Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for August 2023

Items of Comfort

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I saw someone recently ask, I think on Facebook, about why Burrito often has a small piece of enrichment with him, either in his mouth or a hand. The truthful and simple answer to that question is we have no idea. It’s just a Burrito thing, like dolls are a Foxie thing, books and boots are a Jamie thing, and magazines are a Cy thing.

Maybe there’s something you have that just makes you feel more you or gives you a sense of comfort. Maybe you have a signature color or a certain style of clothing or a collection of raccoon figurines that people identify you by (no judgement here).

Why are we drawn towards the things we are? It’s a question for the ages (whatever that means).

It’s also a question that an exhibit a few years ago at Central Washington University’s Museum of Culture and Environment attempted to tackle, with the inclusion of “artifacts” from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. If they do a similar exhibit in the future, perhaps they’ll include an artifact left behind by Burrito too.

This phenomenon of signature “things” also points to the benefit, I would argue necessity, of having a large variety of enrichment that we give to the chimpanzees.

After rejecting all of the other enrichment objects that we offered when she first came to the sanctuary, Foxie found her thing (troll dolls). Now, it’s hard to imagine her without a doll of some sort. How wonderful that we were able to give her objects that have provided her with 15 years worth of joy that only she can truly understand.

Foxie gazing at troll

The following photos are from today of Burrito lounging in a windowsill with one of his more recent favorite things to carry in his mouth – it’s a piece of wood that he found when the Young’s Hill outdoor area was shifted and expanded.

You’ll often see Burrito with a toy hammer that has a plastic head and wooden handle or with a block of wood. I thought it was special that he found something on his own, rather than something that we chose for him to carry.

The photo at the top of the blog post is Burrito watching some drama unfold this afternoon amongst his neighbors. Enrichment comes in many forms, and watching the live “soaps” through the window is probably Burrito’s favorite enrichment activity of late.

 

 

Rainy Day at CSNW

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Today we had an unexpected cool, rainy day here in Cle Elum and Jamie & company didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the break from the heat. Normally, most chimps don’t tend to spend a lot of time outside in the rain when they have the option to be inside but today Jamie and Burrito were more than happy to go on a walk around the hill with volunteer caregiver Lizz, while Missy, Annie and Foxie hung around the hammocks outside. Negra, per usual, enjoyed a leisurely day in the greenhouse lounging in her blanket nest.

Later, Negra and Burrito indulged in a play session to pass the time, with a guest appearance by Annie!

 

Jamie & Burrito on their walk with Lizz

Annie and Foxie observing Jamie and Bubs, from safety of the dry hammock

Negra at rest

Rayne

 

Terry to Cy’s Rescue

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Despite Cy being the tough, alpha male that he is, he is easily frightened by random things. As you all know, Cy loves to “read” and consumes probably 5-10 magazines every day. Due to his reading obsession, we have discovered a decent number of things that frighten Cy and cause him to alarm call. Chimpanzees naturally alarm call to warn their group members of danger.

On the list of things that frighten Cy, is cows. Doesn’t matter the kind of cow, the look of the cow, any cow is enough to make him jump back and drop his magazine. Kelsi captured this exact scenario on video last year if you haven’t seen it already (click here)!

A few days ago, Cy was flipping through a farm magazine when he suddenly stumbled upon some photos of cows. We quickly knew what was happening as Cy began to loudly alarm call. Cy’s group members are used to this behavior from Cy, but they still always come to investigate in case it is more than a scary magazine. After several minutes of Cy alarm calling, Terry decided to save the day (or maybe he was annoyed with the endless alarm calls) and attempted to destroy the magazine that was causing Cy to be upset. He began ripping it apart with his teeth and even passed pages to me (who was sitting on the other side of the caging) because he knew I could throw them out.

We now have a theory that Cy must love the thrill of a scary magazine because Cy then reclaims the magazine scraps and tried to still look through them, while continuing to alarm call.

This isn’t the first time I have seen Terry try to save the day. Last October, I posted a blog about Cy alarm calling because of a giraffe in his magazine and Terry attempted to rip the pages apart for Cy but ultimately just threw them down the stairs. I will link that video here!

The Unification of the Stubborn Shifters

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As longtime blog readers might know, Honey B can be a challenge for staff when we are trying to close off certain enclosures for cleaning. She likes to throw an obstinate wrench in our best-laid plans. Lucky is also one of those chimpanzees that doesn’t always see the need to cooperate with the shifting schedule from time to time. Today Lucky and Honey B joined their strong willed forces together and stayed behind in the front rooms rather than shifting with their group during morning cleaning . Much to our surprise, their “quiet alone time” morphed into a wrestle session of epic proportions. Shout out to staff caregiver Grace for grabbing all the video for today’s blog!

Sheets & Giggles

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Thank you to everyone who donated new or gently used top bed sheets. I promise it has been non-stop play and nesting since they have arrived! This blog is a part II for all the fans who loved watching the chimps, mostly Honey B and Rayne, play with the sheets! For those who may have missed all the fun a few weeks ago, there is a blog about how fun sheets can be. Not all sheet fun was able to be captured over the weeks, but Honey B sure is enjoying them! I hope you get a few giggles out of this one. 🙂

Rayne nesting with a beautiful lavender sheet (might be her favorite):

Bonus photos! This morning as I let Foxie’s group out onto Young’s Hill and caregiver Jenna let Lucky’s group out onto the Bray, I was able to capture some photos from both sides.

Foxie was the first out to greet the day and found a little leftover forage along her way:

Lucky set out for the hammock this morning:

Eventually, she climbed up higher for a better view:

Gordo went out this morning too (maybe to get a glimpse of a tiny little chimp across the way):

After a little while he sat down and took in the view:

Jamie was very focus on listening to her noisy neighbors:

Later, I found one of my favorite versions of Jamie, upside down Jamie! Upside down Jamie is goofy and usually very playful (note the HOOT! Book in her pocket):

Jamie is still holding on to her HOOT! Boot Book very tight:

And the handsome devil, Burrito napping in the window:

August celebrations!

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Everyone! It’s August! A wonder and a mind-bender, isn’t it? I often think our human constructs of time actually make it pass more quickly for us. But perhaps it just gives us all the more reason to celebrate every good thing.

For all of you celebrating August birthdays or special-days, we hope you know we’re celebrating along with you! In a never-ending variety of ways, you make all that we cherish here possible and we’re so thankful to you for being with us. And with that in mind, you have some particularly magical birthday twins this month.

Foxie is going to be 47 on August 8th! Fox, like everyone in her group really, seems to have access to some everlasting elixir of if not exactly youth, the magical spirit and abandon that are often born of it. For that, we are endlessly grateful.

I’ve been immensely fortunate to have known Foxie and her family a long time now and only in the last few years as I look through old photos, or certain slants of light, I find my gaze resting momentarily on the glimpses of time and the grace of fifteen years of sanctuary playing out in her silvering highlights and her sometimes more thoughtfully planned (but still done!) back-flips, pirouettes and head-stands. I can fully relate to these mirrored changes, well, minus the back-flips and head-stands. But always, our hearts are held in wonder of her effervescent, ineffable self. What an unfathomable gift we all have in our lives intertwining with hers and each of the chimpanzees.

On August 18th, it will be the 4th anniversary of Mave, Willy B and Honey B arriving home with us and it’s been another year full to the brim for each of them.

This is a year in which Mave has endearingly morphed into “Mora”, having found her person in Dora. None of us have seen her as happy and content since being integrated with Dora’s group, which naturally makes our hearts sing for hers.

Willy B bravely continues to find his footing both as one of the Big Guys (here with Cy and Terry) in his now group of nine, as well as in his groups’ outdoor habitat, the Bray. While he still often chooses the bumpier path along his way, it takes no less courage and we’re proud of him.

And Honey B is living her Honey B life just as she sees fit, every second of every day. Which, of course, is what sanctuary life is all about. Sometimes holding hands with her particularly patient half-sister, Rayne (look at those sisterly profiles), sometimes wrapped in a whirling ball of arms and legs and teeth and yelling with her half-sister, Rayne (or anyone else she feels a strong need to have words with), the unnerving beauty of which is Honey B courageously navigating her life as her wonderfully unique self.

And we will celebrate Missy turning 48 on August 23rd! Missy, who climbed the first tree of her life this past year. And she made it a big one! Who, along with Foxie, had her family of the last 15 years plus profoundly changed with the loss of Jody, and whose spirit and tiny, but mighty runner’s feet continue to follow the north star of her resilient heart.

I’ve said it for the last, oh, thirteen or so years of knowing her and I’ll say it for all my years forward, I wish that for just five minutes I could feel what it’s like to be Missy, moving through life with all that wild strength and grace. I often think that because Missy avoids the paparazzi and chooses to walk through life with her chimp people much more often than her human people, it might go unnoticed to those who aren’t able to see her so frequently just how very special she is. But trust me, she’s a gem.

I saw Enrichment Coordinator, Chad, working on ideas for all things Shortcake (as in Strawberry) and tomato to add to our Amazon Wishlist for Foxie and Missy’s celebrations, so if you’re interested and able to contribute, keep an eye out there and all our thanks in advance!

On that note, I’d like to add that I was training one of our new volunteers the other day and they asked if we had an Amazon Wishlist. It was an amazing thing to stop and do a 360 in the human areas pointing out that most everything we were seeing had been donated by our amazing supporters. You’ll never know how much that means to us and the chimpanzees. Thank you!!

As always, we have so much to celebrate because of you all. I ran across a quote the other day that made me think of this and specifically of the chimpanzees, of us all really. I don’t often like to quote people because, well, their words are their own and it’s sticky territory, but nevertheless, so much can happen in the sharing:

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful, it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living a heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” – LR Knost

Today is for Minnesota Becky

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Our thanks go out to Tobin, for sponsoring a day of sanctuary in honor of her friend, Becky, aka “Minnesota Becky”! Tobin shared this message about her gift today:

“I am not sure how or why this coincidence transpired, but somehow I have been fortunate to have two good friends who are both named Becky. Both of them have the same middle name, the same first initial of their last names and they both celebrate the anniversaries of their debuts into polite society (aka their birthdays) in late August. And if that isn’t enough, both Hoosier Becky and Minnesota Becky are recipients of the unauthorized biography, “Teeny Tiny Terry Today.”

August is a big month for Minnesota Becky. In addition to her 25th birthday, this is also the month of her wedding anniversary. And later this month, she might just emulate Gordo and hip-hop-hop over to the Minnesota State Fair.

Minnesota Becky has a few things in common with those at the sanctuary celebrating August birthdays. Like Foxie, she has spent some quality time in the company of troll dolls. And, like Missy, sometimes she has a case of the zooms and finds herself running a foot race several kilometers down a city street. So, to get her big month off to a big start, I am sponsoring a day for her.”

Happy Birthday from all of us here, Becky! Hope you have a wonderful month of celebration!

Foxie and friend:

Missy:

Always a favorite, Annie, Missy and Foxie: