The Comfort & Joy of Sanctuary

Here at CSNW, we are fully aware of the unique nature of our positions. We care for 16 extremely intelligent captive chimpanzees (and four lovely cattle, of course, but today we are focused on the chimps) that have spent their lives in captivity by no fault of their own. Although everyone’s individual background is a little bit different, all of our residents have spent a significant amount of time in biomedical research laboratories. We see the long-term effects of this unusual and unfortunate upbringing every day, and we work extra hard to provide stimulating enrichment items to bring them as much happiness and joy as we possibly can!

It is no easy task to find engaging items for 16 unique personalities and, naturally, everyone here has their own preferences. Gordo, for example, is known for his significant loathing of firehose knots. He finds zero joy in the un-knotting of the firehose, even with yummy nuts inside, and vastly prefers paper braids. Honey B and Negra are both known around these parts for their mattress-sized nests, and they both incorporate our large wolf blankets when they can. Jamie, of course, loves cowboy boots and magazines that feature Mummies (who doesn’t), while Foxie prefers troll dolls over everything. Burrito usually always has a wooden block or two and boy does he love when the days enrichment is Giant Kongs. It’s pretty normal to hear and / or see him dragging one around with him everywhere he goes and he gets quite a lot of joy out of bouncing on top of them (you read that right). Cy enjoys a good magazine (as long as it doesn’t include flannel, pink pigs, rhinos, or brightly colored furniture) and Willy B can often be found watching some show on a caregivers phone (propped up outside of the caging).

I’ve only listed out half of our residents preferences and already feel like I’m writing a book. So, you may be thinking, OK- cool! But… why? What does this have to do with me?

Fantastic question!!

We rely on you, our amazing supporters, to help us provide the level of care these individuals deserve- including providing the items that keep them mentally stimulated and that they adore! You can help us do exactly this by participating in our upcoming auction (thanks to our brilliant supporter, Monica Best). Our Comfort & Joy, the Quid Pro Throw online auction is two-fold, you will be able to bid on items for the chimps (i.e. giant kongs for Bubba!) and items for yourself! As the holiday season draws near, what better time to do some shopping for loved ones (or for yourself, no judgement) of unique items that also supports a non-profit?!

The auction will go live in just a few days- at 9:00am PT on November 15th and will close at 6:00pm PT on November 30th- but you can go ahead and register today! Check out more on the auction and what can be bid on here, and let us know in the comments if you have any questions.

In the meantime, here are some photos of little moments of comfort & joy in the chimp house today. 🙂

Lucky, wadge-ing some paper she found:

Honey B being a sneaky snake in the tall grass in the Oakwood Greenhouse:

Gordo letting his goofy flag fly while playing with Caregiver Jenna:

Foxie being a, well, nosy neighbor:

Cy basking in the sunshine in the Oakwood Greenhouse:

Burrito Squish-mallow that I just can’t get enough of:

Actual Burrito, not to be confused with the Burrito squish-mallow:

Another one of the handsome Burrito (peep those dirty toes from running on the hill):

Sweet Annie-bird enjoying a quiet moment in the warm front rooms: