We had a dusting of snow overnight – our first snowfall of the season. The sun was in full force by midday, warming everything up and providing the opportunity to grab a snack before it all disappeared.
Annie:
Missy:
The Lookouts
Chimpanzees tend to appreciate access to vertical space. The outdoor habitat (Young’s Hill) at the sanctuary, since it’s built on a hill and has several climbing structures, is prime lookout territory.
It seems particularly important for Missy, Annie, and Foxie to get up high and survey the land in the morning. With all that’s changing lately, there’s a lot of new stuff to view!
Here’s Jody, Foxie and Annie in the early a.m.:
Foxie took her new bright-haired Strawberry Shortcake doll with her to all the lookout points this morning:
Missy and Annie found their own private perches:
Here’s one view they had:
3,802 Days of Sanctuary
When I was watching Foxie this morning, I was thinking about when she first arrived with the rest of the Cle Elum Seven Chimpanzees. She showed some apprehension and perhaps suspicion those first weeks.
The first time she went into the larger space of what we call the playroom, she stomped all around the perimeter before venturing to the middle.
At first, she would push away the toys and blankets as though they might be contaminated.
And then came troll dolls…
Foxie was smitten:
and her imagination seemed to take off:
Today is day 3,802 of sanctuary for Foxie, Negra, Jamie, Burrito, Jody, Missy, and Annie.
Foxie is still suspicious of new things, or at least wants to verify for herself that we’ve built things well (see this video from earlier this year).
She’s more adventurous than ever, though. Each of the previous 3,801 days have been about her learning more about herself and the world of the sanctuary as it expanded and transformed around her.
This morning, Foxie (without a doll) climbed up on the newest structure on the hill that we call Esher and sat in the sun for a bit.
Then she was off to a new perch
Where she sampled some morning frost
After about 30 minutes, she came back to the greenhouse to groom with her friends and make the most of the rest of day 3,802.
New Kids on the Block
The chimpanzees have been joined by four new bovine sanctuary residents!
Betsy, Honey, Meredith (Honey’s daughter), and Nutmeg (Betsy’s son) arrived last night.
They came from Farm Sanctuary’s Northern California Shelter, which is closing down. Most of the cattle were moved to Farm Sanctuary’s main location in upstate New York, but there were some that they didn’t want to have to travel that distance. With our additional land purchases in the last few years, we happened to be looking to rescue farmed animals to graze the property surrounding the chimpanzee area just at the right time.
Originally, we thought a fifth cow, Whitaker, would be joining them, but he found a different sanctuary home with a good friend of his and didn’t have to make as long of a trip.
The four new residents at CSNW are very close to one another:
Nutmeg, the only steer (boy) of the group, was born at Farm Sanctuary and has grown up with people who love him and give him scratches, so Anna jumped right into that role today:
They are settling in and getting used to their surroundings with all of the new views (Betsy below):
The corral they are in for the weekend is not directly adjacent to the chimpanzees’ space, but the chimps can see the cattle if they climb up on the the structures, which is just what they did this morning first thing.
Missy:
Foxie:
Jamie:
Four adventurers – Missy, Foxie, Jamie and Annie – all climbed the Esher structure for a view and then seemed to confer with one another:
The way the light was hitting the chimpanzees makes it almost look like they are chimpanzee cut-outs, but I assure you, the photos above are actual chimpanzees on the structure.
No doubt there will be many more days of chimpanzees checking out cattle and vice versa, which will be enrichment for everyone!
We humans are thrilled to have the new residents and will be sharing more about them as they get a chance to further explore their surroundings.
A time for lounging and a time for adventure
If we were to do a poll of the caregivers, or you all reading this (if you’ve been following a long for a bit), I would be willing to put good money down that Negra would be chosen as the chimpanzee at CSNW most likely to be found nesting.
Who do you think would be the second runner up?
I’m going to go with Jody. Is that what you thought?
There is no question that Negra and Jody know how to truly relax. Here are two of my favorite photos of them demonstrating their lounging prowess.
Negra:
Jody:
This morning was another GORGEOUS fall day, and most of the chimpanzees headed right outside, literally disappearing into the hill:
You will probably be able to guess who remained under her blanket, though (thanks to Earth Rated for donating these green lovely blankets to the chimps!):
If you guessed Negra, you would be correct.
Jody, despite her love of leisure, does like a morning adventure, so she went out, then back to the greenhouse, then out again, until she finally came back with a procured bamboo snack:
She stopped at the raceway to keep an eye on the other adventurers:
By the time lunch rolled around, Negra too was ready to emerge from her cocoon and soak up the fall air:
The addition of baked pumpkin to the lunch forage may have played a motivating factor:
It’s so satisfying to be able to see the chimpanzees making choices about how they spend their time. I’m glad that everyone got outside and enjoyed this beautiful day and also fit in a little quiet time for napping too.
Black & White Photos
Sometimes just looking at photos of the chimpanzees takes my breath away.
Even though I’ve known them for over a decade, I love being able to study their features and the different expressions that the camera captures in a given moment.
Black and white photos can be all the more breathtaking.
Burrito:
Missy:
Foxie:
Negra’s priceless life
The other day someone asked me what I thought about all of the resources (time, staff, funds) that go into caring for a relatively small number of chimpanzees. It wasn’t a hostile or accusatory question at all, just one of curiosity.
Part of my answer in the moment was that we are working hard towards bringing more chimpanzees to the sanctuary. We are REALLY excited to expand in order to provide more chimpanzees with a home at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.
But there’s also what we’ve seen in the last decade caring for the seven chimpanzees.
I was thinking about that question again this morning as I took this photo of Negra:
and then some more as I watched Negra walk out onto Young’s Hill and climb a structure to sit next to Annie in the sun:
Some things really are priceless. I could never put a value on the last ten and a half years of Negra’s life. Every moment has been invaluable for her, for her six friends, and for all of the humans who have gotten to know the chimpanzees in person and through this blog.
I’m filled with gratitude that so many people care about Negra and her friends and have given their time and money towards each priceless moment.
Negra thanks you!
