I could say a lot about the significance of this occasion but that will have to wait for another day. For now, I’ll just say that we all love this guy more than anything and we’re so happy to be celebrating his 40th birthday.
Happy Birthday, Bubs!
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
by J.B.
I could say a lot about the significance of this occasion but that will have to wait for another day. For now, I’ll just say that we all love this guy more than anything and we’re so happy to be celebrating his 40th birthday.
Happy Birthday, Bubs!
by Katelyn
Burrito is 40 years old today! We are so grateful to Paulette Wrisley for sponsoring this day of sanctuary in honor of her Pal!
“This is the birthday of My One and Only True Love Valentine Burrito! Is it just me, or does Burrito just get happier and sillier as he gets older? And that just makes me happier and sillier too! He and all of the others and all of you are just such a joy and a blessing. Let’s ALL have a happy birthday with Burrito!”
A gift, a delight and an inspiration (and a workout!) every second of every day that we are so fortunate to spend with you. Happy Birthday, Bubbie!!! We love you so very much!!
by Anna
I’ll start with the not-so-good news first. Anthony will be stepping down from his staff position near the end of the month to pursue his next adventure.
As a full time team member, I will miss his positive attitude, willingness to take on tough projects, fantastic photos and maybe even his groan worthy puns on the blog. Fortunately for the sanctuary, he will be sticking around in the Pacific Northwest and has already promised to return as a regular volunteer ASAP! I’ll let him write a proper goodbye to blog readers when the time comes.
Now for the good news, or at least my chance to advertise an exciting opportunity to that right candidate. As you might have already gathered, we are currently hiring for a Full-Time Caregiver position. To learn more about this job opening, check out our website! Please feel free to share the posting with anyone you know who might be qualified and interested.
Here are a few photos of some of the staff during this morning’s routine.
Sofia serving medication (birth control) to Lucky:
Chad operating a hydraulic door:
Grace serving plums to Cy:
Chad performing safety checks:
Anthony cleaning a front room:
Almost ten years ago our blog featured a video from former staff member and current volunteer, Elizabeth. On that day, the Cle Elum Seven had access to the hill and took advantage of the nice weather. Missy and Burrito could be seen very content running around the hill and enjoying the rays of sunshine. With a Winter Weather Advisory in our afternoon forecast that extends through the next few days, Young’s hill is looking quite different today. This year, winter has been snowier than before and the snow accumulation is significantly higher on and around the hill. Before we give them access to the hill the lead caregiver has to do a perimeter check. This is to make sure the fences are looking and working appropriately. These past few days perimeter checks involve bundling up and snowshoes. I had personally never snowshoed before, but this caregiver born and raised in a tropical island finds it very, very fun. Highly recommend as a winter activity.
Last week us caregivers went into the hill to shovel paths for the chimps to wander around the hill with ease, only to receive more snow a couple days later. Snow accumulation doesn’t stop the chimps from going out, climbing structures, and grabbing snow to snack on in the comfort of the heated indoor enclosures. But today the chimps opted to stay in, nest, play with caregivers, and groom each other.
Sweet, sweet Dora
Honey B’s big yawn while nesting in her favorite spot, the mezzanine’s cubby
Sir Willy B
A Cy close up
Jamie in action, about to swing off the top platform of the green house
by Diana
If you follow the blog, you may have seen the brief mentions from Kelsi and then J.B. of the very eventful end of December that the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest staff and volunteers endured this year.
For the first time in over a decade (as far as we can remember), J.B. and I had scheduled a short trip to visit family together (together!) on the east coast for some winter celebrations. Almost as soon as we left, things started to malfunction at the sanctuary as Cle Elum was hit with extreme cold temperatures. J.B. helped troubleshoot the issues at a distance, but the staff on the ground had to navigate mechanical failures and multiple days with a non-functioning well, all the while caring for the chimpanzees and cattle, getting to work in icy conditions, and taking turns staying overnight to look after office cat LouLou and pups Abbey and Benny.
The nonhumans were none the wiser to these issues as the staff and volunteers managed to maintain the routine and get creative with procedures as though everything was in pristine working order. Meanwhile, J.B. and I had to extend our time away due to the weather and the complete meltdown of the aviation industry.
All of this, whilst also being away from their own families, the staff carried on with the CSNW Christmas countdown on the blog and the preparation for holiday festivities without skipping a beat.
J.B. and I couldn’t be more grateful. Neither of us worried in the least that this crew of staff, volunteers, and their spouses could handle whatever obstacle Mother Nature and Murphy’s Law presented to them. There was never a doubt that the nonhumans at the sanctuary were in the best hands possible.
Today, we thank them most humbly with this sponsor-a-day post, and invite you, too, to thank them for looking after the sanctuary every day under any and all circumstances!
by Chad de Bree
This has been one wild winter so far. From below zero temperatures to nearly 40º back to below freezing in the span of a couple of days, it’s sometimes hard to tell what the weather is actually going to be from day-to-day. We check the weather constantly, sometimes multiple times a day, because what was being reported in the morning, can drastically change by the afternoon. Whatever the weather brings us, however, our jobs as caregivers is to be flexible to give the residents as many options as possible given the circumstances.
As Anna wrote last week, some pathways were cleared to allow Burrito’s group the option to go on the snow-covered Young’s Hill if they choose to. Today was one of those days where they chose to.
Burrito looking for the best spot of snow to snack on.
Missy went straight for the closest, tallest structure she could get to so she could take in her surroundings…
Which Burrito also wanted to see.
Jody was very calculated in her choice of snow to snack on.
Not just any snow would do!
Though Annie spent the most time outside, she always would look back at the door leading inside.
But once Missy headed back in, so did Annie.
With Burrito not far behind.
Though we may never know what they are exactly thinking, it did seem like they were taking in as much outside as they could today. We do have a forecast of wintry mixes coming up for the next couple of days. And before we know it, the snow will begin to melt and Spring will be here (at least that’s what I’m telling myself). So might as well grab as many snow snacks while you can!
Some bonus photos:
Negra grunting at me as I greeted her this morning.
Gordo eating last night’s dinner from the top of the firehose.
Betsy chowing down on some hay yesterday when it was bright and sunny.
by Jenna
A couple weeks ago, we asked on our social media pages what questions you had for us caregivers. Today, I have chosen one question to answer!
How do we communicate with the chimps?
The short-answer is that we communicate with the chimps both verbally and non-verbally. I have a lot to say about each, so today I just want to focus on verbal communication. I will focus on non-verbal next time!
Many people I talk to about my job are surprised to hear that the chimps understand some spoken English. Keep in mind though, the chimps have spent decades if not their lives in captivity, so they have been exposed to the English language for many years. I am obviously not saying they know every word, but they do fully understand the words we use daily while speaking to them. They all know and respond to their names. We can call each of the chimps’ names to get their attention and they will look at us (unless they want to ignore us, that happens too). We can ask them to move to a different room and while they may not choose to do so, they know what we are asking of them. If a blanket is blocking a door from closing, we can ask, “will you grab the blanket from the door?” and they often times will move it for us (Jody and Honey B are so good with this).
As caregivers, one of our duties is to verbally communicate our actions and intentions while around the chimps. For example, if I am going to close a door behind Missy, I am going to tell Missy, “Missy, I’m going to shut the door behind you”. It is a courtesy we always try to give so 1) there are no surprises as to what we are doing and 2) Missy now has the choice to decide if she is comfortable with the door shutting behind her or not. If Missy were to then turn around and run back through the door, she is communicating with us that she does not want the door closed. During meal times, it can also be beneficial to communicate who you will be serving food to next. Just a quick, “Mave, you’ll be up next” helps Mave know her turn is soon. That is just two examples, but I want to convey how important it is to be transparent with our actions, and how it can simultaneously help keep the peace. If we just walked around silently closing doors, not talking to the chimps, they may feel uneasy and uncertain of what is to come. Obviously, we want to avoid that!
The chimps also communicate with us humans through their own vocalizations. While some of the vocalizations that the chimps use with conspecifics are also used while interacting with humans, such as breathy pants or blowing raspberries/bronx cheering, some of the chimps have created a sound specifically to communicate their needs to us caregivers. For example, there is a specific raspberry noise Foxie will make to communicate that she is ready for her Strawberry Shortcake doll back (she has us caregivers babysit regularly). Willy B makes a very specific noise to communicate that there is a peanut on the floor following breakfast, that is outside of his reach. Burrito also has a specific raspberry sequence he does to communicate when he is ready to play! The list goes on and on.
Next week sometime, I will switch to discussing non-verbal communication with the chimps!
Dora
PO Box 952
Cle Elum, WA 98922
[email protected]
509-699-0728
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EIN: 68-0552915
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