Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for January 2026

Pasta Party Part II

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Yesterday, our fun-loving friend, Burrito turned 43 and I still can’t quite believe it! Burrito is someone you want to get to know and have in your life, which is why his zest for life is so infectious. It explains why everyone on the other side of the building was having so much fun celebrating his birthday, even though they may not live together! Please enjoy the unseen footage of the other groups celebrating Burrito’s birthday!

Burrito’s Bouncy Birthday Bash

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43. That number has been circling around my head today as I came into the Chimp House this morning. How could my friend be turning 43? I remember growing thinking of the time adults would tell me to “act my age.” That saying has been upmost rejected by Burrito. At what age did he protest acting his age? I have no idea, but I would guess it was sometime in his adolescence.

Burrito was born in a laboratory on this day in 1983 to his mom, Karen, and father, Mack. Off the top of my head I’m not sure what happened to his mother, but I do know his father was able to live out his remaining years at Save the Chimps in sunny Florida. When he was born, he was given the name “Raj” by his human caregivers. Unfortunately, at the age of 1 he was put into the hepatitis B testing. At one point he was he was transferred to the Buckshire Corporation where he was kept as a pet before being leased to a small attraction. A year later he was returned to Buckshire and his life as a test subject was renewed. It wasn’t until 2008 when he was rescued and came to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. His days being used in hepatitis trials was finally over.

Since then his days have been full of play, laughter, and yes, chaos. He still creates a ruckus within his group and has the girls  screaming at him, though I personally don’t see how he gets the blame since it usually starts with someone *ahemAnnieahem* starts screaming at him as he’s minding his business. But behind all the chaos and ruckus is a sweet lovable guy, and more recently, protector of Foxie who has been unjustly targeted from time-to-time by Jamie and her battle buddy, Missy. Though he gets into these squabbles, he’s always fairly quick to make up with a nice bout of play and some grooming.

This past year, I was lucky enough to attend a conference with other caregivers from around the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance umbrella. This includes caregivers from Chimp Haven, Save the Chimps, Center for Great Apes, Project Chimps, Fauna Foundation, and others. It was always funny to introduce myself by saying I am a caregiver at CSNW and getting the reaction of who? Where? No fault to any of them. We are a pretty small sanctuary in comparison to the others. But when I would describe where we were located and our chimpanzee residents, it was almost without fail I would just utter the words “Burrito” and all of a sudden getting the reaction “Ooooh Burrito! You are the ones to take care of Burrito!”

Burrito is known and loved not just around this country, but around the world. Especially by his caregivers here. I love arriving at the sanctuary in the morning and trying to get my rounds of saying good morning to the chimps but not being able to get very far in the process. It’s almost immediately when I unlock the door leading to the chimpanzee areas that signature sound of Bronx cheers can start to be heard. I swear at this point I hear his Bronx cheers to the tune of the Jaws theme music now. First it’s subtle and in the distance. But then it grows louder, grows closer, and the frequency picks up as he hones in on his caregiver prey… err I mean play partner. And what luck for him, one of his good friends, caregiver Krissy, was the one who got the privilege to plan his birthday party. Boy did she knock this one out of the park. They day was filled with coconuts, pasta, and everything bouncy! He seemed to really love today, so major kudos to Krissy.

I’ll wrap this up and let you enjoy the video of him enjoying himself today with this message: Burrito is my friend. He is all of our friend! For me personally though I truly don’t know where I’d be without this guy in my life. I’m proud to call him my friend. Besides all the play and laughter, he inspires me in more ways than one. One of the most important lessons he has taught me is that tough times will come. But no matter how long or how tough those times may be, enjoy living in the now. Soak in the moment. Learn your lesson (if there is one). Move on. Get through it with play and laughter with your loved ones. It softens the hard times.

I love you my friend! We all do!

Party of Five

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George has the beginnings of a nice little family, now. We added Lucky last Wednesday and it was remarkably uneventful (unlike Terry’s first day). George is getting more confident but still playing it cautiously around the other chimps and taking his cues from Cy, which is all we can ask for at this point. With some milder temps and sunny skies, the gang got to spend some quality time on the Bray. Terry and George took several walks to the top of the hill together (with Terry beating his chest for the girls on the other side) and everyone got their fill of snow and ice.

Front Rooms of Fun

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If you’ve been following us for long, you may know that the front rooms are a beloved spot for both lounging and activities for the chimps living on Cy’s side of the building. There’s FR 7, which is the perfect spot for spying on the humans doing work in the foyer. FR 6 with a food chute to perch on and keep eyes on happenings in the clinic (if you’re Honey B, it’s also a fun activity to have your caregivers open the door to the clinic for you on command!), and FR 5 which connects to the chute and is slightly larger – meaning more room for activities! When George first arrived and into the initial steps of his introduction to Cy’s group, he was living in the front rooms with access to other areas on different days. Because George was occupying the front rooms, the rest of the chimps not being introduced to him weren’t able to visit the front rooms, until just recently! As the introduction group got larger, George and friends moved into a larger space (the playrooms and greenhouses), giving the rest of the chimps the opportunity to rotate through being in the front rooms. I don’t think anyone is more thrilled about this than Honey B!

In today’s blog video, see how Willy B, Honey B, and Mave are making the most of their time in their beloved front rooms!

In memory of Ryan Young, from his family

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We’re sending our heartfelt thoughts and gratitude to Karen and Don Young, and their family, for sponsoring this special day of sanctuary in celebration of their son, Ryan Young, and his continuing legacy. Through their long-time, dedicated support of the sanctuary they continue to help make so much possible for the chimpanzees, from Foxie’s group, the original seven chimpanzees to arrive at the sanctuary in 2008, to our newest family member, George, who arrived this year. Karen shared this special message:

“The Young family honor the life of Ryan Young today on the fifth anniversary of the end of his journey on earth, and we want to thank him for introducing us to the plight of chimpanzees through NEAVS (the New England Anti-Vivisection Society, now known as Rise for Animals) and through sanctuaries for captive chimps. We know that he would love having a special place for chimps to gather on The Bray called Ryan’s Lookout.  

I discovered CSNW by accident. It was on June 13, 2008, and the chimps had just arrived. J.B. drove them the entire way from Pennsylvania to Cle Elum. They were known as the Cle Elm 7, and they were in terrible condition from years of biomedical research and neglect from horrendous living conditions. That changed quickly as the tender loving care of J.B., Diana and their staff began. 

I visited the website daily, and we began donating by sponsoring Foxie. She had given birth to several babies who were taken from her as part of a captive breeding program, which thankfully has been discontinued through The Chimp Act. The other 6 chimps adjusted and discovered enrichment items including blankets to nest, but Foxie was not interested and sat there depressed until one day she spotted a troll doll. She picked it up, looked at its face, put it on her back, and life began to change for her. I remember sending her boxes of troll dolls. When I have struggles in life, I use Foxie as my role model on how to survive. 

As I continued to visit the website, I realized that I only saw the chimps in a night house so I sent an email asking if they had outdoor space. I was shown a screened in outdoor area, and all winter long, I watched as the chimps sat inside at the door of the night house and stuck a finger into the open outdoor space to scoop up some snow.  

In the summer of 2009, Don, I, Ryan and his fiancé Helena decided to visit the sanctuary. We took a tour, and I remember Ryan asking if there was anyway to enclose the outdoor space. J.B. figured out a way to place removable chimp proof glass inserts over the screens for the winter months , and thus our first project was born. It was thrilling to see the Cle Elum 7 enjoy the winter in this cozy area which became a favorite spot for them during all seasons. 

As the years passed, we have been fortunate enough to see other projects come to fruition. We hope that each one has played a part in helping this amazing sanctuary move forward to what it is today and will become as it moves into the future. It has truly been an honor to have been a small part of the dream of a few extraordinary people- Keith, J.B. and Diana and others. 

A toast to you Ryan. You were an exceptional person, husband, brother and son to us.  Your spirit lives on in everything you touched to make the earth a better place for us all through your dedication to the environment through many companies, especially Textile Exchange. We honor your life on this day and every day. 

Much love and pant hoots! 

THE CHIMPS AT CSNW

Karen and Don, Helena, Zoe and Alastair, Rob, Soo Mi, Helton and Heiwon”

Karen and Don, our thoughts are with all of you today. We’re honored to celebrate Ryan with you.

(Above, George on Ryan’s Lookout on the Bray). Below, Cy’s group, their first day exploring Ryan’s Lookout:

Burrito and Annie reassuring one another during their first moments on Young’s Hill on September 20, 2011(!!):

Foxie’s group, the original seven chimpanzees to arrive in 2008, enjoying Young’s Hill:

Foxie and one of her many beloved dolls, out for a stroll:

Willy B, who has ventured further than he probably thought possible in the last years:

Rayne taking in the view from Ryan’s Lookout:

Negra:

Jamie, on a sunset stroll last autumn: