Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for August 2022

Happy Big Apple Anniversary, Donna and Doreen!

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Heartfelt thanks to the chimpanzees’ long time friend, Donna Hughes, for sponsoring this day so dear to her and her sister, Doreen.

“August 21, 1979 …..The Day Doreen and I moved to New York City. Best thing we ever did. Got to enjoy the Big Apple, with all that it has to offer. Music, theater, art, events, sports, available to us at all times. However, it wouldn’t have meant as much without our pets along the years to share our lives, and of course, Central Park. I miss my dear sister, who passed away in 2019, but still celebrate this day, as she asked me to always do so. It will be spent in Central Park, and I know we can see a blog today with the chimps enjoying nature as well. We both love CSNW, and cherished the day we visited in person. Have a great August 21!”

We think of your and Doreen’s visit to the sanctuary often, Donna, and it means so much that you continue to celebrate your special days with the chimps and all of us. As the chimpanzees wander Young’s Hill and sun-dappled greenhouses, and you wander Central Park, we’re wrapping you and Doreen both in all the good thoughts. May your heart be full of memories magical and wondrous.

Your Pal, Foxie, naturally:

Foxie and Burrito:

Jody and Foxie:

Foxie and her twin Orange Blossoms:

Simply Unbothered

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The Cle Elum Seven formed by Negra, Jamie, Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Annie and Missy have been neighbors to the newly formed group of nine chimpanzees for almost four months now. We have received questions about whether they react or not to the other group. The short answer is yes, the long answer is that it depends. I have been working as a caregiver at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest for about 15 months now and during this time I’ve noticed that some of the chimpanzees under our care react more than others when it comes to ruckus on the opposite group. Some members of the Cle Elum Seven get very invested when they hear something going on, while others continue their day like if it were business as usual.

A great example of this is what happened today at lunch time. We set up a forage in Young’s Hill for the seven that included corn, mini peppers, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, onions, and chow. With the idea of grabbing stills of them foraging for their favorite items, I brought the camera with me. Every single one of them was super excited to get out there, with Negra leading the way. About 3 minutes into the forage, the nine had a disagreement and the screaming on that side commenced. Jamie, Foxie, Annie, and Burrito dropped what they were doing to investigate. They went to the corner of the hill with the best view of the greenhouses and stood bipedally trying to figure out what was happening. As the screaming on the other side of the sanctuary continued, they eventually went inside to the greenhouse and playroom to peek from the windows and display at the other group. I realized that six of the seven chimps were inside and ignoring their meal. So where was Negra?

I walked outside and found her. Alone. On top of a platform, enjoying an ear of corn. She seemed completely unfazed by what she could hear happening in the distance. Cases like this make me wonder whether she thinks her group mates are fit enough to handle the issue without needing her assistance, or whether she simply put food first and decided to let the situation unfold. Whatever it was, she looked peaceful, at ease with her corn and chow, simply unbothered.

 

 

Grooming with Missy and Annie

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Find someone that looks at you the way Annie looks at Missy. But make sure you have separate hobbies or something like that because, to be honest, Annie can be a bit clingy at times.

Seriously, Annie is a completely different person than she was when she first arrived over 14 years ago. She’s far more confident and secure. And I would attribute that in large part to the thousands upon thousands of hours she has spent grooming with her best friend Missy.

It seems like just yesterday…

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It seems like just yesterday that we watched J.B. pull a white Ford Transit van into the driveway carrying the precious cargo that is Mave, Willy B and Honey B.  While it seems like no time has passed, it has in fact been 3(!!!) years today since that momentous occasion and A LOT has changed around here since that day. Take a trip down memory lane with me and watch the video we made in 2019 about their journey.

Here’s just a few things that have changed since that day:

You may have noticed we weren’t wearing masks in the video because the pandemic wasn’t on our radar yet. Ahhh good times…

When they arrived at the sanctuary, the 3 newcomers moved right into the new Front Rooms and Mezzanine space. Since then, we have added a lot of new living space for them. This space continues to expand to this day as staff and volunteers string wire after wire for the upcoming new outdoor space called “The Bray.”

On a personal note, I was pregnant with a little baby Luna at the time of their arrival. Luna, now over 2 and a half years old, has fully transformed into a rambunctious toddler but still remains a curiosity to Honey B.

There are now only 10 chimpanzees left awaiting their move from Wildlife Waystation. Read the latest news about the remaining Chimpanzees in Need from the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance.

There were a lot of things that definitely didn’t go as “planned” (like our first introduction attempts) but the absolute best thing to happen since the arrival of Willy B, Honey B and Mave is their integration with the Lucky 6 group. Nothing brings more joy to us than to watch these friendships blossom.

A big cheers to many more years of sanctuary friendships!

Mave play bites Dora’s foot:

Cheers to many more munching moments like this one..

Willy B eats his lettuce from today’s anniversary party:

And cheers to countless more moments of intense eye contact with the incomparable Honey B:

Happy arrival anniversary to these 3 remarkable beings!

 

 

 

 

 

Burrito’s Busy Play Day

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Burrito had a pretty busy day! It seemed like everyone wanted to play with him, which for Burrito is the perfect kind of day! It was fun to see that even Annie wanted to join in! Burrito and Annie do play and interact with one another. However, they tend to have some miscommunications with each other as well, so to catch a small moment of them having a good time is always a treasure.

It’s hard to decide whether or not to film these fun moments the chimps are having with one another. Pulling out our phones or camera can often distract or stop them from engaging in the interaction with each other, and there are times when it feels like they should just have the time to play and interact without us disrupting them. There are other times when we decide that maybe they are in the moment enough to not notice and we go for it. We never want to interrupt, but we also want to be able to share it! Today was a day I was able to capture these moments without bothering the chimps!

Bonus! Today was a warm one, so what better way to cool down than with a Popsicle!

Foxie approved!

A Little Negra for Your Day

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Today has been a blur of a day. We humans were very busy cleaning and doing other tasks around the Chimp House. Today really flew by. Luckily enough, Negra is my saving star for today’s blog!

This morning, when her group was given access to Young’s Hill, I was taken aback when I saw her out there so early in the morning.

There didn’t seem to be a motive to go out other than to just go out. As you know, when Negra does go out first thing in the morning, there’s usually a purpose (i.e. foraging for prickly lettuce). But every once in a while, we are gifted with seeing her just enjoying the outside.

As the the rest of her group went on their morning patrol, Negra stayed put. As they returned, she greeted everyone as they returned.

Negra seemed to be in such a great mood today. At lunch, she was offering kisses and wouldn’t allow me to leave her as caregiver Grace served her. Every time I got up, she would put her lips through the caging to offer a kiss, knowing I would stay.

As we speak, Negra is doing her tour of the Frisbee Puzzles that are hanging up in her playroom.

In fact, right now Negra is telling us that dinner time is rapidly approaching. She let’s us know by finding the best position that looks into the kitchen, bangs on the caging, and claps her hands, which is my cue to hurry things along.

Always for you, Negra!

Here are some bonus photos I was also able to get today.

Rayne in the Riverview Greenhouse:

Honey B plotting her next mischievous move:

Mave hanging out in the Riverview Greenhouse:

Burrito watching me through a mirror:

Official Party Business

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Today, we have three blog “topics” to cover, all related to upcoming celebrations. (I’ve dotted the blog with recent photos as well.)

Foxie sitting in the front rooms

First and foremost, this day of sanctuary was generously sponsored by our friend Laura Bradshaw to honor the birthday of her son, Ben.

To accompany her gift, Laura wrote:

I’d like to celebrate my son, Ben’s birthday. He is an avid animal lover and counts the CSNW critters among his very favorites (including barn cat and office cat and dog). Thanks to your wonderful blogs, he counts chimps and cattle among his dear friends. Thank you for all you do.

We’re ecstatic that she thought of the sanctuary on this special occasion and hope Ben has an amazing birthday. Thank you so much for your kindness, Laura and Ben!

Terry relaxing in the Oakwood Greenhouse

Additionally, we have a big anniversary coming up this Thursday, August 18th: the third anniversary of Honey B, Mave, and Willy B’s arrival at CSNW.

It will be the first arrival anniversary celebrated as members of a larger social group, so the party will be bigger than ever. Be sure to check out the blog this week to see the festivities!

Mave lounging in the Marmot Mountain playroom

On top of all that, we’re also finalizing plans for Missy’s upcoming 47th birthday celebration which will take place on Tuesday, August 23rd. Enrichment Coordinator Chad has filled our Amazon Wish List with an eclectic assortment of items that will help us to give Missy and her friends a special party! You may even be able to guess the party’s theme if you’re particularly astute…

You can access the wish list directly via the following link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2L5WRNKBKB8B2?ref_=wl_share

Missy grooming her friend Jamie

Have a great week, everyone!