Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for August 2023

In memory of Flint

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Our heartfelt thanks to Debi Waggoner for her beautiful gift of sponsoring a day of sanctuary for her son, Flint, and the chimpanzees:

“I want to sponsor a Day of Sanctuary in memory of my son Flint. Just think a great way to remember him is to also think of all you do for the chimps in your care. So here’s to them and to us for all the memories!”

This is really lovely, Debi. We truly appreciate you thinking of the chimpanzees in this way and including all of us in your special memories of Flint.

Cy:

Rayne and her watermelon bowl:

Lucky:

Burrito, Foxie and Annie:

National Relaxation Day

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Today is National Relaxation Day! According to the Economic Times, National Relaxation Day is observed to “encourage individuals to slow down and unwind.” Though chimpanzee life can be very chaotic and dramatic, they all find some time throughout the day to let their hair down and relax. It’s all about balance, right?

In homage to National Relaxation Day, please enjoy some photos of the chimpanzees in relaxation mode!

Honey B taking a quick nap after her play session with Lucky.

Foxie taking a rest after breakfast.

Gordo taking a breather after returning from the Bray.

Burrito taking a break in his Greenhouse (though I am convinced he was playing because seconds later he had caregivers playing chase).

Dora enjoying the shaded part of the Chute.

And as you might have guessed, right next to her is Mave.

Willy B taking advantage of the large fan in the front room area on a hot day.

And of course, the Queen of Relaxation, Queen Negra.

We hope you are able to find some time to get your relaxation in today!

Happy Birthday, Ben!

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Laura Bradshaw and her son, Ben, graciously shared Ben’s birthday to help fill the chimpanzees’ days with all that brings them joy and comfort. Thank you both so much for celebrating with the chimps by giving them a day of sanctuary!

Laura shared this wonderful message:

“Happy Birthday to my son Ben, who loves to see our chimpanzee friends at CSNW enjoy their celebrations. Thank you to all of the caregivers who make their days enjoyable and brighten ours by sharing in the blog.”

All of us here wish you the happiest birthday, Ben! We hope you have a really wonderful day!

Burrito, of course:

Dora and Honey B:

Jamie and Foxie (and Strawberry Shortcake!):

Mave:

Happy Birthday, Terry!

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Thanks so much to Mike Stockdale for sponsoring this day of sanctuary for his wife, Terry, and her birthday month twins (and their friends and neighbors)!

“I would like to sponsor August 14 in honor of my wife Terry Stockdale. She loves all of the CSNW chimpanzees and has almost collected a complete set of stuffed chimpanzees of the residents. She wants all of them to celebrate with extra enrichment on her birthday and especially Foxie and Missy who share an August Birthday.”

Happy Birthday, Terry! We truly appreciate you both sharing your special day with the chimpanzees and hope you have a beautiful celebration.

Foxie turned 47 on August 8th:

And Missy will be turning 48 on August 23rd!

A Little Bit of Mischief

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Sometimes a little bit of mischief is a good thing. If you are wondering which human left the contraband in Honey B’s greenhouse, look no further than the author of this blog post.

If you’d like to talk to me in person about this mistake or the many other mistakes I’ve made over the years at the sanctuary, or if you are perhaps looking to get into a little bit of mischief yourself, I invite you to join me at HOOT! in one month! You will learn so much more about the chimpanzees and bovines, and you’ll meet some terrific people, all the while eating great food and celebrating the sanctuary. We want you there! Get your tickets (in person or virtual) today!

The Queen and her dynasty

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A couple months ago I wrote about Jody’s lineage and her son Levi who I had worked with previously. Today I’m gonna talk about the Queen’s dynasty, Negra’s daughter Heidi who currently resides at another sanctuary. It is a unique privilege to have been able to work with both mother and daughter, and I thought you all would enjoy getting to know more about this royal family.

 

Negra is known for her exacting standards when it comes to her caregivers but she tends to be low key in her group, generally not getting overly involved in disputes, instead preferring to enjoy time in her nest. During the quiet times within the group you really start to see her fun personality come out with her group though, whether it be playing with Burrito or grooming with Jamie.

 

Heidi is a different story, she tends to be very forgiving of her caregivers shortcomings and is very sweet towards all the caregivers she meets. She enjoys quality time with her caregivers, whether it be getting head scratches or belly tickles or staring at them sweetly. However, she is in a social group with 14 other chimpanzee’s, and she is well known for being  spitfire. Heidi is bold and does not hesitate to express her likes and dislikes with her group mates. She is quick to stand up for herself, and not so quick to let it go. It is a quality you don’t really expect when you first meet and she comes off as pleasant and seemingly low key.

 

Heidi’s nickname is the Bowling Ball, due to her petite but chunky physique and when I first met her and the girls she came to sanctuary with one thing I did not expect was that someone like Heidi would be such good friends with another girl in her group named Robbie (a.k.a. Roberta, or ‘Berta to her friends), who is also nicknamed the Wrecking ball. Robbie is a large, high ranking chimp who throws her weight around and is sure to get what she wants. This friendship makes sense when you get to know Heidi better and see how spicy she is, it’s nice to know she always has ‘Berta to have her back and that they get to enjoy their retirement together.

 

Neggie and Heidi may have different strategies for navigating their social lives in their groups but one thing these ladies do have in common is they know what they want, and they want it their way. No exceptions.

 

Neggie:

Heidi:

Thoughtful Neggie:

Thoughtful Heidi:

Neggie:

Heidi:

Neggie:

Heidi:

Neggie:

Heidi: