Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Today has been a busy, busy day in the chimp house! I managed to get some photos today and hope you enjoy them!
Cy:
Foxie was out on Young’s Hill this afternoon when it started raining. Her and her Blueberry doll hurried in.
I tried to be artistic here taking a photo of Honey B behind the leaves that frame the chute.
Lucky:
Mave (let’s ignore the troll mask in the background nearly ruining the photo):
Many thanks to Grant Crosier for sponsoring this day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees and bovines in honor of Jessie Crosier!
“Happy Birthday, Jessie!”
We hope it’s the most wonderful day of a springtime celebration for you, Jessie! Thank you for sharing it with the chimpanzees!
Annie…could not love her more.
Mave, Dora and Honey B:
Honey B:
Honey Cow:
Burrito:
Today we celebrate a long-time supporter of the sanctuary! Karen Young and her family have made so many things possible for the chimps in our care and we are so very grateful. From Young’s Hill to Ryan’s Lookout on The Bray, they continue to help provide amazing moments in the chimps lives. Karen- from each and every one of us here, thank you and happy, happy birthday!
Today, all the chimps enjoyed forages of avocado cups, corn, celery, and more! It’s been a beautiful sunny day here in Cle Elum so Jamie’s group enjoyed the forage on Young’s Hill. I hope you enjoy the photos and videos from today!
Burrito enjoying his forage on Young’s Hill:
Cy, staring lovingly at his corn:
Foxie enjoying a moment of sunshine on Young’s Hill:
Gordo choosing to enjoy his corn behind the cover of bamboo plants:
Honey B, mid-forage:
Rayne enjoying her avocado cups:
Jamie, after a moment of grooming with her caregivers:
Annie, waiting for the lunch forage on Young’s Hill:
Members of Cy’s Group exploring Ryan’s Lookout (sponsored by Karen Young and her family in memory of their son, Ryan) for the first time:
We’re so happy to be able to join Don Young in this celebratory day of sanctuary in honor of his wife, Karen, on her birthday! Don shared this wonderful message:
“I would like to honor my wife, Karen, on her 80th birthday. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and she told me she wants the sanctuary to throw a birthday party for the Cle Elum 7 and the Wildlife Waystation 9. She also wants to make sure they get avocado cups!
Karen has always loved animals and filled our home with ones who needed to be rescued. Her introduction to the plight of research chimps began with our son, Ryan, introducing her to NEAVS and the Great Ape Protection Act and with contributing to other sanctuaries in the US.
In 2008, she was searching the word “chimpanzees” on the web and discovered a brand new sanctuary called CSNW. The 7 chimps had just arrived in Cle Elum. She decided to sponsor Foxie and spent a year finding troll dolls for her! She also wrote an advocacy and educational book for children called “A Chimpanzee Tale”.
In the summer of 2009, we took a trip to Cle Elum to meet the 7 chimps and to also meet Diana and J.B. They shared their vision of the sanctuary with us, and the rest is history.
It has been thrilling to see how each project has contributed to the well being of the chimps. We both watched how 7 broken, malnourished, tortured research chimps developed into happy, healthy chimps who have the freedom to roam a two acre hill and explore with the open sky above them.
It has been such an honor to contribute to the growth of the sanctuary and to see Diana and J.B.’s vision develop into a beautiful home for 16 lucky chimps with more to come on the horizon.
I want to wish Karen a Happy 80th and to thank her for taking me along on this journey.”
-Don
Happy Birthday, Karen, from all of us here at the sanctuary! We hope you have a beautiful day!
Thank you, both, so much for continuing to hold the chimpanzees in your hearts and for helping to make it possible for their spirits to bloom immeasurably through all the seasons of their lives.
Young’s Hill (pre-the latest expansion):
Missy:
Annie:
Foxie, Missy, Annie and Burrito:
Negra:
Missy, Foxie and Jamie:
Our beloved Jo, who we like to think still watches over her family every day as they venture onto Young’s Hill, just as she always has:
Burrito:
Ryan’s Lookout, built in memory of Don and Karen’s son and the newest structure on The Bray, the outdoor habitat (built in honor of James Douglas) for Rayne’s group, which they’ve very recently begun exploring for the first time!
Rayne:
Gordo:
Terry:
Willy B:
Jamie:
Dora is a busy girl. I quickly found that out yesterday when I began to record her for this blog idea I had. She is constantly on the move! While I only captured some highlights from her day, I hope you get the dose of Dora you have been wanting! She’s pretty special.
It has been a little over a year since Cy’s group got merged into Willy B’s group to form a group of nine chimpanzees. The process of introductions is complex, and the exact moment that a group is considered successfully integrated remains a bit murky in the literature. It’s just hard to know! At the moment, the group continues to get to know each other on an individual way. We have probably mentioned in the past that for Willy B, the integration process has tested his ability to get along with his group mates. He could often be heard displaying at all hours of the night and day until someone in the group lost their patience, which would trigger bouts of chase and displaying. I sometimes see him as a chimp that is just a tad “misunderstood” and doesn’t quite get social ques that help him navigate social dynamics. With time Willy B has calmed down during the nights, and his daytime routine, although predictable, seems to be less triggering for his group mates. In general, and at the risk of completely jinxing this, his group seems to be more accepting and patient of his “outbursts”.
Because of all of that, I feel super proud of Willy B whenever I catch him having long and positive interactions with members of the group. Specially when it is with another male. On today’s video, Willy B and Terry share a very long play session across all three front rooms that in reality lasted over 20 minutes. Their breathy pants, tickles, and foot grabs are enough to fill anyone’s life with joy. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Followers who have been reading the blog for a little while may remember the Comfort & Joy Auction from last fall. The items bidders made for the chimpanzees were then highlighted throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas series. Though we covered some, we did not cover all of the items. Mostly because some items took a little longer to get. Well, today were were *finally* able to give the California chimpanzees another one of the items from that auction. Today, Honey B was able to finally get her chair! But before we get to the photos of Honey B using the chair:
Sending a special thank you to
Diane Mattis
Thank you so much for bidding on this item. Honey B wasted no time utilizing it. Every time I went back to their side of the building to get photos her using it, the chimpanzees would stop what they were doing. I was able to get some not so great photos though. It’s the context that counts, right?
Honey B was the first to claim her new seat
When I first found her, she was surrounded by others grooming her on her new throne
As you can see, in one photo, Lucky left when I was trying to get a photo, and Terry left when I tried from a different angle. Hopefully you get the idea though. All three of them (Rayne is also included) were grooming Honey B as she sat atop her throne.
As Honey B was taking in the ambience the new chair brought to Marmot Mountain Playroom, their neighbors were busy enjoying Spring.
One of my favorite things about Spring, and my indication that it is spring, is when the Pacific Bleeding Heart flowers begin to bloom.
This plant lives right outside the door that leads to their front rooms. But there was no time to admire the flowers, or so I was told.
It was time to go around Young’s Hill.
Luckily for me, about half way through our walk/run, Burrito got distracted by some morning Spring grass. Unluckily for me (but actually luckily for me), Missy picked up where he left off.
Missy is a chimp’s chimp. She will choose her family 99.9999999999999% of the time over dealing with the humans. In my case, she usually gives me one or two good acknowledgments a year. But unlike some of my colleagues, my interactions have never been grooming with her or playing tug-o-war. It has always been running around the hill. As you may have guessed, I lose every single time.
When we reached the very top of Young’s Hill, Missy took a break and sat in the shade to lookout upon her home.
When the break was over, it was time for a quick snack of fresh Spring grass.
Not far behind Missy was her best friend, Annie.
And Burrito came around shortly after.
A little later on, they all enjoyed a nice breezy lunch forage. Though she spent some time in her cabin eating the goods she found in it, Negra ultimately decided to grab some last minute picks and take it back to the Greenhouse.
This nice sustained Spring weather has been amazing so far. We hope you are all enjoying the weather wherever you may be as well.
Bonus Photos
Rayne in relaxation mode
Jamie doing her first patrol of the morning
Missy with a lilac bounty she collected from Young’s Hill the other day in honor of Jody
Mave, Dora, and Honey B having a nice lunch together in the outdoor chute during their watermelon bowl forage yesterday
