Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Anna

Just because

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Each day at the sanctuary, staff put out special forages in the courtyard to encourage Willy B’s continued exploration of his outdoor space. We’ve seen his confidence grow significantly as the weeks have rolled by.
Here Willy B stretches away from his “safe space” (the boardwalk) to pick up an orange slice:

You will have to forgive me for the following unfocused photo, but you can see Willy B with all four limbs standing on the grass:

Like so many of us, Willy B is motivated by food to initiate his trip into the great outdoors.

But we are starting to see an exciting shift in him. After he makes his first move outside, he seems to be spending more time doing other non-food related activities. Like just hanging out and taking in the view:

And even grooming himself:

Over time we plan to put out less food for Willy B in hopes that he wants to continue his outdoor adventures, just because he can.

Chimp Profiles: Foxie!

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Age: 43

Nickname(s): Tiny, Fox, Fox-alicious

Favorite foods: Fruit smoothie/all things sweet, avocados

Favorite activity: “Toss the troll” with her caregivers

Important skills: Keeping the peace in the group

One thing she would take with her to a deserted island: her plastic tote filled with dolls

He did it!!!

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Today was the day, we could all feel it this morning. Yesterday was rainy and blustery, but today… Today we have beautiful weather. We made careful preparations this morning, getting things set up just right for the big moment.


Ladies and gentlemen….I present to you..the sanctuary’s “moon shot.”

Willy B climbed on the platform in the courtyard!!!

But he wasn’t finished, there…

Not only did he climb, he climbed all the way to the TOP!

We’ve got some video footage for you tomorrow, but for now, let’s just drink this special moment in. Together!

The chimps celebrate Love a Chimpanzee Day!

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After yesterday’s light rainfall, Central Washington is positively bursting with green today! The majority of the deciduous trees seemed to unfurl their leaves overnight and I even got a whiff of cherry blossoms as I pulled into the parking lot this morning. This fresh wave of spring and a party for the chimps was the absolute best way to celebrate Love a Chimpanzee Day!

Over in the Phase 1 part of the building, Willy B, Mave and Honey B were treated to a special “Love a Chimpanzee” lunch that featured fresh coconut, an all time favorite! Honey B was seen cleverly stomping on her coconut chunk to get it to loosen up. For the 7 chimps on the other side of the building, watermelon bowls were a big hit on Young’s Hill and the most fun part of the day to photograph.

Foxie:

Foxie and Negra:

Negra:

Jamie:

Annie and Jamie:

Jody:

Jody and Burrito:

Missy (not pictured) was zooming around the greenhouse collecting whole tomatoes as fast as she possibly could. Happy Love a Chimpanzee Day!

Familiar faces, familiar activities

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Have you watched John Krasinski’s Some Good News show yet? It’s one of my favorite things to have emerged in this stressful time we live in right now. He highlights all the good things that are still happening around the world right now and some of the people that are doing them. I highly recommend it to help keep your spirits up! While our version of “some good news” isn’t necessarily that things have changed around here, but more so that the sanctuary remains intact, just as it should be.

Here are some things that haven’t changed:

Jody continues to harvest plants growing on Young’s Hill. Here she is with a sample of newly planted pine tree:

And she continues to know the best way to relax around here:

Jamie is still cooler than I’ll ever be:

And her passion for all things boots burns strong. Here she is with the makings of her afternoon nest:

Burrito will always be playful AND handsome:

Other good news items for the day (sadly not pictured):
Honey B vigorously testing out a new bench Anthony built for the chute, Willy B gazing at newly taken photos, Mave drinking cupfuls of water from an enrichment pool, Negra head nodding from underneath a mountain of blankets, Foxie strolling leisurely on Young’s Hill with her friends and Missy/Annie playing chase.

One thing that has notably changed at the sanctuary, we’ve had to temporarily lay off the vast majority of our volunteers and interns. Since we all miss each other, we put together a Zoom online meetup last night so we could all catch up with each other:

What’s your good news for the day?

Glorious Sunshine!

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A little summer-like weather rolled into the sanctuary today. Many of the chimps have been spotted taking leisurely outdoor strolls to soak up some Vitamin D. On the other side of the building, the “Californians” have been spending a good deal of their time in the outdoor chute, checking in on their neighbors and getting their own doses of sunshine.

Annie lounging in the toasty greenhouse.

Burrito and Jamie taking a walk on Young’s Hill.

Mr. B, looking for a game of chase!

Missy poking her head out of the raceway that leads to Young’s Hill.

Here’s hoping that wherever you may be today, you’re able to get outside for a nice socially distant breath of fresh air!

What did I miss?

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This past Tuesday marked my first day back from maternity leave and let me tell you, it’s good to be back! As we all regrettably know, the world looks a lot different right now. A pandemic was definitely not part of my worries as I started to plan my return to work, but now it’s the biggest worry (of course it is for all of us). On the bright side, my chimp friends and my coworkers are still here, right where I left them! The chimpanzees are still their reliable old playful selves and it’s great to see that their lives are relatively unaffected by the outside chaos.

Today Jamie made sure that I know nothing has changed on her watch.

Awkwardly sized boot on my foot…✔️

Perimeter walk around Young’s Hill…✔️

Gather a tumbleweed to use for some grooming time…✔️

In other news, we have some good changes happening around here. Chad, who was filling in for me during my temporary leave of absence, has agreed to stay on as a full-time permanent staff member! We’re feeling pretty fortunate that we get to keep him around!

Oh and this…My husband and I welcomed our daughter Luna Nyca Lockey to the world on January 2nd 2020. The chimps met her from a safe distance just a few weeks later. The highlights: Honey B was obsessed with her and really wanted her to come closer and Foxie was fascinated and shot a few mouthfuls of water her direction. My favorite moment was when Negra (pictured here) blew her a few kisses and head nodded a request to see her do some dancing (aka do a little bit of bouncing, the best a newborn can do).