Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for August 2022

Mask Madness

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What I love about my job the most is that every day is never the same. You really never know what will be sitting in the foyer for the chimps when you come back from your weekend or what new interest they have. Through sanctuary the chimps get the opportunity to evolve and change, while also being able to have consistent steady things in their lives. For example, Foxie loves troll dolls! Because of our kind donors, she will always have troll dolls in her life, but she has also gotten the opportunity to expand that interest into other types of dolls. While her enrichment and opportunities have grown and evolved into new things, her dolls will always be there to comfort her and that will never change!
Recently, someone donated a troll doll mask! Foxie liked having her caregivers wear it for her, but to our surprise Gordo thought the mask was the funniest thing! The moment he saw it, he erupted into a game of chase! He would make us run all around the chimp house with it on (safely of course!). In between chasing he would playfully spit and bounce up and down while laughing! Donations like this are so wonderful, because even though it was terrifying for the humans to look at ;), it was an enriching opportunity for Gordo. Honey B really loved it too! She was playing chase and following me around while I wore it, she even gave out a sweet little kiss!

Be Right as Rayne

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There was some slight reprieve from the heat today. The sky is blanketed with clouds and rain has been on and off since morning. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this reprieve because though it is cooler, it’s still a “brisk” 97º out, making the day more humid. The chimpanzees didn’t seem to mind though.

During lunch, Rayne chose to perch herself on a pool of diluted Gatorade in the Riverview Greenhouse. She ate her entire lunch there, taking sips in-between bites. I was able to get some photos of here enjoying her chow biscuits. This series of photos is also a good depiction of how a wadge is made.

Some bonus photos from today:

Negra watching her group embark on their first patrol of the day.

Honey B watching me as I was taking photos of the Gatorade pool.

Jody taking it easy in her Greenhouse.

Burrito coming over to tell me to stop taking photos of Jody and to play chase.

Lucky patiently waiting for dinner service.

Foxie’s 46th

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I think that the title of this morning’s post (It’s Foxie’s birthdaaayyy!!) accurately reflected our staff’s enthusiasm for today’s big celebration.

It was a busy day for the humans, but the sanctuary’s chimpanzee residents seemed to enjoy every minute of it. First, this morning’s caregiving team prepared fruit-filled watermelon bowls and berry smoothies for both groups of chimps, sending them all into excited frenzies. While the chimpanzees were enjoying those in their groups’ respective greenhouse enclosures, Dr. Erin swung by with some fresh grapevine from a neighbor’s property which we passed out as forage and nesting material. On top of all that delicious food and browse, Foxie also received a unique gift from our supporters: a pile of new dolls from which to select her new favorites!

We hope you all enjoy the video showing some of the festivities. Thank you all for helping us to give Foxie and her friends another special birthday!

“Watermelon Bowls”
Missy, Negra, Burrito, Jamie, Jody and Foxie (L to R) foraging in Young’s Hill
Jamie snagging one of the last hidden bowls

It’s Foxie’s birthdaaayyy!!

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Today Foxie is turning 46! Wahooo! I’m envisioning you all doing pirouettes, back-flips and hanging upside-down while kicking your feet about! Well, at least in your heads. 🙂 Foxie is a magical sprite of a woman if ever there were one, so it makes sense that our virtual fairy godmother of birthday Sponsor-a-Days, Paulette Wrisley, is adding to today’s celebration to help us make it as wondrous as Foxie is.

Paulette, from our hearts, thank you for helping us honor each and every one of the chimpanzees and bovines for the special and unique individuals they are over the past year, plus. I suspect we all aren’t the only ones whose lives you’ve made a difference in. We appreciate you and your kind heart.

Happy Birthday, Foxie!! Our hearts are full to bursting with love for you.

Foxie gazing at troll

Foxie listening to troll

Be sure to join us later today for the festivities!

The Boss & Bonus Footage

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A frequent question we get asked is how we know when one of our residents wants something specific or when they want one of us to do something with them. While this definitely gets easier as you get to know them better, and it’s never a perfect science, we are often able to determine what a chimp is looking for in how and where they are gesturing.

For example- if Burrito or Gordo are trying to get you to play a game of chase with them, they will look at you and then run away! We would also watch for behavioral indicators of play that include a play face, foot stomp, and exaggerated movements. If Jamie is wanting a specific pair of boots, she will often stand in the playroom loft and gesture through the kitchen door. She will continue to gesture until you bring back the right pair (no matter how many wrong pairs you offer her first) and then she will likely either come down to take it or she will take off for the hill- which is a sign that she wants you, and said boot, to come with her on her patrol. She also sometimes wants you to wear the specific boot instead of carry it… no matter the size. I would like to take this moment to formally apologize to my coworkers (*ahem* Sofia) that have had to squeeze their feet into my toddler-feet sized boots. Y’all are troopers. 🙂

Lately, though, Jamie has been all about raspberries and frozen treats- which are a hit with everyone. Check out the video for more!

Negra enjoying the cool morning on Young’s Hill.

Annie looking particularly beautiful in the morning light of the Greenhouse.

Cy being his dreamy self.

In memory of Ryan Young

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In today’s touching day of sanctuary, Don and Karen Young are honoring the memory of their beloved son, Ryan Young:

“We honor the beautiful memory our son, Ryan, who would be 49 years old today. He visited the sanctuary on the first anniversary of the arrival of the Cle Elum Seven. It was Ryan who introduced us to the plight of captive chimpanzees through the release and restitution program at NEAVS (New England Anti-Vivisection Society). He dedicated his professional life in the field of sustainability. He would love that the chimps get to have a party on his birthday and that soon the 9 will romp and play and look down the valley from Ryan’s Lookout! Love, Don and Karen Young.”

Don and Karen Young, for whom the chimpanzees’ outdoor habitat, Young’s Hill, is named have made an immeasurable difference in the lives of the chimps. Nearly eleven years since Jamie’s group gained access to the outdoors for the first time, they continue to amaze and surprise us with their leaps and bounds (literally and figuratively) of courage, adventure and joy.

Thank you so much, Don and Karen, for allowing all of us the opportunity to share in the celebration of Ryan and his legacy with you. We will be thinking of you all today and hoping your hearts are buoyed with the comfort of love and cherished memories.

Foxie:

Annie and Missy foraging for prickly lettuce:

Burrito:

Missy:

Ryan’s Lookout, in the currently-under-construction outdoor habitat for Cy’s group, The Bray. Thanks to so many, we cannot wait to see all the ways in which the lives of the nine continue to further bloom when their new habitat is ready.

Willy B:

Gordo:

Dora:

Burrito:

Foxie:

Jamie (leading), Foxie, Missy, Annie and Burrito:

Terrible Photos of the Day

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I’ve been looking through photos from the previous year this past week, choosing the best of the best for the 2023 calendar. I know, I know, it’s a pretty nice assignment. Everyone who works here takes some really amazing photos!

The photos I took today are most definitely not calendar-worthy. That’s one of the nice things about the blog, though. We don’t have to have technically gorgeous photos or poetic prose every day to let you all in on the goings on of the sanctuary.

With that in mind, please enjoy these terrible photos of the day.

First up, 23-year-old office cat LouLou catching the morning sun:

Meredith literally going against the herd, as she often does:

Jamie post-breakfast:

Rayne was also in an accessorizing mood, but used a scarf for just a bit of cover while taking an afternoon nap:

Gordo doing his Gordo box-sitting thing:

Willy B eating a purple potato for lunch:

The BAF evaporative cooler is here!

It actually caused quite a stir when it was wheeled into the chimp area yesterday. For some reason, Gordo and Dora in particular were quite concerned about the dark monolith and alarm called loud and long enough for me to hear them from the house. They eventually calmed down and only gave it an occasional side glance and spit today.

BIG A** THANKS again to everyone who donated towards its purchase! (We humans need to study the manual before we can give you a full report).