Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Sarah

Bipedal Annie

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Following the video yesterday, here are some shots from this morning of Annie walking bipedally. She does this a lot on Young’s Hill. It’s obviously not the primary way of locomotion for chimpanzees, although we do see it here and there. There are a bunch of theories about why bipedal locomotion evolved – maybe based on the need to look over the tall grasses as our ancestors became less arboreal, maybe the need to carry food or babies, or, the new theory JB shared with me this morning as we were watching the chimps forage on the hill – the “this just feels icky on my hands” theory. I’ll have to look that one up, but I think it might be the one that fits Annie best?!

 

Anniversary Wishes & Board Match

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As the newest member of the team and working from home in Seattle, I don’t have the day to day interaction with the chimpanzees that the caregivers do. However, I’ve been working at the Sanctuary this week, so I had the opportunity to hang out with the chimpanzees for quite some time and got to partake in the anniversary and birthday parties this week.

Happy Birthday Negra! That was the chant heard round the chimp house on Wednesday as we celebrated her birthday. Here’s a photo of Negra from one of the celebrations the chimpanzees enjoyed. One of Negra’s favorite things are her night bags – and so we gave the chimpanzees special ones today during the day and in the photo you can see Negra running to come get hers.

Negra running for her special night bag

As you probably know, for our four year anniversary we are raising funds to build Negra a cabin on Young’s Hill and I wanted to tell you about some exciting news! The Board and Staff of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest will match the next $4,000 in donations – of any amount! Yes, that’s right. Your gift will be doubled by the leadership of the sanctuary. You can support the campaign by clicking here. All donations of any amount are welcome – and all will be matched until we reach $4,000 in donations. And remember, for donations of $100 or more, you can have your name listed on Negra’s cabin and your $100 donation will be doubled!

If you’ve already supported the campaign with a donation, thank you. Thank you for your support of Negra – and the other chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Because of you she can enjoy her favorite baked foods, peanuts and lettuce in a peaceful and safe setting with the other chimpanzees that have come to be her family. And soon, she will have a comfortable and secure place to enjoy the views from Young’s Hill. Thank you!

 

 

Nearly 4 years

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If you’re a regular reader, you probably know that tomorrow is a big day for us here. It’s the 4th anniversary of the chimps’ arrival in Cle Elum and also Negra’s birthday. We’re planning a whole bunch of fun! As we get ready, we always find ourselves pausing to reflect about how far the chimps have come, and then daydreaming about how much further they will go. Check out this post from four years ago today, and this one too. There was so much excitement in the air. And then compare this with this. Breathtaking!

Chocolate and Chimps

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Check out this nice interview with me from one of our favorite places in the world – Allison’s Gourmet. And be sure to order some goodies after reading it. Allison is a big fan of the chimps and happens to make the most delicious cookies, brownies, caramel, and fudge. Well, I haven’t tried the fudge (YET) but I’m certain it’s delicious.

 

Mother’s Day

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It is a beautiful May day in Cle Elum as we celebrate Mother’s Day like so many of you.  I hope you enjoy your day with your mother and your loved ones.

Unfortunately, Jody and our other mother chimps do not get to spend this day with their children.  Or any other day for that matter.  We know that Jody had at least nine babies born to her and taken away from her during her years as a biomedical test subject. I could not imagine the anguish that a mother must feel when a baby is taken away from her and for the years of memories that will never happen.

In honor of our chimpanzees who are mothers, I hope you will consider making a donation to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest today.  We are hoping to raise $1,000 to support Jody and our other mother chimpanzees as we reflect on what this day means.  They deserve to have a day in their honor and in the memory of the children they had who are still in biomedical research labs.  Thank you for supporting our chimpanzee family.

Greetings from a new team member

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Happy Friday!  I wanted to take a few lines here on our blog and introduce myself.  My name is Michael Moore and I’m delighted to have joined the amazing team at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest as the new Development Director.   I’m excited to be back working in animal welfare and in particular for the Cle Elum 7.  I’ve been on board for a few weeks now and I’m in the process of getting to know the staff and chimps and they are getting to know me.  In fact, I’ve been spit on by Jody and Jamie wanted my boots on the first day so I’m feeling very welcome already.  I’ll be joining the team in sharing stories about the chimps with you, some insider information you can only get here, and hearing about your connections to the chimps and passion for animals!  I’ll also be working at building on the great fundraising work the staff here have already done – which has been amazing!  So, I’m looking forward to having  fun sharing fundraising ideas with you, hearing your suggestions about fundraising, and asking for your help in promoting the Sanctuary!  Feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].

Devoted Friends

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The chimps are lucky to have a huge crew of fans, supporters and volunteers as part of their family. I’m always blown away by the generosity of time, sweat, and emotion that our volunteers display. It’s hard work. Today volunteer Seana went above (literally) and beyond by chasing Jamie around the Hill. Twice. That is one impressive workout.  If you’re somewhat local (meaning you can commit to coming out to the sanctuary at least once a month), you too might be able to join the team. Learn more about our volunteer program here.

Around the top:

Down the side:

Chilling out with Burrito after all that exercise: