May 28, 2025 - Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Today was a pretty busy day for humans and non-humans! As you will see in the video, there is not better way to pass the time than playing and spending quality time with an old friend. Foxie and Burrito spent quite a bit of time laughing and playing with each other while we cleaned their Playroom. Their friendship always warms my heart. Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, George had an exciting moment, received access to the chute again! Click here to watch the video of George using the chute for the first time! It was a big spectacle, especially for Cy’s group, who had the best view and were very curious observers.

I’ll be honest, it was a bit noisy throughout the chimp house today (but hey, that’s life with chimps!). Eventually, things settled down, and George got to enjoy some peaceful solo exploration of the chute. Every day brings something new, and today was full of connection, curiosity, and a little bit of chaos—the best kind.

Click here for today’s video!

Many thanks to Lori Sheeran, Professor of Primate Behavior and Anthropology (and Board member and sanctuary volunteer!) for sponsoring this day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees and cows in honor of the following:

“Thank you to everyone at Central Washington University’s Museum of Culture and Environment for the beautiful exhibit honoring Washoe, Dar, Moja, Tatu, and Loulis! Thank you to museum director Karisa Terry; preservation and museum specialist Lynn Bethke; graduate students Caity Bailey and Candice Mendez; and museum staff and interns Cormac Arenson, Zoe Hammer, Clarel Ruvalcaba, Winnie Killingsworth, and Rebecca Gutshall.”

Many of us had the joy of attending the exhibit’s opening during a recent day of events at Central Washington University, A Legacy in Every Gesture: Celebrating CWU’s Primate Program, honoring Washoe and her family, their profound legacy, and the continuing Primate Program. Diana wrote about this wonderful event here if you’d like to read more.

It was very special to see the primatology and local communities of the past many decades come together, putting so much heartfelt effort and care into honoring these amazing chimpanzee people and so many of the humans who are not only connected to the program, but have gone on to make a difference for chimpanzees, both in captivity and the wild.

Washoe (photo credit – Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute):

You may recall that Rayne is half-siblings with Tatu. Tatu and Loulis, the remaining members of Washoe’s family, reside at the Fauna Foundation in Quebec.