Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for December 2024

Early Christmas!

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With the success of the Fill the Fridge for the Holidays fund in our Comfort & Joy 2024 online auction, we thought we’d bring Christmas to the sanctuary a little early. Grace and Kelsi ordered some extra special treats along with our usual produce delivery and the staff set about decorating the trees on the Hill and Bray with edible ornaments! As you can see, there are many ways to pluck treats out of a prickly tree—and many ways not to! It’s always fun to watch the chimps work through challenges like this.

Many, many thanks to the Fill the Fridge donors: Shelley W., Jamie R., Sherry P., Jayne R., Melody W., Jackie P., Penelope A., Teresa C., Tricia M., Dusty C., Molly N., Frances B., Rebecca M., and Winifred G.!

 

The Key to Enrichment

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Continuing on with our Comfort & Joy online auction thanking, today I would like to thank Melody W. for her winning bid for keys for the chimpanzees.

We are so glad that Enrichment Coordinator Ellen found these keys. We have mentioned before that it is a challenge to find enrichment that is safe and suitable for the chimpanzee group from Wildlife Waystation because certain members of the group (cough, cough, Gordo, cough Dora) will chew on (and, we fear, swallow) plastic, rubber, stuffing from stuffed animals, and some fabrics. That limits the variety of items that we can give them, perhaps more than you would think.

We have an ongoing quest to find material that withstand their impressive canines, and these keys so far have passed the test.

Of course, the main element that you want in enrichment is popularity. It’s not enriching if no one pays any attention to it. This is really where individualized care shines. We know that Foxie is happier when she has her dolls, Cy has his magazines, and Jamie has her boots and books.

Everyone is different and has their favorite things, but certain items have more universal appeal.

We’ve seen these keys in the hands of almost everyone in Cy’s group, and several members of Jamie’s group too!

Thank you again, Melody, for providing such a well-loved item for the chimpanzees.

Freezing Rain and Flamingos

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Let’s start with freezing rain.  Because we did, in fact, start the day with freezing rain.  I’m not a fan.  It coats everything, and makes me fall down.  If it’s 27 degrees, and there is precipitation, it should snow (in my opinion).  Right?  If there are any meteorologists out there who want to explain it to me, that would be great.

Enough about freezing rain.

Today, I got to try on one of the items donated through our Comfort & Joy auction, and model it for the chimps.  Sherry R was the generous donor that won the Flamingo Hooded Blanket for the chimps!  It is SERIOUSLY COZY!  Sherry, it’s so cozy, I may pick one up for myself!

Thank you, Sherry R, for giving the chimpanzees a little more Comfort and a lot more Joy with your generous gift!  I’ll bet Burrito curled up in it after making me run around the hill today.  In the freezing rain.

 

Burrito and the Pig!

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Thank you to Sherry R. for donating Celestino the Squishmallow to the chimps!

Thank you to Martine S. for donating the giant stuffed pig to the chimps!

Jamie’s group received both items today and as you can see, Burrito had fun incorporating the new items into his antics. I really don’t know how he has all this energy and zest for life! What a guy!

 

Art, re-imagined

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To continue our Comfort and Joy celebrations, today  we gave the chimpanzees 2 different pieces of artwork that have been reformatted into enrichment items! First off, we gave Negra’s group a new cozy blanket with the famous Negra in the Sun painting printed on it.

I carefully hung it on the railings next to Negra’s nest in anticipation of her snuggling up in it:

Even the best laid plans go awry. After the chimpanzees entered the playroom, Burrito playfully poked the blanket until it fell down over a firehose below. Here’s Jamie foraging for cabbage next to it. You can still see the magnificent artwork that Margaret Parkinson originally painted!

During lunch, Negra did end up pulling her blanket over and using it as a seat cushion:

On the other side of the building we handed out this fantastic silky Lucky scarf (original artwork by Thyra Rutter from Arte for Elephants):

Cy commandeered the scarf for a game of tug-o-war!

Thanks go to our amazing artists Margaret and Thyra, as well as Heather S and Heather H, who purchased the items so the chimpanzees could enjoy them!

 

Cozy and Warm

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Burrito’s group received an item from the Comfort and Joy online auction today! We put out the Wearable Fox Blanket Hoodie. I was fortunate enough to try it on for the chimps before we left it in the Playroom. It was very cozy, so much so I think it is in a nest right now. Thank you so much to Diana K. for donating this wearable blanket for the chimpanzees, I know Burrito and Negra are going to love it

It was a hard day to get photos of the chimps, but here is a series of Negra eating an apple from this weekend:

And sweet Terry:

We are overjoyed with the generosity for Giving Tuesday. Big thanks to everyone who donated to honor Jody’s legacy and provide care for the chimpanzees. It means the world to us.

Rayne Gets a Gift

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Today, Rayne’s group got to enjoy the Spring Rayne scarf from our Comfort and Joy online auction! I painted the original artwork for a different auction and was inspired by the one and only Rayne chimpanzee, as well as her outdoor habitat The Bray in all its spring glory. It is neat to see the painting re-imagined as a scarf, and especially one for the chimps to enjoy! While she may look serious in the pictures, I’ll have you all know she was playing with the scarf before I could get my phone out, then it was all business for the photographer! She was wrapping it around her hands and feet playfully, and I’m sure enjoying the soft texture of the fabric. Thank you so much to Grace C. for donating this scarf for the chimpanzees!

As a bonus, enjoy a photo of silly Cy!

Don’t forget that today is Giving Tuesday, an internationally recognized day of generosity. Your support will not only honor Jody, but also the direct care of chimpanzees at the sanctuary. And your gift can be doubled today, thanks to a generous donor! Click here for more.