Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Anna

Jamie’s plan

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I cannot emphasize enough how intelligent Jamie is, and how interested she is in human activities. Yesterday near the end of the day, I heard an unusual tapping sound coming from the playroom. It’s always important to investigate any different noises one might hear from the chimpanzee’s area because you never know what kind of mischief they might be getting into. As it turned out, I found a tube we give to the chimps for enrichment sticking through the playroom door into the basket of cleaning tools we keep nearby.

Exhibit A:
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Jamie was sitting at the door casually. I left the room to get the camera to take a picture and try and catch her in the act of attempted tool nabbing. From the other room I heard the tapping start up again, but when I went back with camera in hand, she was again sitting nearby with a nonchalant look on her face.

The boss is an impressive forward thinker and I’m sure she will get back to her project another day.
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Scenes from a sunny lunch

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The chimpanzees are very in tune with what time of day it is. When meal times roll around, you can usually spot several individuals waiting expectantly in the playroom, peering through the window to the kitchen to get a look at what’s on the menu. Negra was prepared for lunch a little early today. She got out of her nest and made sure we knew she was ready with some hand clapping and food grunting.

She did try her best to be a little patient though:
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When lunch was ready, the chimpanzees were served in the greenhouse (which was filled with golden sunlight). They enjoyed carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, and primate chow. Some of the chimps chose to get each course of the meal and take it away from the group so they could savor their lunch in peace.

Missy:
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Annie:
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Foxie had the idea of carrying her troll doll over to distract me from photography. She spent her lunchtime eating veggies and then repeatedly dropping the tiny purple doll out of the caging for me to pick up and give back to her. A meal is always better with a little bit of entertainment!
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A very classy party

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Yesterday we received a huge donation from a generous supporter. Produce and enrichment, oh my! One of the boxes contained decorations for Halloween/Jamie’s birthday set for a couple of weeks from now, while one of the other boxes was a massive collection of black and white themed decor. Of course it seemed right to throw an impromptu classy black and white party today!

Volunteers Lynn, Patti, and Alex (not pictured) helped prepare the party in the kitchen. They made a plum and banana smoothie to go in black plastic champagne flutes and zebra striped paper cups. Also included in the party forage: clementines, pomegranate, coconut, peanuts, and chow.
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The elaborate party setup included streamers, paper chains, piñatas, and personalized gift bags. There was even a black and white haired troll for Foxie!
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In honor of the black and white theme I edited a few of the photos to fit the mood. Others I left in the original color format.

Burrito had multiple cups of smoothie:
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Missy got in on the smoothie action as well.
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She also managed to claim the black cat piñata.web_Missy_cat_pinata_gh_aw_IMG_5290

Jamie enjoyed most of her party from the comfort of the fire hose hammock.
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Foxie grabbed her new troll doll right away.
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Annie found several cardboard rolls stuffed with paper and chow.
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Jody was victorious with her coconut haul.
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And this is a photo of Negra. I promise she got plenty of party treats. It just seemed like the best photo to finish off this very classy blog post.
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Serious business

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As you may already know, the sanctuary has an enrichment calendar that we follow in order to enhance the lives of the chimpanzees on a daily basis. In the morning when we clean each area, we may put out lots of paper for them to nest in, or maybe we will put out all the small toys from the enrichment bins in the kitchen. Some days we might put out the ever popular troll scarves! Yesterday was a troll scarf day and first thing this morning we caught Jamie looking quite serious in a knitted blue troll scarf. Upon further cleaning inspection, we found 3 or 4 more troll scarves in an intricate nest she had assembled in the front rooms.
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A quick reminder that Great Apes Giving Day starts tonight at 9:00 p.m. PST (midnight eastern time). Check out Diana’s blog post from last week to learn more!

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.”

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“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.”
-William Cullen

Yesterday was an exciting day at the sanctuary as we had some of our first fall quarter interns from Central Washington University come for part of the day. The chimpanzees were interested in all this activity and staff were busy training the new recruits. Today is a more typical quiet day with grey skies and lots of napping. Here are just a few scenes from this peaceful afternoon.

Missy
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Burrito
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Missy (foreground) Burrito (background)
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Foxie
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Walks with friends

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This afternoon I went searching for chimpanzees to take photos of in the greenhouse. There were none to be found as everyone except Negra (who was napping in the Playroom) had gone on a Young’s hill adventure together.

I heard rustling in the bamboo forest on the hill and Jody was first to emerge.
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Followed by Missy
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And then Annie
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And Shortly after that, I spotted Foxie (with Dora) followed by Jamie, both walking along the electric fence perimeter.
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Burrito and his pink brush followed behind them on their walk.
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And he walked beside staff caregiver Katelyn and her guests (on the other side of the fence).
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Outside time is always better with friends and family!

First signs of Autumn

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The last few weeks at the sanctuary have been a glorious transition into the first signs of Autumn. We’ve had chilly nights and bright, sunny warm days. Today, Katelyn served some of the final cherry tomatoes from the garden.
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As the summer vegetables wind down, fall’s bounty comes into full swing. The chimpanzees have already had their first roasted pumpkin of the season and are enjoying the freshest of Washington apples with their breakfasts. This little squash was spotted in their garden.
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October is right around the corner, and with it comes even more delicious tastes of fall!
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