Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for February 2025

I Pity The Fool…

by

I pity the fool…who doesn’t adore our very own Mr. T(erry)!

Terry has gotten a lot of attention on the blog lately, and today is no different.  Everything they say about Terry is true!  He is a gentle giant.  Such a sweet big ole’ meatball of a guy!  He’s a raspberry blowin’, hand lickin’, boot spittin’, coat scritchin’, chase playin’, elbow groomin’, Romaine crunchin’ friend to all!

If you don’t already adore Mr. T, what the heck are you waiting for?

Take a moment to spend some time with Terry and a couple of heads of Romaine lettuce and you’ll be sure to fall head over heels!

A Box Full of Honey

by

Who is in the box?!

The other day, I walked by the Front Rooms and I saw a spinning cardboard box. The moments to follow were so hilarious, I am so glad I got it on camera! I’ve showed just about every staff member this video and they find it hilarious, so I hope you do too! Caregiver Sabrina even said this is her favorite CSNW video of all time. High praise! Thanks for being hilarious, Honey B!

Like mother, like daughter?

by

Honey B was born on June 11th, 1989. Just hours after birth she was taken from her mother and raised by human caregivers.  Her mother just so happens to be Missy, a now longtime resident at CSNW. Missy and Honey B don’t live together in the same group at the sanctuary, and that’s not for lack of trying. During the now unsuccessful introduction process between Missy and Honey B’s groups, we watched for any inclination that they might know each other, but we didn’t observe any noticeable acknowledgement.

Here’s one of the few photos I could find with them in the same frame. Honey B is on the chair and Missy is sitting in the doorway:

Despite the apparent lack of relationship between Missy and Honey B, caregivers do see some behavior similarities between the two. Whether their behaviors are due to some inherited trait, or just a coincidence, that’s open to interpretation. I’ve listed a few of their shared similarities below:

  • An amazing ability to haze caregivers. Honey B is famous for spitting huge quantities of smoothie on an unsuspecting human. Missy always chooses to back up Jamie during hazing events with a round of threat barks and even the occasional leap at the caging.

Missy:

  • They’re both high ranking individuals in their groups.

Honey B:

  • They’re popular amongst their group mates, often found in a grooming or play session.

Missy:

  • They both are extremely intelligent and socially savvy

Honey B:

  • They can be stubborn shifters, sometimes choosing to hold up the cleaning process because they decide to stay somewhere else. For Missy it’s the playroom and for Honey B, it’s usually the front rooms that they choose to hang out in.

Missy:

  • They egg on the drama.  If there’s a fight, you can usually find them in the middle of all the chaos.

Honey B:

  • They are both picky eaters, usually preferring to eat just a few of their meal items.

Missy:

Today we talked about the similarities, perhaps another day we can discuss their differences?

 

Itching to Go

by

Chimpanzee gestures often have multiple meanings depending on the context. One gesture, known as exaggerated self-scratching or the Big Loud Scratch, can be either a request for grooming or a way to initiate group travel.

Missy, having finished her breakfast, was eager to take a walk up the hill and was seeking traveling companions.

But her friends were still working on their chow.

She waited for them to finish.

And soon she grew impatient.

Time for Quiet Little Missy to do a Big Loud Scratch.

“Let’s GO!”

The Big Loud Scratch is a clear and concise form of communication, but not always a compelling one. Sometimes, your friends will insist on eating before setting off on an adventure.

Ageless Beauty

by

I have always looked somewhat young for my age, which was annoying when I was a kid, especially as a teenager when I was in a hurry to be an adult.

I’m sure this has played a part in my not really dwelling about my appearance as I aged. Until 50 came along. That’s when I found myself noticing wrinkles that I swear had appeared overnight.

and hairs on my face that were going grey and seemed to be reproducing.

I pondered what my eyebrows were doing. They seemed to have concocted a mission of their own.

The ever-darkening bags under my eyes became a not-very-pleasant surprise every morning.

old scars that I had forgotten about made themselves known again.

 

None of the faces above are mine, of course.

The faces of Missy, Annie, Lucky, and Burrito, and those of all chimpanzees, are so full of character. Each one unique; different and special.

Their appearance too has changed in the time I’ve known them. They have more gray hair, deeper wrinkles, more scars, sometimes lumps and bumps that were not always there.

I could examine their faces all day – the delicate folds under their eyes, the wrinkles around their mouths that are even more noticeable when they purse their lips for a kiss or to make a raspberry sound. The tiny hairs on their lips and in their noses. They are all beautiful.

I’m glad that the chimpanzees don’t have our human vanities and insecurities. They are who they are today. They are who they are tomorrow. They don’t need calendars. They don’t count and compare the length of time they’ve been alive. They don’t need to spend time contemplating the passage of time and how that shows up on their faces and bodies.

They focus on the important aspects of their lives, like the sound a jolly ball makes when you bounce on it and the fresh pineapple on the menu at lunch.