Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Anna

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).

Boxing Day

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Some of the chimps (particularly Honey B) spent the day after Christmas investigating their new presents:

Mave on the other hand, was more interested in the leftover Christmas packaging:

She also found an old standby. These rainbow toe socks seem to never get old!

As for me, this will be my last blog for a little while as I head into my maternity leave. Fingers crossed our baby girl comes soon (due date is tomorrow!). Many thanks go to all my extremely supportive coworkers for covering for me and Chad for joining the team this winter! I’ve been jealously watching Negra nap in the most luxurious fleece blanket nest today and am secretly longing for a bit of time off in my own nest. Talk to you all next year!

Willy B’s cabbage

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The chimpanzees don’t follow the same food etiquette rules as most of us. Chewing extremely loudly with your mouth wide open is no big deal if you’re a chimp and somehow it’s still pretty endearing! We posted this video on Instagram yesterday and due to popular demand, decided it needed to be shared on multiple platforms.