that guy? Last I saw he was in the window,

But he seemed like he was on the go!

It was nice seeing you too, you bum,

Now if you please, I’m quite busy with this gum.”

I race to the Playroom to see my old friend,

But I’m met with a dead end.

The Party Police Enforcement is on patrol,

And she will not let me pass. She is in control.

“Please ma’am,” I beg her.

“I just want to see the fantastic B without causing a stir.”

“You may only pass if you do this one favor.

Let me groom your boots, and enjoy my labor.”

 

No matter who you seek, you have to appease the boss,

No matter the quest, no matter the cost.

She pays exquisite detail to her grooming,

To keep all boots clean. I’m assuming.

 

“The one you seek is in the Greenhouse,

He has not been quiet as a mouse.

Laughing and playing all day,

Sometimes it’s too much, so you will pay.”

 

I thank her for her service and head outside,

I just hope she hasn’t lied.

I open the door to the this indoor-outdoor space,

There was a flash of fur, seemingly in a race!

 

Bronx cheers, stomping and breathy panting,

His knack for fun is really uncanning!

He swings from the platform to the door.

Could I ever ask from more?

“Oh Bubba!” I exclaim.

“There’s something first I want to proclaim!

Tomorrow is your birthday, you’ll be 39!

At that age, you are looking just fine!

“There will be everything that you enjoy,

So please when you see it all, don’t be coy.

There will be slinkies, blocks, chase and spaghetti!

Things will be thrown around like confetti!”

 

“That’s nice and all,” he replied.

“I hope to wake tomorrow and not find out you lied.

But that is all for tomorrow, I’m just focused on now!

So get me some snow, before J.B. gets in the plow!”

I abide his request, and give him a snowball.

One is not enough. He wants it all!

After he savors every last bite of the snowy treat,

It’s off the the races, not one I can defeat.

 

So I hope you all are prepared for tomorrow!

Fun will be had by all, so be sure to follow!

 

Happy Burrito Eve, everybody!

 

Some bonus photos of Mave and Dora!

Mave
Dora

Filed Under: Burrito, Honey B, Sanctuary, Willy B Tagged With: Animal Welfare, chimpanzee, chimpanzee retirement, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees

Chimp ID: Cy

January 4, 2022 by Kelsi

Today’s blog is all about how to ID our lovable friend, Cy! Out of all the chimpanzees I have worked with over the years, I have never met a chimp like Cy. Each chimp I have met has amazing and different qualities about them, but Cy is kind to his very core. Even when he is displaying, he has a play face, he just never seems mad.

Cy is a big guy with an even bigger heart!

Cy has the kindest eyes.

Cy has a prominent white beard. From the front he has very dark features, but from behind his hair is more grayish white. We joke that he reminds us of a gorilla from behind!

Cy is an good leader. He knows how to navigate social situations extremely well. He can recognize when to let things go and when to make a point.

Cy is a bibliophile

Cy resembles his sister Lucky quiet a bit!

Cy is the type of guy to become your instant friend. He will want you to play chase, sit while he tickles the back of your hand, or just hangout with him while he reads.

Cy is also stubborn! He and Lucky are often hold outs, like their half sister Honey B!

Filed Under: Cy, Play, Sanctuary Tagged With: chimp, chimp sanctuary, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, chimps, Cy, Play, Sanctuary

Beasts of the Northern Wild

January 3, 2022 by Anthony

Our particularly wintry December has transitioned into an even colder and snowier January.

The team has been busy shoveling paths around the Chimp House, endlessly plowing the property’s driveway, and entertaining the chimps (who are unanimously choosing to lounge indoors during the current snowstorm).

Yet another daily chore has been making it out to the winter paddock to muck the barn and provision the sanctuary’s bovines with fodder. Earlier today, caregiver Sam could barely see where she was driving the John Deere as the wind sent snowflakes whipping past her face. On top of all this, her snow shovel went rogue, somehow came to rest on the Gator’s gas pedal, and almost sent the whole rig fish-tailing into a snowbank. While laughing about it afterward, Sam said the ordeal was worth it to see the cattle happily munching on their grain and alfalfa.

Even though their seasonal paddock is covered in a blanket of fluffy snow, the rescued Jersey cattle have been making their own paths across the frozen terrain, thus ensuring that they can reach all their preferred shelters. During one of yesterday’s brief moments of clear sunshine, I served some hay at the furthest barn to entice them to stretch their legs. Unsurprisingly, they had already blazed a trail up there and almost beat me to the far gate.

Here are some photos of the Moo Crew and their surroundings:

Meredith, Nutmeg and Betsy wait for hay at the paddock gate
Betsy munches on some grass hay
A dark-eyed junco perches on the old paddock fence
Meredith hesitantly follows me across the pasture with her usual skepticism
The bovines trudge up the hill
Honey, the herd’s matriarch, looks back to check on the others
Honey sniffs around for the grain bucket
Mule deer cut across the pasture right before sunset
The view from the upper limit of the property

Filed Under: Betsy, Cattle, Honey (Cow), Meredith, Nutmeg, Sanctuary, Weather, Wildlife Tagged With: Animal Welfare, chimp sanctuary, chimpanzee, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, Cle Elum, Sanctuary

Happy Birthday, Christina Roepke!

January 3, 2022 by Chad de Bree

Today’s day of sanctuary is sponsored by Jayne Roepke in honor of the 90th birthday of her mother, Christina Ann Roepke!

Very special 90th birthday wishes to our Mother, Christina Ann Roepke. On this milestone day, we are blessed to celebrate her strength, resilience, ‘can do’ attitude, humor, and sense of caring and grounded purpose. We are fortunate that she continues to bless our lives and fully support her stated goal that she hopefully intends to celebrate her 100th !! We currently have five living generations – we all do our part to keep up with her active lifestyle. As one of five children, and while I didn’t provide her with any grandchildren, she enjoys hearing about my support and admiration of some very special chimpanzee persons (and other equally worthy elephants and other rescued animals) who have been granted a forever life in sanctuary. In some ways, our mom shares some of their most enduring personality traits. Hope, Love, Home, Family, Friends . . . Sanctuary. We love you Mom !!”

Christina, all of us here want to wish you the most special of birthdays on such a milestone! We hope your day is filled with as much love and warmth as possible. We hope to be a part of your celebration when you reach your goal and beyond!

Thank you Jayne for allowing us to be able to help celebrate your mother on such a tremendous day!

Jody and roses
Negra with lilacs
Mave with lilacs
Honey B with a sunflower
Rayne with rose hips

 

The Cattle Gang! (L to R: Nutmeg, Meredith, Betsy, and Honey)

Filed Under: Sanctuary, Sponsor-a-day

January Birthdays and Rowdy Chimps

January 2, 2022 by Katelyn

We say it every year (or at least I do), but “Can you believe it’s a new year?! Can you believe it’s January?!” And this in turn leads my mind to January birthdays! You, our amazing supporters, have helped end an incredible year and begin another hopeful one having made so much possible in the chimpanzees and bovines lives. From our hearts, thank you for your support, in it’s myriad of forms. And to those of you celebrating January birthdays, Happy Birthday month to you from all of us here!

Prepare yourselves to take your celebrations to the next level if you want to keep up with January birthday guy, Burrito! We’ll be celebrating Burrito’s 39th birthday this Thursday, January 5th! Chad is making plans as I type. And if all goes as planned, “Pasta-cam” will be making an appearance! (Of course, remember, chimps have their own ideas about things. 😉 ).

Burrito is way too busy for photos as he is keeping a close eye on the neighbors:

And on January 29, beautiful Rayne turns 32! We are so excited to celebrate her first birthday here with us!

In other news, at this very moment, the chimpanzees are pure wild and the chimp house is rumbling in all directions. Unbelievably, Willy B ventured into the chilly outdoors of the chute and the seven erupted as if they’d never once in their lives seen this guy before. (Or for all I know, they might have been yelling at him to get back inside where it was warm!).

After stirring that pot, Willy B decided to venture back indoors where he could rile up his roommates, Mave and Honey B, who are less than pleased with him at the moment. As the seven decide to continue yelling from their side, in turn, the six are yelling at their loud neighbors on the other side. Normal chimpanzee politics? Cabin fever? One guy named Willy B looking to add some excitment to the afternoon? Only they know. It keeps things interesting for them and us, I suppose.

We remain wrapped in our arctic freeze, but to be honest, after awhile you don’t even think about it anymore until you catch yourself stepping outside to make snow snacks for the chimps, or chase Burrito around the outside of the greenhouse. Or in today’s case, in which we allegedly have a whopper of a snowstorm coming in overnight. But truth be told, I love winter. While the sometimes white-knuckle drives and extra work that comes with winter can be, well, a lot, it redeems itself in my heart again and again with the silence of falling snow, enchanting and ever-changing ice formations, clearest of cold meteor strewn night skies, and the saturated blues of dawn and dusk. I often think of the chimpanzees, gratefully tucked safe and warm into their nests, wondering if they are watching the same winter enchantments from their windows, new to some, familiar to others.

Well, it’s dinnertime and the chimp house is erupting for different reasons. Rest well, friends, and we’ll see you back here same place, same time tomorrow! May this year ahead hold countless moments of beauty, joy, comfort, ease, and magic for us all.

Filed Under: Sanctuary

Happy New Year To(es) You

January 1, 2022 by Diana

First, please pardon my attempt at a pun in the title of this blog post. I think it’s fair to blame some other staff for their pun-influence. I am not even sure it qualifies as a pun, but somehow I couldn’t help myself.

Second, today is the first day of 2022. You know that. I’m just still trying to digest that fact. 2021 was a huge year for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. We are forever grateful for all of the support that blog readers have shown. All of our matching funds were realized this month, and we are off to a great start for another big year that’s full of the promise of new habitats and new adventures for all of the animals in our care. Thank you.

Third, I hope this video gives you as much joy as it did me when J.B. showed the clips to me on his phone.

A very happy new year to all of you, from all of us, right down to our toes.

Filed Under: Latest Videos, Rayne, Sanctuary, Thanks Tagged With: animal protection, animal rescue, animal rights, Animal Welfare, chimpanzee, chimpanzee rescue, chimpanzee retirement, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, happy, Rayne

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