Negra, as we all know, is our awe-inspiring queen here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. This morning in particular, Negra was looking more regal than normal, if that can even be possible.
Often when I look at Negra, I find myself reflecting on just how resilient and amazing she really is. There are some parts of her life I will never understand how she endured and still found a way to persevere. It is a true honor when Negra graces us with her presence, whether it be a kiss, a laugh, a head nod, ordering us to dance for her, or simply just a glance.
Over the years Negra has taught me so much in life: never settle, be unapologetically yourself, always appreciate a sunny day, speak up when you are dissatisfied, life is short- take your sweet time, and to only spend time doing the things you love. I have many things to be thankful for in my career, but one of the greatest privileges is to have built a relationship with a true queen, Negra.
Please enjoy the photo series of Neggie:
Negra yawning:
Negra food grunting before breakfast:
Bonus photos!
This morning at breakfast Burrito took his sweet potatoes to the bench in Front Room 2 and relaxed:
After cleaning we found a grooming train!
Jamie (not seen Missy grooming Jamie), Jody, Foxie, Burrito:
I like that Bubba has finally chosen the way of the blanket….
that bottom photo of Negra is so quintessentially her! I feel like I have seen that picture or one very much like it so many times! thank you Kelsi!
Beautifully written…………….GREAT PHOTOS…………………….:heart_eyes:
I love how you love her!
Kelsi, what a lovely,piece you shared today. Queen Negra is so amazing and elegant and beautiful and your photos showed her at her best. Thank you so much!
Composed with love and heartfelt experience and understanding of a special chimp indeed. The key words here are the resilience and perseverance of Negra. We all should follow her example to live life to the fullest. Thank you.
Neggie looks like she is preparing for her operatic debut!:grin: I’m sorry….. I said it before and I’ll say it again ……all she needs is a rocker and a shawl to complete the picture…We Love You Neggie
Wonderful blog entry. I want to age like Negra. She’s an amazing chimp.
All Hail Queen Negra !:revolving_hearts:
Thank you , Kelsi, for your heart-felt post today. Like the other commenters who re responding, I share thir love and admoration for our beloved Negra. These photographs areveal her beauty and strength of spirit.
Kelsi, thanks so much for these pics and your loving words. Your respect for her clearly shines through in your love and care. We can’t know what exactly the life was that she lived in all her earlier years, but I’m grateful that she has known a safe and loving home all her years at CSNW. She is such a good role model for me about the power and value of nesting (esp w/ the blanket pulled over your head!). And that Bubba — what a face, what a guy, what a joy!
I have always loved Negra. We are “simpatico” as evidenced by me proceeding to yawn ss I scrolled through the photos!.
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Thank you for that lovely tribute to Negra. She is so amazing with her strentgh and grace. she has been through so much and now, thanks to you and the rest of your caregivers, she has a happy and peaceful life.
Beautiful tribute to HRH.
I love Nega. So, what could be more more heartwarming than checking your email after a stressed day and seeing our Queen?! Can’t begin to express how much I enjoyed your reflections on Negra’s life and the many lessons she has taught you. Most of all, I appreciate all the thought that went into collecting the numerous links from past posts on Negra. I read each one, my heart beating, twisting, and swelling, finding myself so very grateful for her rescue from that horrific life of suffering for our “scientific gain”.
I wonder if the experiments on the lymph nodes in her legs have had a direct effect on her mobility. Not to mention all the other suffering she endured. It is cruel and inhumane to pull a new born away from a mother, never to return the infant to her arms again. But, to leave a baby with Negra for 4-5 days, allowing her to experience the love and nurturing and the deep bond of mother and child and then rip that baby away forever……I have no words for such deliberate cruelty. No mother, of any species, would ever forget that experience. But for Negra and her companions, living in constant fear of what torture will come next, and Negra isolated, I am forced to ask these institutions why?! (NIH and Alamogordo Primate Facility, I am looking directly at you. Fund it, build it, please be responsible and make it happen. Now.)
The joyous happy ending (or new beginning, depending on how you look at it!) is that sanctuary life gave Negra the life she deserved. Just look at Neggie today! What a transformation! She IS a Queen. Thank you, Kelsi, for filling me full of joy for the beautiful being Negra is. Changing one, single life for the better is significant beyond words. I wish everyone could see what we see—that each and every primate who has suffered or is still suffering in a place that causes fear or once caused fear, is a person who must be immediately retired to an accredited sanctuary. They are all Kings and Queens.
Sent from my iPhone
For a future blog…sibce the6 all have their own ways of communicating…..how does Queen Neggie tell you she wants you to dance for her?
Life lessons of Negra! Love it. Thank you Kelsi.
Negra is such a beautiful soul.