Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Elizabeth

Generous Jamie

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While Jamie was collecting material for a nest in the greenhouse after lunch this afternoon, she found a troll doll and tucked it behind her ear for safe keeping.

As soon as Jamie settled down, Foxie approached her for some grooming (or so I thought).

It soon became clear, though, that Foxie’s true intention was to sweet talk Jamie out of the troll doll.

Even though she certainly didn’t have to (the boss of the group has certain rights and privileges), Jamie eventually relinquished the troll to Foxie, making her very happy.

If you love Jamie like we do, consider making a donation in her honor. This Halloween is her 35th birthday!

The Lone Ranger

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It seems like just yesterday that Young’s Hill was only weeks old and many of the chimpanzees were still finding their own comfort level with the wide open spaces. Missy and Jamie took to the hill right away, but everyone else took their time getting adjusted. In the beginning, Annie would sit in the greenhouse and anxiously bounce her feet while waiting for her best friend Missy to return from her adventures outside. After awhile, Annie would venture out with Missy (and only with Missy) but wouldn’t leave Missy’s side. I remember one day early on when Annie and Missy had walked about a third of the way up the hill and were foraging in a patch of grass near a climbing structure. After awhile Missy started to head down the hill toward the greenhouse, but Annie was so immersed in her foraging that she didn’t notice. When she finally looked up and realized she had been left behind, she hightailed it down the hill toward the building, running faster than I had ever seen her move.

But it seems all she needed was a little time, because these days we spot Annie spending a considerable amount of solo time on the hill. In fact, she looks like she belongs out there.

Happy Birthday, Jim Spencer!

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Today is sponsored by Audrey Spencer in honor of her husband Jim’s birthday. Jim and Audrey are longtime and devoted supporters of the Cle Elum Seven. It’s hard to think of a major construction project on the sanctuary grounds that Jim hasn’t been involved in, from the enrichment shed to the greenhouse to Young’s Hill to Diana’s new storage shed for fundraising event supplies.  Quite literally, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest would not be what it is without Jim.

Happy Birthday, Jim, from Burrito and from all of us!

Autumn on Young’s Hill

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I’m not sure when it happened, but autumn is here. The green summer grass on Young’s Hill has turned yellow and the temperatures have cooled a little. It’s hard to believe we’re approaching our second winter on the hill. As of now, though, the days are still warm, so the chimpanzees are enjoying lots of time outside. This morning we scattered chow (protein biscuits) on the hill to encourage some outdoor activity.

Annie:

Foxie brought a couple of troll dolls with her, including a blue-haired one that volunteer caregiver Katelyn gave her yesterday:

Missy:

Jody:

It really doesn’t get old seeing the chimps explore Young’s Hill as a group. For the most part, they seem comfortable enough out there now to split up, but occasionally they travel together. Here’s Jamie in the foreground, and Foxie and Burrito in the background approaching each other for a greeting:

In this photo Jamie is kissing Foxie’s back in greeting. This is a common greeting for Jamie and is often accompanied by a pant grunt vocalization. (Jamie often greets Burrito this way, much to Burrito’s horror – he’s still pretty intimidated by her.)

But he doesn’t let that get in the way of having a good time:

For Lori Clemente

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Barbara Ludt has sponsored today in honor of Lori Clemente’s birthday.  Lori is no stranger to animal causes; she is president of ARRF Animal Rescue here in Cle Elum and does a lot of good work on behalf of homeless cats and dogs in our community.  Happy Birthday, Lori, and thanks so much for being a tireless animal advocate! And thank you, Barbara, for your thoughtful gift.

Jody loves (stuffed) dogs, too:

 

 

 

Burrito’s Choice

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Each day after cleaning the chimpanzees’ enclosures, we set out a couple of baskets of new enrichment (toys, magazines, clothing, blankets, etc.). Aside from a couple of obvious favorites – Jamie and her cowgirl boots, Foxie and her troll dolls – it’s somewhat hard to predict what will be of interest to the chimps. A few days ago Burrito grabbed these flamingo boxers (courtesy of volunteer Becca) and initiated some crazy play with his caregivers.

It’s important to distinguish Burrito’s play with these boxer shorts from chimpanzees you might see in movies or on TV wearing clothes. Chimpanzees who “work” in the entertainment industry are often duct-taped into clothing and forced, through physical intimidation or abuse, to perform. (Check out Executive Director Sarah’s informative blog post on this topic here.) Burrito, on the other hand, is not forced to do anything. We work every day to give Burrito and the rest of the Cle Elum Seven as much choice as possible, and we love to see what choices they make.