Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for October 2022

Jamieween 2022

by

This year’s iteration of Jamieween was a joyful success!

With the help of our amazing supporters, we caregivers prepared a feast and party to celebrate The Boss’s honorary birthday. The staff collected some video clips and photographs of the event to share with you all. Please be aware that we also recorded the highlights of the other group’s party but haven’t had time to sort through all the files yet. We hope to share additional content from today’s event very soon!

Some of the plentiful treats and toys we served and delivered to the chimps today:

Burrito:

Jamie:

Jody (with the prized pumpkin):

Jamie turned 45 years old this year, but the decades haven’t slowed her down one bit. Yesterday, for the first time in her life, she courageously shimmied her way up into the canopy of a real, living tree. This chimpanzee’s confidence, intelligence and curiosity truly know no bounds, and we’re honored to care for her in her sanctuary home.

Here are some of my favorite photos of Jamie from the past year:

Rainy Day Adventures

by

It’s a rainy, cool day here in Cle Elum today. Driving into work this morning through the mist I thought that the chimps would maybe be pretty relaxed and be content to spend the day in comfy nests listening to the rain.

I was wrong. 🙂

When I went to say good morning to Cy’s group, everyone was rearin’ to play chase, groom, or just stare at me for long periods of time without blinking (hi, Honey B). On the other side of the chimp house, everyone was off on their adventures as soon as I gave them access to Young’s Hill! I’m pretty sure Missy spent the whole morning after breakfast out under the trees and everyone else came and went as they pleased. I was cleaning Playroom 1 with one of our awesome volunteers, Patti, when Jamie decided it was time to go for a patrol around the hill. She had me wear one of her new favorite boots and when we made it to the top of the hill, she stopped and hung out for a while. It was a pretty exciting walk- be sure to check out today’s video to see why! 🙂 I might have cried a little bit, but that’s just me.

This afternoon, though, has been quiet as everyone nests in warm, fresh, cozy blankets. All in all, it’s been a pretty darn good rainy day.

Cy:

Gordo, holding his feet, because why not?

Sweet Lucky:

Terry, mid-chew:

Honey B, gazing into my soul… pretty sure she knows my social security number, what I got on my SAT’s in high school, and every other little secret about me:

 

more tree-climbing adventures!

by

What a day! The video above says it all, but below are a few still photos.

Chad, on his day off, happened to see Missy’s climb as he was accompanying a former chimp house volunteer on a walk around the hill. He and J.B. took some videos with their phones as I walked up with the camera and telephoto lens, which was not working right away, but I did get one good photo of Missy amidst the branches, foraging on pine needles:

and some photos on her way down:

Walk With Us

by

Burrito has been taking advantage of every opportunity to have caregivers or volunteers go on walks/runs around Young’s Hill with him. Some things just never change, and we love it. With the new expansion, the hill includes a bigger perimeter and steeper incline, so forgive us caregivers if you hear us heavy breathing on videos as we try to keep up with our very fast friends. While on this walk with Burrito, we reached the far left corner, where the woods are, and he immediately stood up bipedally and was looking past me. When I turned around, I noticed he had spotted his best friend! Chad was nearby doing cattle care and spotted his friend spying on him and came over. After a while Burrito was ready to continue our walk.

Catch a glimpse of the outdoor enclosure, The Bray, that the group of nine chimpanzees will have access to in no time!

 

Small space, big fun

by

As Sofía mentioned last month, we were hesitant to give the newly formed group of chimpanzees their smallest enclosure back. Now that Front Room 7 is back in action, we often find multiple chimpanzees choosing to gather in this space for social and relaxation sessions. We can often hear laughter echoing down the hallway from this room as we write the blog! When designing a sanctuary, you just never quite know where the popular “club houses” will be. I guess it just highlights the importance of following the chimps’ lead and letting them have as much choice in the matter as possible.

Predictions

by

During introductions it was hard tell who Honey B would become friends with. We knew Honey B enjoyed her alone time, but still appreciated the company of her chimp and human friends on her terms. When Honey B first re-met Dora they were both so excited to see each other! However, Terry and Honey B had to put the work into rebuilding a friendship. Recently, Honey B has been hot commodity with her new group. It seems like everyone wants to “mall walk,” groom, play, or just be around her. If we had to predict which chimps would bond with Honey B, Dora and Rayne would really be my only guesses. Lately, we find Honey B and Terry hanging out a lot. We have been seeing some play with her and Cy and even Gordo gets a little quick play session in from time to time.

Words can’t express the feelings I have when watching Honey B build connections with her group. It’s everything they worked so hard for and why a bigger social group is so important for chimps, especially one like Honey B.

Cy grooming Honey B:

Rayne grooming Honey B:

Honey B in the middle of a grooming train:

A series of different Honey B nests:

And one more picture for fun! Can you guess who was wearing this accessory as an anklet?

Look below for the answer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you said Burrito, you would be correct!

 

 

 

 

 

Sanctuary Actually

by

There are many different stories that unfold throughout the day in the lives of the chimpanzees. Though caregivers aren’t always around to get footage of each and every story, they happen regardless. One thing that intertwines all these stories together is life in sanctuary.

Some bonus photos:

Negra eating a breakfast pomegranate.

Mave and Dora holding hands.

Burrito making his way up Young’s Hill on the first day after the renovations.

Some photos of Burrito with the rose bush!