Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Diana

Biddin’ Bliss!

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Thanks to everyone who participated in our Summer Biddin’ online-only auction! Those who donated items, made cash donations for Summer Lovin‘, and bid, bid, and then bid some more (even if you didn’t win), came together to raise $27,000 for the chimpanzees – and that was with an initial goal of raising $14,000!!

 

thermometer

 

You all inspire me so much! It makes me happy to know that there are people out there who put their hearts into helping the chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and are so good at having fun while doing it!

 

Pant hoots to you!

jody eating brussels

Jody advises you to treat yourself to something special today in celebration.

 

 

3…2…1…BID!!

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The bidding has begun in our Summer Biddin’ online-only auction! Bidding is open to everyone, regardless of location, and we have so many great items – lots of things that would make great gifts, or just once in a lifetime experiences for yourself.

And don’t forget to make a donation and help produce the Summer Lovin’ party. It’s all about fun and raising funds for the chimpanzees and the sanctuary!

 

Check out the art category, which includes original paintings of Annie and Burrito, handmade decorative masks, great prints, and more!

 

Annie by Margaret Parkinson
Oil painting of Annie by Margaret H. Parkinson

 

The photo category that has images of all of the chimps, plus other prints!

Negra print on metal
photo of Negra printed on metal

 

and keep your eye on the Once in a Lifetime category for a week long vacation to the Grand Cayman Islands, a personally autographed guitar by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, tickets to the Seahawks v. Cardinals in Seattle, and a Pasado’s Pigs and Pancakes Sanctuary Experience!

Cayman Beach
Grand Cayman beach – picture yourself here!

 

Chimpanzees and insect eating

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When I started to write this, J.B. was leading a Summer Visit tour:

JB giving presentation

I’d be willing to bet that one of the things he explained is what we put in the termite mound / treat rock on Young’s Hill. Generally, what we say is that the termite mound mimics ant hills or termite mounds that chimpanzees encounter in the wild, and we provide the chimpanzees with tools to access the goodies inside. It’s great enrichment because it involves tool use and problem solving, and it taps into natural chimpanzee behavior.

The difference, we explain, is that chimpanzees in captivity do not appreciate termites and ants! They react to “bugs” the same way most industrialized human cultures do – as a nuisance, but definitely not as a source for food. And that is why, instead of insects, we put things like mashed up bananas and/or peanut butter in the mound for the chimpanzees to fish out.

The chimpanzees, however, have a way of proving what we say to be wrong. I still don’t think that any of the chimpanzees would appreciate it if we put insects in the pvc tubes that screw into the termite mound, but Jamie and Missy have recently discovered a surprising delicacy – wasp larvae.

This is doubly surprising, given that the chimps certainly do not like wasps, and Jamie has been stung before. Apparently, that risk is worth harvesting this new treat. I wonder how they even discovered that the nests contained something they would like!

Here are a few photos I managed to get of Jamie with a nest that she brought in from Young’s Hill:

Jamie with a wasps' nest

 

Jamie with a wasps' nest 4

 

Jamie with a wasps' nest 3

 

Watching her, it wasn’t entirely clear to me how much of the larvae she was eating, because she seemed to be selectively eating some parts and not others, but she was clearly enjoying the experience:

Jamie with a wasps' nest 2

 

I haven’t been able to capture any photos of Missy with wasp nests, so you’ll have to take my word that she is very excited when she has a nest, perhaps even more so than Jamie.

 

Speaking of Missy, it’s her 40th birthday tomorrow!!!

Missy on the hill

Above is a photo of Missy from today as she took a rest before running the perimeter of Young’s Hill.

 

I defy anyone to call Missy old – she has one of the youngest spirits I’ve known in a chimpanzee. Whether she is searching for wasp nests, running like mad, wrestling with her BFF Annie, or demanding garden tomatoes, she demonstrates, daily, a sense of freedom that she’s found in her second chance at life (read this blog post from 2014 about Missy’s quite literal second chance).

We will be having a big celebration for Missy 40th tomorrow, so be sure to check here on the blog for photos of the party and wish her a happy birthday!

Love on a Windy Day

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Three members of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest family had weddings today – the brides are new staff member Anna and dedicated volunteer Becca, who is marrying Lars, also a volunteer. I wanted to wish them a special congratulations using photos of the chimpanzees taken on this windy day, so here goes:

Anna & Andy and Becca & Lars, may your love be…

As sweet as Annie:

Sweet Annie

 

As endearing as Burrito:

Burrito with amazing shoulder hair

 

As playful as Foxie:

Foxie carrying Dora

 

As strong as Jamie:

Jamie standing on structure

 

As unique as Jody:

Jody with hands full

 

As loyal as Missy:

Missy with sunflowers

 

And as inspiring as Negra:

Negra with green onions

 

A little backstory on the photo of Missy above – in honor of the couples, I put out two sunflowers from the garden as part of the chimps’ lunch forage. I expected Jody to be the one to get them, but it was Missy!

Here are a few more photos:

Missy retrieving sunflowers

Missy leaving the treat rock

Missy carry her stash Missy carrying her stash 2

 

Happy wedding day to all four of you!

 

Foxie’s 39th!

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Today we celebrated Foxie’s 39th birthday! It was a day filled with some of her favorite foods – lots and lots of fruit, fruit smoothie in shot glasses…

Foxie found a smoothie shot on the hill:

Foxie with a smoothie shot

Foxie drinking a smoothie shot

plus there were carrots, celery, more fruit, avocados, sweet potatoes, corn, and fresh-pressed carrot & apple juice!

 

There’s a video below, but first a few shots of the chimps enjoying the celebration in their own way:

 

Burrito looking for food:

Burrito searching for food

 

 

Annie chillin’ in the hammock:

Annie chillin in the hammock

 

Negra getting that last bit of coconut from the cup:

Negra with cup

 

Jody in her characteristic belly-to-the-ground position, finishing her meal:

Jody belly down

 

And Missy, who was not going to let a bit of the flaked coconut that was in this piñata go to waste.

Missy holding pinata

 

Not one…

Missy with her head in a pinata

 

 

little bit

Missy with her face in a pinata

 

There were several people who contributed to Foxie’s celebration, including Karen Young who provided decorations and money for food, Tracy H. who sponsored the day, Jayne R., and many people who sent Foxie Dora and troll dolls. Thanks for making her day special!

Enjoy the video!

 

 

Recovery and Reunion

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I’ve never seen a chimpanzee sleep so soundly and for so long as Burrito did after his dental procedure yesterday. He slept from mid afternoon yesterday straight through to this morning.

Burrito sleeping in recover room

J.B. and I decided to leave the playroom empty so that Burrito could have a peaceful rest without the girls disturbing him, They spent the day in the greenhouse and Young’s Hill. Around 7:00 last night I opened up a couple of the front rooms for the girls for the night, leaving one empty as a buffer between him and them.

Even with the noise of operating doors, Burrito continued to sleep soundly. Burrito’s position in Front Room One meant that the girls couldn’t see him. They sure did try, though. I had taken the photo above of him sleeping, so I decided to show that to whoever wanted to take a look. Jamie stared at it for a very long time – I’ve only seen her look at photos that long when they are of herself.

Jamie seemed reassured that Burrito was okay, and made her nest up on the bench in Front Room Three, with Foxie bedding down next to her. Negra was very eager to make a nest. She chose a spot on the floor in Front Room Three and used most of the blankets that were in that room, so I handed out more. Jody made her nest on the lower bench in Front Room Four, which allowed her to see down the hallway.

When Missy and Annie went back out to the greenhouse after trying to see Burrito, I went out to see what they were up to. It turns out they had decided to camp out on the top of the structure of the greenhouse.

Here’s Missy making her nest at the top of the structure:

Missy nesting in the greenhouse

 

And here she is, all covered up and ready for sleep:

Missy covered in sheet

 

I handed out more blankets to Annie, and she made her bed next to Missy:

Annie nesting

Annie nesting

 

When I went back a few hours later, Burrito was still sleeping, and either Missy or Annie had moved into the upper bench in Front Room Four. I didn’t want to disturb sleeping chimpanzees, so I don’t know who it was, but either Annie or Missy had a nice sleep out in the greenhouse, which was probably a first for an overnight!

This morning, Burrito was much more alert – all that sleep served him well!

He was anxious to get back with the group, but we wanted him to rest up some more, which was probably good because the ladies had a fight this afternoon, so it was just as well that he stayed out of that.

As is the routine after a fight, grooming commenced. Here is Missy, Jody, and Foxie:

grooming after a fight

 

Burrito was back to his usual self by the late afternoon:

Burrito holding toy

Burrito holding toy to mouth

Burrito with toy in mouth

 

By the time dinner came around, everyone was insisting that they be reunited. And so they were.

 

In the photo below, Burrito is standing bipedally and Foxie, Negra, Jody, and Missy are all rushing to greet him.

Jody and Foxie and Negra greeting Burrito

 

Foxie was particularly enthusiastic with her greeting:

Foxie greeting Burrito

 

And here’s Mr. B doing what he loves most – eating. He’ll be on a soft food diet for a few days, so there will probably be many more baked sweet potatoes in his future:

Burrito eating baked sweet potato