Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for May 2026

In honor of Jody’s birthday, from Tobin

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Many thanks to Tobin for sponsoring today’s second day of sanctuary in honor of beautiful Jody!

“In honor of Jody’s birthday and in celebration of her life, I have invited the readers of the CSNW blog as well as Jody’s caretaker friends to share a favorite memory of her. For myself, it is difficult to choose just one recollection. However, I remember a video from 2.6.2018 where Mama Jo, apparently sensing that Neggie had wandered outside without a proper winter coat, went out to corral her friend back indoors into the warmth. Something about that short video – least of all Jody’s drooping lower lip and elf ears – seems to demonstrate what a conscientious den mother she was. I welcome other people share a fond memory of our dear friend. – Tobin”

Jody and Negra:

Jody with cattails and roses:

Jody leading Missy, Annie, Burrito, and Foxie around the perimeter:

Jody and her friends, the original “Cle Elum 7”, who first arrived at the sanctuary:

In memory of sweet Jody

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Thank you so much to Lucinda Almy-Hamilton for so graciously sponsoring an annual day of sanctuary in memory of Jody. And our first of two sponsor a days in her honor.

We celebrated Jody’s honorary birthday on Mother’s Day in honor of her innate mothering nature with her group members, and in honor of the nine children she gave birth to while in biomedical research and was never allowed to raise. Jody spent fifteen years in sanctuary before passing away from an unexpected health crisis on April 30, 2023. Jody was among the first seven chimpanzees to call the sanctuary home and she remains an integral part of all our lives and all we do here. We miss and celebrate her every single day. Lucinda shared this special message about today:

“Jody’s passing was highly significant for me and has remained in my heart ever since. I so appreciated the “farewell” video; the others in the “family” had the opportunity to say goodbye. I watch that video many times and it still makes me cry. I showed it to my anthropology classes highlighting the beautiful sentience of our fellow primates.”

(*Trigger warning: For our newer followers, or those who haven’t had the opportunity yet, if you choose to watch Jody’s farewell video linked above please note J.B.’s note at the beginning of the post. It’s an immense privilege to witness her family saying goodbye to her, but as you might imagine, it’s also very moving and emotional to see. Just as life is, we hold so many emotions at the same time).

It means so much to us, Lucinda, that you continue to hold Jody in your heart and share her and her family with your students. We couldn’t hope for more in sharing the chimpanzees lives through our daily blog.

Our Mother’s Day celebration preparation is under way in the chimp house so there will be more beauty and joy to come today, please join us in celebrating all of our extraordinary residents and their lives today.

Happy Birthday, beautiful Jo, Happy Mother’s Day. We love you so!

Jody and Missy:

Jody was a master forager and loved nothing more than hauling in as much as she could carry from both forages and wild growing browse on Young’s Hill:

Burrito and Jody:

She was also our reigning “Pumpkin Thief” at Jamie’s birthday (Jamieween) celebrations:

Foxie and Jody, such dear friends:

Jody enjoying one of her zillions of nests:

Reflecting on my Favorite Things

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Today is my last blog as a full-time caregiver! I have been fortunate to be working the last 4 years here at CSNW. As I contemplated my next chapter, it was a high priority for me to stay in the Pacific Northwest so that I can transition into a volunteer caregiver role and keep these special chimps a part of my life. I have built such amazing relationships with the chimps here and I will continue to cherish them, just in a different role.

For my final blog, I wanted to share my favorite thing(s) or a special memory I have with each of our chimpanzee residents.

Cy:

Cy is just the most amazing guy ever. He has a heart of pure gold and is the easiest guy to love. He loves interacting with his caregivers, as much as he loves reading his magazines! He really knows how to make us caregivers feel loved and special.

George: 

George has come so far since he arrived last May. He is the most gentle groomer (he still only grooms his caregivers), even more so than the most gentle groomer, Terry. I love how excited George is about every meal, every celebration, and every new thing in sanctuary life. I can’t wait to see where he is a year from now!

Missy:

Missy is the most athletic 50 year old in the world. This morning, I watched her run down Young’s Hill at full-speed. I can’t believe she never ages. She never slows down and lives her life to the fullest. Also, tomatoes. 🍅

Honey B: 

Honey B is the most unpredictable chimpanzee resident! She always has something she’s up to and is wildly intelligent. My relationship with Honey B has been up and down over the years. Sometimes, she is the most enthusiastic groomer and is wildly excited to groom my new scab. Sometimes, she invites me to come over and screams in my face! It makes all the good moments with her that much more special.

Gordo: 

Gordo is such a funny guy. He makes new caregivers work to build a relationship with him, but once you know his subtle cues, you’re in! It’s game on. My favorite thing about him is when he starts laughing mid-game of chase. It’s so sweet.

Rayne: 

Rayne is such a sweet and highly respected chimp by her peers. She is a calm, stable presence and a friend to all. My favorite thing about Rayne is when she’s enjoying some really good food, she rubs her toes together.

Burrito: 

Burrito is the most easy-going, happiest chimpanzee I have ever met. He loves life and never misses an opportunity to have fun! Whether it’s by himself and playing with an enrichment item or inviting a caregiver to play chase with him, he is always having the best time. He is also the easiest chimp to make laugh. Some chimps really make you work for a laugh, Burrito just offers one up.

Negra:

There’s many things I love about Neggie, but something that absolutely melts me is when she greets others with an extended arm (like in this picture above). It’s a gesture not many of the chimps do, but Negra almost never misses an opportunity. These days, when we go in to say hello to her in the mornings, she will be tucked into her nest and her arm will fly out to greet us. ❤️

Jamie: 

Like with Honey B, my relationship with Jamie has been up and down – which is okay! Jamie really makes me work hard for the good moments. It’s worth it; nothing is better than grooming or breathy panting with her. The nice moments with Jamie are that much more special because they are a rare occurrence.

Dora: 

Dora has the sweetest eyes in the world! She is also very goofy, but in a poke-the-cup-out-of-your-hand kind of way! My favorite thing about her is how she bobs her head when she walks bipedally to approach another chimp. It makes me chuckle every time!

Mave:

My favorite thing and the most relatable thing about Mave is her will to lay down, no matter the activity. Eating her lunch? Laying down. Grooming with friends? Laying down. Sun bathing? Laying down. Playing with friends? Laying down. Interacting with caregivers? You guessed it, laying down.

Terry:

Terry is the most intricate groomer, by far. It feels like he’s actually cleaning your skin of debris, like chimpanzee nature intended. He is gentle and oh so sweet. That freckly face.

Annie: 

One of my favorite memories I have had with Annie:I came back to the chimp house after a long vacation, and when she saw me, she stopped what she was doing to run over and offer a kiss to the back of my hand. She normally doesn’t do this, so it felt like a big deal to have this interaction with her. It felt like she had noticed I was gone and was happy to see me back!

Willy B: 

Oh, Willy B. I could write a dissertation on the complexities of sweet, Willy B. My favorite thing about him is that every time he sees his reflection (in a mirror or a phone camera), he makes the same face to check out his teeth. However, I have seen him do the same face when he is watching YouTube videos before, almost as if he believes he’s looking at his own reflection (or that’s my interpretation anyway). That wasn’t you, Willy, but I appreciate your consistency!

Foxie:

My favorite thing about Foxie is her youthful spirit. She turns 50 this year and even though her hair shows more silver than before she is still her spunky, silly self. She treats every doll like it’s her first. I love when she gets a doll back (from a fresh cleaning), she immediately pulls it to her chest to hold close.

Lucky:

Oh, my sweet Lucky! I have a trillion favorite memories with Lucky. I will never forget when I was out of work for a back injury, every time I came for a visit, she would grunt loudly when she spotted me and come running over immediately. She always made it a big deal for me to be back and I will never forget how much that meant to me!

Jody:

I had only been a caregiver at CSNW for a year when we lost Jody. However, Jody had the sweetest eyes and the most peaceful presence for her group members. I loved how she popped cherry tomatoes and the juice would fly everywhere. ❤️

The Beauty of Hands & Feet

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I am always fascinated by the dexterity of chimpanzees’ hands and feet. When I worked at the Fauna Foundation, Tatu, who uses sign langue, has these beautiful articulate fingers. So articulate, in fact, she had no problem telling you what your breath smelled like good or bad: “Coffee” or “Onion” or telling you “Hurry, go” “Milk, Cheese, Milk, Milk, Milk” “Drink, Milk, Hurry, Go”. As a going away present, I was gifted this beautiful photo by NJ Wight of Tatu’s hands. It’s a gift I have always cherished. For my non-signing friends, I adore hands clasped together or holding their toes.

So please enjoy a whole bunch of photos of chimps’ hands and toes!