Firstly, we’d like to once again welcome all of our new followers, a seeming built-in fan club who graciously arrived with George! We are so grateful to you all for being here and for wanting to help ensure that George’s next chapter in life is one he has long deserved!
As we look ahead to June’s celebrations, we cannot wait for George to experience what a partying place he has landed! Though we just missed his April birthday, he’s going to have plenty of practice in the months ahead. 🙂
If you’ve been following us for awhile you are probably well aware that as far as celebrations go, the month of June holds an abundance!
Miss Dora turns 36 on June 6th!
Honey B turns 36 on June 11th!
June 13th is our Trifecta celebration of two birthdays and an anniversary! Queen Negra is turning 52!! June 13th also happens to be the 17th anniversary of Negra and her group’s arrival to the sanctuary!
I know we’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. When Diana and J.B. first met Negra and her group at the Buckshire Corporation in Pennsylvania (the organization that “owned” the chimpanzees and still leases animals out to labs for use in research), given Negra’s age and condition, their hope was that she would be able to enjoy at least a couple of months in sanctuary. SEVENTEEN years later and we’re celebrating her 52nd birthday!!
There are countless moments, big and small, which speak to the power of sanctuary to heal it’s residents, but Negra reminds us every day of what you help make possible. For her, and for every individual fortunate enough to make it to sanctuary from the biomedical, pet and entertainment industries.
And June 13th is also our beloved Terry’s 35th birthday!
On June 20th we welcome the summer solstice here in the northern hemisphere. May and June are two of the most beautiful months here at the sanctuary, the still green and lush days before the summer heat kicks in, and the chimpanzees and cows have been enjoying every moment.
Negra on Young’s Hill, her group’s outdoor habitat. Just look at her! She’s ready for Hot Neggie Summer 😉 :
Terry enjoying his group’s outdoor habitat, the Bray:
June 20th is also Annie’s wonderful son, Virgil’s, 36th birthday! As J.B. mentioned earlier, some of us were able to attend the 2025 North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) Workshop last month and we had the immense privilege of meeting Virgil at his home, Save the Chimps in Florida. Imagine our thrill when we arrived for the tour to be greeted by this!
This sweet guy looks soooo much like his beautiful mama, Annie:
Annie:
And we’ll be wrapping up our June celebrations with the 4th anniversary of the arrival of “The Lucky Six”, Cy’s group, to the sanctuary on June 26th!
Lucky, Rayne, and Cy on the Bray:
Gordo and Terry:
Dora and Cy in one of their greenhouses:
Summer visit season is also upon us and we welcomed our first guests yesterday! Though the sanctuary isn’t open to the public, we do offer a limited number of small, educational visits to donors each summer and we really look forward to sharing the sanctuary with everyone who attends. It’s a wonderful way for supporters to see first hand what they help make possible for the chimpanzees and cows (and hopefully see the chimpanzees as they forage for lunch and lounge in their open air greenhouses – appearances are entirely the choice of the chimpanzees, one of the many beauties of sanctuary life). And it’s always fun for the humans to share the chimps’ and cows’ lives and get to visit with some of our amazing supporters!
Missy!
Betsy, Honey, and Meredith, enjoying their summer pasture:
A beautiful end of spring and summer ahead to you all (or autumn into winter, as the case may be). Thank you, always, for being here and making so much possible.
Thank you for all you do for the animals at your santuary. It is plain to see that each of your staff genuinely loves their job and the Chimpanzees can feel the love. Also thank you for the daily blogs. Although I got connected to CSNW because of George I have fallen in love with all the Chimps. Seeing them enjoying Spring and Summer is a delight.
June is THE best month at CSNW! Celebrations galore!! Nothing beats honoring the birthday girl, our Queen, Negra. As Diana stated years ago, dear Neggie appears to be aging in reverse. To everyone who believes you shouldn’t move an elderly chimpanzee to a sanctuary because it’s too risky, follow Negra’s journey from her deprived life at Buckshire to her joyful existence at sanctuary today. Negra not only lives a life of her own volition at CSNW, she’s loved dearly, lavished with comforts, and she is a vital part of her family group. Negra’s past 17 years are inspiring!
I am so happy it’s June and I cannot wait for all the fun festivities this month holds! Hopefully this includes some celebratory firsts for George too!
Thank you, Debbie, this means a lot to us. <3 And welcome!
Ooops! Just saw that I wrote my post as a reply to you Debbie. Should have been an individual post. But….while I’m here let me say “Welcome to the blog”!! Please share your experiences with George anytime, would love to learn more about him.
i too am here because of George, having lived on the South ciadt my whole life.
i also have falken in live with all of them!
Thank fir all your live fir these chimps!
Laughing out loud! :smile:at Dora and Cy looking identical with big oranges in their mouth. I don’t recall seeing that one before.
I think they’re peppers, Paulette, but every time I see that photo, I think “what a lucky capture!” to find them both in the same position with the same thing in their mouths! like we used to do with oranges when we were kids:laughing:
They’re indeed oranges! So funny. 🙂
The chimp’s portrait photos are always just exquisite…this collection especially stunning. Virgil and Annie an inspiration….I wonder if there is a sense of interest or recognition when they each see the other’s photo? Negra’s story is a treasure, as she is. Clearly, as this and all the CSNW blogs always show, the title “caregiver” is not bestowed or worn casually. Thank you all for letting us in.
Hi Roberta, I often wonder this as well. They wouldn’t know one another, but as chimpanzees are able to recognize themselves, I wonder if they observe a similarity in their faces. I occasionally share their children’s photos with them and whether coincidence or curiosity, there have been times when some of the chimps really dwell on them. Impossible to know.
I’m glad you guys have tried to test this out, Katelyn, because I have wondered the same thing! Just as we all recognized a similarity in Mave and Terry, I wonder if they see it. Sort of like two twins who were raised separately finding each other….
Clever Dora! Turning 36 on 6/6. I have a silly thing with numbers, and this just pleases me.
You said here that George was born in April, but I’ve been unable to find more. Please say when? He looks young, and I’d like to know. Thanks.
Hi Mo, George was born on April 5th and he just turned 21! 🙂
Thank you, Katelyn. Can’t wait to get to know George and to watch him integrate into a group.
So happy to celebrate our Queen again! I think about her throughout the year, as I see her choose to swing up onto a platform during a party forage versus climbing the stairs slowly. I celebrate her throughout the year as she climbs to the top of the hill for pine needles instead of just plopping down at the first patch of grass she finds. I celebrate her every time I see that another sanctuary has lost the Chimp in their 30s or early 40s (:pensive:), and I think how wonderful it is that Neggie has made it to 52 and isn’t showing signs of stopping just yet!
That’s really lovely, Linda. <3 And agreed.
Goodness you’ll have to hire extra event planners with so many celebration parties. This winter was slow. You’ll make up for it in June for sure. I sure wish I lived nearby to could help plan and set up, etc. I’d be so happy just to be your gopher!
Haha, true! Enrichment Coordinator, Ellen, has her creative mind and hands full! We take turns helping her plan things and it’s still a lot! But always worth it to see them so excited.
So much to celebrate in June! George is going to have so much fun!