Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Anna

Photos from the vault

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There are a lot of lovely moments we capture on the camera that might not fit with the day’s blog or are too close to a photo we have just used.  We each keep a set of moments we haven’t had a chance to share in a file on the Chimp House computer’s desktop.  Here’s an assortment of some unseen moments of sanctuary!

This photo was taken just a few weeks ago. We love all these sightings of our tiny wild neighbors:

Foxie and a quiet moment with a troll doll last spring:

A portrait of Jamie:

Jamie using a chopstick as a tool to get some peanut butter out of an enrichment tube:

Missy enjoying last winter’s snow bounty:

And lastly Negra enjoying the green bounty on Young’s Hill (two? years ago).

Entertainment for chimpanzees

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The chimpanzees seem to be rather interested in the latest developments that have been taking place at the sanctuary. Perhaps they can sense the anticipation we’re all feeling as the Phase 1 part of our expansion starts to draw to a close. They seem continually fascinated at looking through the new Howdy Door. Jamie in particular takes great pride in trying to scare any unsuspecting worker by kicking the plastic door in the most dramatic (and noisy) way possible. Today we have the added entertainment for the chimps as the installation of the overhead chute begins.

As a sanctuary, we aren’t open to the public and the chimps aren’t “on exhibit.” Instead, it sometimes seems like the opposite of this, where the humans are on display and are around solely to amuse the chimpanzees.

Annie and Negra watching this morning’s action:

Jamie supervising:

A bonus shout out to everyone who has helped us purchase new tools for our new building! We just updated our Amazon wishlist again if anyone wants to treat the chimps and their caregivers to Christmas in July!

Her Majesty

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Negra is the oldest of the sanctuary residents. We celebrate her birthday on the same day the chimpanzees all arrived at the sanctuary (June 13th). However, we will never really know her true date of birth because she was captured as an infant from the wild in the early 1970s. Negra savors her life in sanctuary the way some older humans enjoy their retirement. She eats only her favorite foods, takes lots of long naps and maybe, just maybe, is a tad on the bossy side. Once you know her, it’s simply impossible not to love the Queen of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Getting ready for next month!

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Since we’re expecting our new residents with an ETA of next month, we’re getting down to adding the final touches to the new expansion. This means it’s time to buy some cleaning items for the new chimp area! We’re ready to fill up the cupboard, shelves, and supply racks with items like…

New laundry baskets!

Scrub brushes!

Scrapers and pans!

Brooms!

and buckets!

You can find all that and more on our Amazon Wish list! We can’t wait to start providing top notch care for Honey B, Willy B and Mave! These supplies are important tools for keeping their new home clean and comfortable!

Not so subtle hints

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Jamie indulged me today by letting me do a little photo shoot of her in the portrait studio this morning.

I was just a couple photos in before she needed to remind me of the real reason she was hanging out at the window.

The raspberry plants she can see from this vantage are ripe and ready to be harvested!

Message received!