Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
The kind folks at Seattle-based Chocolate Shoebox are high on Jamie’s list these days. They recently donated several pairs of new boots via a donation drive put on by the Seattle Animal Defense League. After having them modeled for her by her caregivers, she was eager to inspect them closely and take them for a test drive.
Thanks to Chocolate Shoebox and Seattle Animal Defense League!
Joan O’Flaherty sponsored today in memory of her parents, Ned and Noreen O’Flaherty. Today was their birthday (same day, two years apart). Ned and Noreen also shared a love for animals and a great concern for environmental and conservation issues, and Joan is certain they would have loved the work of CSNW. Thank you, Joan, for such a thoughtful gift.
We got a few inches of fresh snow overnight, and despite the grumbling from the humans at the sanctuary (we’re ready for spring!), the chimpanzees were happy for a frosty snack. Here are a few photos that Jackie snapped this morning.
Burrito:
Missy hauled a big container of snow all the way upstairs:
People who have seen Burrito in person often comment that he’s “fluffier” than the other chimpanzees at the sanctuary, and it is an accurate observation. The technical term for this fluffiness is piloerection. A chimpanzee is said to be pilo erect when his or her hair is standing on end due to anxiety or excitement. (Humans also experience piloerection when we get goosebumps, but it’s not as obvious since we have less hair.) When a chimpanzee is completely calm and relaxed, his hair lies flat against his body. Given that Burrito is rarely completely calm — he’s a pretty high-strung guy — it makes sense that he’s very often pilo erect.
I like the following photos because you can see how much of Burrito’s impressive size is body and how much is “fluff”.
This video is a little longer than we usually make them, but Jackie and Sarah got so much great footage of yesterday’s party that I had trouble deciding what to leave out. Enjoy!
Today was sponsored in honor of chimp house volunteer Stephanie Perciful’s birthday by her husband Tim. It is somewhat appropriate that Steph’s birthday falls on this day of love because she is one of the most generous and joyful people you could hope to meet. (Proof: She arrived at the chimp house this morning for her volunteer shift with armfuls of gifts for the chimps and a big smile.) Steph is one of a handful of volunteers who have trained to become caregivers and provide direct care to the chimpanzees, and they just adore her (especially Burrito).
Happy Birthday, Steph!
There’s still lots of snow on the ground here in Cle Elum, but the sun is shining today and it is beautiful. The greenhouse is the nicest it’s been in quite awhile, and the chimpanzees are doing some serious lounging out there. Here are a few photos of Burrito enjoying the sun after lunch today.
