Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for February 2024

Be Mine, Dora

by

How could you not ALREADY be in love with Dora?!? Okay, I guess I’ll forgive you if you need some convincing, but buckle in and prepare yourself to fall hard for the wonderful, sometimes spicy, silly lady that is Dora.

Dora

Dora was born at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) on June 6th, 1989. Her records say that her mother was Stella and her father was Les. She has many half siblings including Gordo (they have the same father, Les), who came with her from Wildlife Waystation and lives with her in her current group. She also has a half sister, Amber, who now lives at Chimp Haven, and several other half siblings at other sanctuaries including Pumpkin at Save the Chimps. I had the opportunity to work with Amber at my previous job, and can see several similarities between her and Dora. Amber and Dora are both very friendly with others in their groups, and can be quite quirky and silly. They strongly resemble each other in my opinion as well!

Pumpkin, photos from Save the Chimps

Amber, photo from Chimp Haven

Dora, in the same pose as Amber above

Dora arrived at CSNW in 2021 after Wildlife Waystation had closed in 2019, requiring that new homes be found for their many residents. Dora came to the sanctuary with Cy, Terry, Gordo, Rayne, and Lucky (the Lucky Six) and her group was then integrated with Willy B’s group (Willy B, Honey B, and Mave). If you’re new to the blog, Dora is now best friends with Mave, and one is rarely seen without the other. They comfort each other in times of stress and support each other (for the most part) during times of conflict. Even the best of friends do occasionally have their differences though, and Mora (Mave+Dora) is no exception. Just last week, Dora seemed to have decided that the cherry tomatoes for Mave were cherry tomatoes for Dora. It became very offensive to Dora when Mave took the cherry tomatoes, and Dora screamed and hit at Mave, which turned into a brief dispute in the group. While each of them were very upset, they were also quick to reconcile and back to being the best of friends.

Mora, as seen through the hand box

Grooming time with Mora

Mave and Dora playing

Mave holding Dora’s toes, and Mave and Dora hands

Mave hugging Dora

One of my favorite activities to do with Dora is to train with her using positive reinforcement training. She loves training and gets very excited to participate. She knows a lot of different behaviors, but also gets so eager to train that she sometimes wants to play with the human training with her, which is a rarity for me with Dora. Recently when I was training with her, she put both of her feet up, sticking all her toes through the caging, and made a play face. I tapped her toes with the back of my wrist, much like I often do with Burrito, and she continued with her playful antics and seemed to love it. We trained a little bit more, she got more delicious snacks, and we just had a great time together. It was the highlight of my week!

Dora has also graced me with a few grooming sessions so far. When she is interested in spending time together, I will drop just about everything to make that happen. One of my favorite moments with her was early on in my time working here, shortly after I was cleared to interact with the chimps on my own. Dora came up to the caging as I was cleaning across the hall, gave me a brief look, then sat down. I noticed her looking at me and stepped over to greet her, and she presented her head to me as if she wanted me to scratch it. I waited a moment, and then she turned so that I could safely touch her arm with my knuckle, and I gently rubbed her arm with my knuckle while she sat with me. After about a minute, the moment was over and she was off to her next activity.

When it comes time for meals, Dora is most excited if there is corn on the menu. She enjoys a lot of other foods and her chow, but there is just something extra delicious about corn. She is picky with her smoothies, so you should always feel accomplished if you make a smoothie that Dora gulps down!

Dora eating corn

Dora with her smoothie cup

Dora is a very special chimpanzee, and I feel so fortunate to get the opportunity to know and love her. She is silly, especially with her chimp friends, and can make a game out of anything. The girl knows how to have fun! She knows what she wants, and will stand up for herself when needed but is not usually one to start drama. She is a loyal friend, there to provide support when needed and quick to offer a hug or reassurance that everything is okay. She is the kind of friend everyone needs.

Thank you to Dora’s current pals Vicki, Monica, Lisa, Victoria & Emelia, Barbara, Precious, Janet, and Leslie for supporting and loving the wonderful chimpanzee person that is Dora. If you’d like to be pals with Dora, visit our website today!

Be Mine, Gordo

by

I have to be honest, I feel immense pressure to write a blog that accurately reflects how complex, yet amazing, Gordo is. He has so many quirks that make him stand apart from all of our other chimpanzee residents. Also, I’m still emotionally recovering from reading Katelyn’s blog about Foxie on Wednesday. How does one follow that!? However, just like Gordo himself, I’m going to do my best, but in my own unique way.

The phrase, “march to the beat of your own drum” perfectly describes Gordo. We have described him as aloof, because he is more reserved than the others. Gordo isn’t going to be the first person to greet his caregivers, he doesn’t often crave human attention like others (Cy and Terry), and seems to prefer hanging back and observing. He is not too keen on making a lot of eye contact with us humans, especially when it is not on his own terms. Often times, if Gordo is staring and watching a caregiver, he will quickly look away when they notice. He will then proceed to do a side-eye glance a few seconds later to see if the caregiver is still looking at him. It is one of his many quirks!

There is one corner in Playroom 2 that is Gordo’s “spot”. He doesn’t sleep there, nor spend the entire day there, but it’s a great spot for him to be close enough to all of the happenings within his group but also far enough from the Front Rooms where a lot of the bigger personalities hang out, while they’re trying to get some human attention. He doesn’t always hang out alone, but he does pick and choose the times he is being social and putting himself out there.

Gordo’s “spot” in Playroom 2. It has a great view of The Bray and is just steps away from the Front Rooms and the Chute.

Despite being a reserved guy, he really comes out of his shell when he wants to have fun. When Gordo is feeling silly and wants a caregiver to chase him, his movements are so subtle that anyone who is not familiar with his cues, could easily miss them.

Gordo initiating play with caregivers usually starts with a quick side-eye glance, immediately followed by him looking away. Next, while the caregiver playfully gestures towards him, he will start to scratch his torso and legs. This is when you know you got him locked in for an ultimate game of chase. Then, he will stand up and start hopping with his back legs (we have referred to this on the blog as a “bunny hop“). He loves being chased through the Playroom, out to the Greenhouse, and back. Sometimes, when he is really wanting to play chase but the humans aren’t picking up the cues, he will lightly tap on the floor with his knuckles, almost in a youthful, silly, impatient kind of way. Gordo also appreciates when caregivers wear silly accessories for games of chase. A Troll Mask, a jacket hood, or a blanket wrapped around you while chasing him is enough to make Gordo’s day.

Gordo often plays chase with the boys in his group. Anytime there is something exciting happening (such as a birthday party), it is almost a guarantee you can find Gordo “bunny hopping” with Willy B playfully chasing him from behind.

In social situations or conflicts, Terry and Gordo back each other up. They look out for each other, especially when Honey B or Mave is upset with one of them. Terry and Gordo spend a lot of quiet time together as well, often grooming or exploring The Bray.

Gordo (L) and Terry (R) on The Bray

I feel inclined to share with you something Gordo DETESTS.

He hates firehose knots. Firehose knots, one of our enrichment puzzles, is a strip of firehose that is twisted and knotted in unique ways, with nuts on the inside. The chimps needs to untangle the firehose to retrieve the nuts. Gordo seems to think that this is a waste of his time, especially if his caregivers are not going to help him with it. Nowadays, because we know he hates doing it himself and won’t,  caregivers now untangle and untie the firehose knots for him and then hand it to him through the mesh, as one single untied strip. He seems to appreciate this gesture, as once he sees we’re willing to do the work for him, he is suddenly interested in coming and collecting his nighttime puzzle.

Now, this is where things get a little wild and everyone nearby should duck-and-cover. Instead of Gordo opening the firehose slits at the ends  (like all the other chimps do) and dumping the nuts into his hands, Gordo whips the firehose onto the floor, as hard as he can. He doesn’t stop until he hears a nut go flying and hit a wall/floor/ceiling/bench/etc. Once he hears that, he starts hunting down the flying nuts, before his group members find them first. He repeats this method until his firehose strips are empty.

Recently, Gordo was doing this whipping technique in Front Room 7 near Cy, who sat there with his arms-crossed, watching. Once the whipping began, Cy sat there and sneered, seemingly hoping the firehose does not accidentally hit him (which it didn’t).

We have shown Gordo how to do firehose knots differently, but he prefers his way.

Gordo’s worst enemy, the firehose knots.


Gordo working on a raisin board. Peep the chopstick wrapper in between his toes!

If there is one thing you should know about Gordo is that if there’s a box, he will be sitting there. Especially during meal times.

Gordo’s favorite foods are pomegranates, avocados, chow, and potatoes that are not cut. Occasionally, we bake sweet potatoes for dinner and if the pieces are cut up (like they normally are to fit through the mesh), Gordo will decline. However, if it’s a baked sweet potato that hasn’t been cut-up, he will take it. He’s a particular guy, which we’re happy to accommodate for. I’m glad we can pick up on small things like that and make those adjustments, even if they seem silly.

Gordo also loves his daily breakfast smoothie. He happily grunts when he sees it coming and will find himself a nice place to sit so he can hold his own cup through the mesh. One of the sweetest things Gordo does, is when he is done with his smoothie, instead of just letting go of the cup like all the other chimps do (nearly giving us humans a heart attack from the loud sound), he will carefully slide it down the mesh, pinch by pinch, until it’s sitting upright on the ground. Then, he will leave. These are the little things that make my heart melt.

Gordo was born on July 19, 1988 at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP). According to his records, his mother was Andrea and his father was Les. Dora‘s father is also Les, making Gordo and Dora half-siblings. Gordo is half-siblings with many chimps at other sanctuaries.

Gordo greets Dora in the Riverview Greenhouse

When LEMSIP closed in 1996, Gordo and 30 other chimpanzees were sent to live at Wildlife Waystation (WW) in California. WW announced its closure in 2019, causing their 400+ animal residents needing to be rehomed. Gordo arrived here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in 2021, along with his group members, Cy, Terry, Dora, Rayne, and Lucky. They since have been integrated with Mave, Honey B, and Willy B and now live in a group of nine.

Left to Right: Cy, Gordo, and Terry

Gordo currently has 4 Chimpanzee Pals that sponsor him: Vicki, Monica, LauRenn, and Desmond. Thank you, thank you!

Gordo somehow has the lowest numbers of Pals out of all the chimps. How can this be?! We hope you fell in love with Gordo today and feel inclined to become his newest Pal. 

Be Mine, Missy

by

Missy Chimpanzee is equal parts athlete, social butterfly, second in command and tomato connoisseur. If you see a chimpanzee loping along the middle of Young’s Hill (usually followed by her BFF Annie), there’s a good chance it’s Missy. If you see a group of chimpanzees together grooming at the top of the Greenhouse, Missy is likely a big part of that group. If Jamie is angry at one of her group mates or caregivers, Missy is right behind her, backing her up with angry threat barks to make sure the punishment is swift. If there is a bowl of tomatoes on the counter in the kitchen, Missy will be at the Playroom door, giving her signature head nod with outstretched fingers. I sometimes think she’s trying to do a little back-door deal for her favorite food. If Missy could talk, I’d assume she would give me a wink and say “Don’t worry, no one needs to know if you slipped me some secret tomatoes.”

Missy was born into biomedical research in 1975 where she was used as a “breeder” and she was used in Hepatitis vaccine research. She gave birth to two children Josh and CSNW’s very own Honey B. Since Honey B and Missy were separated when Honey B was an infant, they don’t seem to recognize each other as family and do not live in the same group.

Honey B (left) Missy (right):

One of my favorite “Missy Moments” was watching her be the first chimpanzee at the sanctuary to climb a tree at the top of their new and improved Young’s Hill. Missy’s curiosity and athleticism were on full display and it was so fun to watch her do something for the very first time!

Missy’s beautiful life in sanctuary is sponsored in part by her amazing Pals Vicki, Monica, Chris & Lee Ann, Donna, Sharlene, Myra, Patti, Barbara, and Dax. You too can join this group of important supporters by becoming Missy’s Pal.

Valentine’s month is almost over, but it’s never too late to fall in love with Missy!

Be Mine, Foxie

by

“Foxieee!!…” is an unapologetic and relatively common fan-girl level squeal you might hear ringing through the chimp house on any given day I greet her. Given that we’re both grown women, it’s ridiculous, but the joy in seeing this effervescent sprite of a person will not be contained. Nor should it be. Foxie’s typical response to this is for her hair to stand on end (pilo, in chimp lingo), run toward me, toss me her doll du jour, and sprint or pirouette off for a game of chase. If I’m extra fortunate, she might pause long enough to push her lips through the caging and greet me with a breathy pant and a kiss to the back of my hand. Oh, and I’m pilo, too, but unfortunately my hair doesn’t stand on end. 😉

I have had the profound privilege and joy of knowing Foxie and her beloved group members for around 13 and a half years or so now. For those of you who may be newer to our blog, they were the original group of seven chimpanzees who arrived to the sanctuary on June 13, 2008. It’s equally hard to believe so much time has passed as to imagine any time without them. When I look back on photos from earlier years I see a lot less gray hair on both of us, a little less hitch in our giddy-ups, but speaking for myself, always a heart the shape of her.

We’re asked all the time who among the chimpanzees is our “favorite”. Foxie is not my favorite. She is my family.

I cherish, no less, each of the unique relationships I have with the chimpanzees, a gracious gift of their choosing from them to us. And just as with humans, for whatever ineffable reasons, sometimes you just connect with one another in different ways.

Foxie was born on August, 8, 1976, to her mother, Winny, and her father, Brian, at the then Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (now Texas Biomedical Research Institute) in San Antonio, Texas. Winny gave birth to 11 children and she died while living at the Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico in 2013. Our records don’t indicate where Brian wound up, but it was unlikely in sanctuary. As is common for all chimpanzees used in biomedical research, Foxie has numerous full and half-siblings. Most are only listed as numbers. Her one younger sibling who we do have information on is her half-sister, Sophie, who was also born to Winny and thankfully resides at Save the Chimps in Florida.

What I find particularly delightful and interesting about Sophie, who would not have known Foxie, is that she also loves her dolls, especially stuffed monkeys. (Of important note if you are going to be Foxie’s friend: she DETESTS stuffed primate dolls and they are guaranteed to meet a swift and violent end involving immediate de-stuffing and beheading, so don’t even THINK about sending her one! 🙂 Foxie is a troll>Dora>Strawberry Shortcake & friends purist.).

Sophie and her monkeys. (Photos courtesy of Save the Chimps):

And my personal favorite, carrying her giant witch:

Foxie herself went on to be used in biomedical research for thirty years before arriving to her sanctuary home. Used as a “breeder” (lab terms) and in hepatitis vaccine research, Foxie gave birth to two sons, David and Steve, a rare set of twins, and two daughters, Angie and Kelsey. And like most chimpanzee mothers in labs, her children were stolen from her within days of birth to continue the cycle of research. Devastatingly, David and Steve died while still in the labs. And thankfully, Kelsey eventually made it to Chimp Haven in Louisiana (Caregiver Sabrina was so fortunate to work with her!). It’s our understanding that Kelsey has since passed away, but we’re profoundly grateful she had a chance to experience a wonderful life in sanctuary. And Foxie’s only remaining daughter, Angie, is living happily at Save the Chimps.

Kelsey (photo courtesy of staff caregiver, Sabrina):

Angie (the 1st). Photo courtesy of Save the Chimps:

When J.B., Diana, and Sarah (our former Director) met Foxie’s group, they had been living in a windowless basement of the Buckshire Corporation in Pennsylvania (which leases animals to labs for research) for over two years. Their cages were the size of bathroom stalls and they were lined up next to one another.

Foxie arrived here in 2008 as all her group members did, ghosts of themselves:

Foxie, nearly sixteen years living in sanctuary later, because of you:

I’ll never know how Foxie, or any of the chimpanzees, found the inner strength to survive a day in the labs, let alone over thirty years. But I hope she somehow always knew the magic she holds, the wondrous person she is. I think she did. She is one of the most intuitive and loving friends a chimp or a human could hope for. She is brave, cautiously adventurous, joyful beyond imagine, and she has a closet full of sassy pants and she’s not afraid to wear them while spitting in your face or round kicking steel doors to rile the neighbors.

As previously mentioned, probably one of the most well known and endearing facts about Foxie is her unwavering love (and to be honest, sometimes, love/hate) for her dolls. An intrigue first sparked shortly after her arrival, on July 13, 2008 (according to one of the very first blog posts!) by the chance meeting of Trixie the Troll, who staff happened across at Goodwill and thought the chimpanzees might be interested in. Foxie was interested. And she scooped Trixie right up:

All these years later, Foxie has hundreds of dolls (thanks again to you) and it’s rare to find her without one. She still enjoys her trolls, but some years ago she discovered Dora the Explorer dolls (she was over the moon for France Dora!) and now she’s primarily committed to Strawberry Shortcake and her friends. Of course it’s emotionally appealing to make the common assumption she’s replacing her lost children with the dolls. Does Foxie often exhibit mothering behavior toward her dolls? Yes. And does she also bite, beat and stomp the bejebus out of them? Yes. We can never know what’s inside her head, she’s her own person after all, but they clearly provide her with comfort, joy, and sometimes a means of expressing some very strong emotions. And that’s all we need to know.

One of Foxie’s favorite games is to pass her dolls back and forth through the caging with us as we chase her with them. These games are often raucous games complete with backflips (her, not me), hanging upside down and kicking about (still her) and wildly laughing hearts (both of us). But some of my most cherished times are when we’re just sitting together quietly, her hugging her doll close to her before handing them to me, then I in turn hug and “kiss” them before handing them back. Even now I think what an absolute act of courage for her to part with something she so dearly loves, feeling safe in the trust we will return what is rightfully hers to her as soon as she asks.

While I’m hugging the doll, Foxie will often nod her head and smile, softly hooing, or sometimes serenely gaze into the distance, lost in a passing thought. And so it goes for some time. Every outstretched hand, doll, and gaze, I hope, a sacred weaving, the tapestry of her strong spirit healing and reinforced with each thread of love and honoring from my heart to hers. Eventually she’ll tuck the doll into her, hold my gaze as she gently touches the back of my hand with her fingertips and then move on to her other important chimp business.

Foxie just being Foxie makes our hearts sing, but her courageous and curious spirit is something to witness. She’s one of the few chimpanzees who declines building a nest, preferring, nay, insisting, on sleeping on the bare ground. She doesn’t like blankets, or most things, touching her (and don’t try to tie any such thing around her dolls, either!). She’s not comfortable on structures that move and tests new ones out step by step, bite by bite. All of this makes perfect sense given her history. But what I love is that she doesn’t allow her fear or discomfort to deter her. She can be fearless! She just does things in her own way and time. Which is exactly what sanctuary is all about.

In 2016, long-time supporters made the Twister, an amazing structure on Young’s Hill, possible for the chimps. It’s an amazing tower of firehose with a crow’s nest at the very top. Occasionally we’d see Foxie attempt to climb up with her friends, but she always got part way and headed back down, vexed by all the moving parts.

Well, fast forward to a summer day two years later. I was walking around the perimeter with the chimpanzees when I noticed Foxie heading toward the Twister, and Jody, her dear friend, right behind her with a look of pure determination. What was going to happen?! I could see it as if in slow motion…as if Jody was telling Foxie, “That’s it, Foxie, today’s the day you’re going to the top!” Foxie climbed a few feet up one of the beams of the structure and hesitated. Jody came up right alongside her and ushered her, to my complete thrill and amazement, all the way to the top! I couldn’t believe it! I whooped and hollered and threw my hands in the air, announcing it on the radio, so proud of her! She glanced over at me and pounded her fists on the platform. I still remember the look of satisfaction and awe on her face as she took in the view. I’m forever grateful to Jody for that day. That’s just who she was to her family. To us all.

We hold immense gratitude for all of you who have made Foxie’s life here in sanctuary possible. Countless moments of adventure, choice, hope, healing, and love, all in her own choosing and time. YOU changed her life. And our special thanks go out to Foxie’s Pals: Vicki, Monica, Chris & Lee Ann, Donna, Sharlene, Donna, Jon & Sandra, Linda, Penelope, Jordan, Sara, Connie, Virginia, William, Nancy, Kimberly, JJ, and Jayne.

I believe the world became a more magical place the day Foxie was born. And though it would be some thirty years later before I would know it, so did my heart. If you find yourself in need of  some Foxie level enchantment in your life, please consider becoming Foxie’s Pal, too. From our hearts, thank you for being here.

Happy Birthday, Sonny and Fredo!

by

This sweet day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees was sponsored in honor of beloved pups, Sonny and Fredo, in celebration of their birthday!

“Happy Birthday, Sonny and Fredo, our favorite Texas labs! Enjoy your extra celebration walks and yummy treats on your special day! Relax and take an extra afternoon nap with your loving parents, Peggy and Bill. Thank you to them for sponsoring your birthday for the chimps. Love to you all! Cynthia, Joe and Meg”

Our many thanks to humans Peggy, Bill, Cynthia, Joe and Meg for sharing in their celebration of Sonny and Fredo and adding to the chimpanzees’ days and lives. We truly appreciate you including them! We’re sending extra pets for Sonny and Fredo from all of us here. 🙂

Willy B:

Honey B and Dora:

Burrito and his beloved giant Kong:

Foxie and Jamie:

Missy and Annie:

Missy Annie running behind

Be Mine, Terry

by

Terry. Dear, sweet, loveable Terry.

Terry was born on June 13, 1990 at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP). According to our records, his father was Conrad and his mother was Carrie. Although I can’t currently put faces to the names of his parents, the act of naming them and acknowledging their life in biomedical research feels significant.

Terry lived at LEMSIP for the first six years of his life before going to Wildlife Waystation (WW) in 1996 when LEMSIP closed. Terry was taken from his parents at a very young age to be raised in the ‘nursery’ by human technicians. Being born in a lab means that he was denied many things that he would have experienced had he been born in the wild, and one of these things is the opportunity to know his mom. To highlight how traumatizing that must have been, consider that wild male chimpanzees live in their natal groups their whole lives, are nursed by their mothers for the first five years, and then rely on them still as they transition to adulthood.

Interestingly, Dr. Mahoney, who was acting director of LEMSIP when it was closing, wrote about sending the juvenile chimps to WW in his book titled From Elephants to Mice and mentioned Terry by name. He labeled Terry, who was six and a half years old at the time, as ‘the philosopher of the group’.

Terry lived at WW for 25 years before he came to CSNW with the rest of the ‘Lucky Six‘ (Terry + Cy, Gordo, Rayne, Dora, and Lucky) on June 26, 2021. He now lives in a group of nine, after the integration of his group with Honey B, Willy B, and Mave in April of 2022. Amazingly, we found out in 2023 that Terry and Mave are half-siblings! They share a father (Conrad) and they also share lightly colored, speckled noses. 🙂

Mave (left) with half-brother, Terry (right)

Terry is a special guy. Lovingly referred to as ‘Teeny tiny Terry‘ (and, sometimes, ‘Meatball‘, due to his hunched posture) he is a big guy with an extremely gentle heart. One of my favorite memories of Terry is when we gave them roses for enrichment and Terry sat with his, gently grooming the individual petals with just one of his large fingers. Seeing such a big guy holding such a little flower with such care is a memory I will always hold dear.

Terry is known for blowing raspberries all day, every day- it is the chorus to which we live our lives. And, honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. He loves to groom his caregivers boots and will give you his full, undivided attention when he does. My favorite thing is when he crouches down on his side to better groom our boots, eyes focused on whatever he has deemed needs to be groomed, and teeth clacks in his lip smacking kind of way.

He has a way of making you feel like your presence really matters.

Not just with his human friends, either. He is a reliable and popular member of his family of nine. In the afternoons, he is often seen grooming the others in big grooming piles and is known to play with just about everyone. He is loveable, all around.

Terry (left) plays with Honey B (right)

He loves most all foods and gets really excited for things like apples, corn, and red bell peppers. And, as soon as he is done with one item and ready for you to serve the next, you better believe he will start blowing raspberries. The loud raspberries fulfill two actions- he gets your attention, and he also likely scrambles your thoughts a bit so that you forget if you gave him the whole serving of produce or not. Teeny Tiny Terry may also be a Teeny Tiny Trickster.

When I started as a caregiver here, and was still in the beginning phases of training, I remember Terry would find me whenever I was on that side of the building. As I was doing safety or chimp ID tests, he would often be sitting right in front of me raspberry-ing away. At that point in our training we limit our interactions to polite head nods, but I was so looking forward to getting to know Terry when I was cleared for interactions.

What has followed is a friendship that I feel honored to have. I often try to find time in the afternoons to hang out with him and the result is us passing a stick back and forth so that he grooms my boot, I groom his arm, he grooms my hand, I groom his leg, so on and so forth. After a while of that, he will often pause to look away for a moment. When he turns back to me, he will stand up slightly and begin to poke the bottom of my boots harder with his fingers. A few breathy pants later and we’re off on a game of chase.

Oh, and he also really loves snowballs. Because, you know, Teeny Tiny Terry isn’t complete without a Teeny Tiny Snowball. 🙂

Terry’s gentle nature is in stark contrast to the unkind situation he was born into. He owes us nothing, but he makes our days better by just being himself and for that I will be forever grateful.

Terry is a one of a kind kind of guy and we’re so lucky to know him. A huge thank you to his current Chimpanzee Pal’s Vicki, Monica, Robert & Debbie, Amy, Debbie, and Holly for sponsoring him.

You, too, can be Terry’s Chimpanzee Pal and help us give him the care and love he deserves!

Fall in love with him today, just like we have. 

Be Mine, Betsy

by

Lovely Betsy Cow is one of the bovine family of four we currently have at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Just like the chimpanzees, each of the cattle have their own very distinct personalities and roles within their group.

Betsy, as the video says, is the quintessential “mom” – much like Jody was for her chimp friends before she passed away.

Betsy is so motherly that she nursed Meredith when Honey had mastitis and she continued to let Nutmeg nurse for years, even after he was twice her size!

Also similar to the chimpanzees, Betsy had a varied past before reaching sanctuary. We know that she was used in the dairy industry for a number of years. We don’t know how many calves she had in total before she was purchased, along with Honey Cow, to be part of a reality television called Utopia where urban folks were brought to a farm in California to learn how to live a rural life. The series didn’t last too long, and when it ended, the producer wanted to send pregnant Betsy and the rest of the family to a sanctuary rather than back to the dairy. So, Farm Sanctuary was contacted, and pregnant Betsy, Honey, and baby Meredith went to their northern California sanctuary.

In 2018, after acquiring some more land, we were contemplating rescuing farmed animals to graze on the greatly expanded pastures. It just so happened that Farm Sanctuary was shutting down their northern California site and looking to place Betsy and her family!

Betsy is someone who I liked right away. Some animals (including humans) take a while to get to know and need a lot of space. Not Betsy. Though she’s she’s very vigilant, she is also curious and is usually the first to approach new people (and lick them, if they will let her).

She’s also the most likely to boldly walk out of her space if there’s a gate open (something Jenna and I both know well now), while the rest of her family watches with more apprehension. She has no hesitation going into the creek to eat the greens there or dunk her face in some mud.

I am so glad that Betsy found her way to us. She has brought me joy  since the day she stepped off the trailer.

Thanks goes to her admirers and current Betsy Buddies: Monica, Jackie and (human) Betsy.

You too can help us celebrate all that Betsy embodies by becoming her Bovine Buddy!

Become a Bovine Buddy