Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Grace

Celebrations, Forages, and Sunshine!

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Today we celebrate a long-time supporter of the sanctuary! Karen Young and her family have made so many things possible for the chimps in our care and we are so very grateful. From Young’s Hill to Ryan’s Lookout on The Bray, they continue to help provide amazing moments in the chimps lives. Karen- from each and every one of us here, thank you and happy, happy birthday!

Today, all the chimps enjoyed forages of avocado cups, corn, celery, and more! It’s been a beautiful sunny day here in Cle Elum so Jamie’s group enjoyed the forage on Young’s Hill. I hope you enjoy the photos and videos from today!

Burrito enjoying his forage on Young’s Hill:

Cy, staring lovingly at his corn:

Foxie enjoying a moment of sunshine on Young’s Hill:

Gordo choosing to enjoy his corn behind the cover of bamboo plants:

Honey B, mid-forage:

Rayne enjoying her avocado cups:

Jamie, after a moment of grooming with her caregivers:

Annie, waiting for the lunch forage on Young’s Hill:

Members of Cy’s Group exploring Ryan’s Lookout (sponsored by Karen Young and her family in memory of their son, Ryan) for the first time:

Family Time

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After the loss of Jody, words have been hard for me to find. Sometimes, though, I think that we don’t need words- just quality time. Quality time with our friends, family, and loved ones to get us through the tough times.

Since last week, I’ve had the chance to film some videos of little moments between the chimps on both sides of the building. I hope you enjoy these moments as much as I have and I hope they warm your heart like they have mine.

P.S: Don’t forget that we have our virtual visit with Cy’s group coming up on Sunday, May 21st at 1:00pm PST! Register now to save your spot and submit your questions for us to answer during the live-stream.

BONUS PHOTOS: Jody’s group on Young’s Hill for a lunch forage.

Annie, bipedal, looking for lunch goodies:

Foxie, with her doll in her back foot and a cherry tomato:

Jamie really scored with one of her favorites, mini sweet peppers:

Missy took her lunch back into the greenhouse:

Negra and Burrito on the move:

When The Time Comes

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Hi, everyone.

First- I want to say thank you so very much to everyone who has reached out to us with a kind message, loving comment, or respectful note of support. It has been truly heartwarming to see the amount of people all over the world who love Jody, her family, and CSNW. Thank you.

To say this has been a difficult time is an understatement. When I sat down to write the blog last Thursday I wrote about how lovely of a day we were having here- after a forage on Young’s Hill and some sunshine, we were all in good spirits. I had no idea things would change so quickly- none of us did. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about saying goodbye to Jody, but words won’t ever do it all justice. Having the opportunity to be her friend, to love her, to know her, to say goodbye, and to watch her family say goodbye– there’s too much love and sadness in all those things to capture.

Yesterday, I was talking with Caregiver Katelyn about how grief is a natural continuation of loving someone- you can’t have one without the other. And, in it’s own way, grief is a little voice that lets us know that the love we had for that individual while they were with us is still there, even though they are gone. The fact that we are all grieving so intensely for Jody indicates just how much we love her.

Jody- how fiercely we all love you.

We learn so many things from the chimps here every day, but Jody taught me to always make sure your family is safe- whether that means keeping a watchful eye on them as they wander down their own path or being there for support as they venture somewhere new. She taught me to enjoy kicking back in a nice big nest and, if someone needs you to move, to carry that nest with you for ultimate comfort at your next location. She taught us to enjoy the food we eat and to make sure everyone knows it’s delicious by making loud dinosaur noises. She taught me to not put up with eating something you don’t like and, if possible, to spit it back out on the person who dared to serve it to you to begin with (maybe the more entertaining lesson to learn). Finally, in her passing she has taught me to enjoy every moment we have with them here in sanctuary and, if that means the daily tasks get done a little later, then so be it. Moments are precious.

I have found myself lately going through all the photos and videos I have on my phone, to find peace and solace in the memories I have of Jody. So many of them I had forgotten about and seeing them again made me smile, so I wanted to share them with you all today. They’re short clips with no real thread tying them together- only sweet Jo.

Fifteen years of sanctuary in your almost 48 years on this earth, Jody. You will live on in all of us and we will continue to tell the world about you.

Love and miss you, always.

To live in this world

you must be able

to do three things:

to love that is mortal;

to hold it

against your own bones knowing

your own life depends on it;

and, when the time comes to

let it go,

to let it go.

Mary Oliver

P.S. It’s tough to mention right now, but today is the last day of GiveBIG. Your donations go directly to the care of our residents and every dollar truly matters. If you feel so inclined, please consider donating to help us reach our goal. Thank you.

For the Nine and For Jen!

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We are so very grateful to Jen Feuerstein for sponsoring this day of sanctuary in honor of such a special anniversary! One year ago today we opened the final door and officially integrated Cy’s group and Willy B’s group. Jen was here that day and the days leading up to it, playing a pivotal role in making it happen.

Here’s what Jen said in her sponsor-a-day message:

“Can you believe it’s been a year since the doors were opened to put all 9 chimps from WW together? Congrats on this momentous anniversary!”

Since that day one year ago, we have had a group of nine. As Anna said in her blog post one year ago, I think it’s safe to say that we are all still cautiously optimistic. It hasn’t been all hugs and parties, though there have been a lot of those! It’s a challenge to put chimpanzees together and we are still experiencing some challenges, but also so many heartwarming moments.

Thank you so much, Jen, for sponsoring this special anniversary- and for playing such a crucial role in bringing these chimpanzees together!

The group of nine, one year ago today:

In the last year, we’ve proudly watched special relationships form between individuals (like Dora and Mave!) as the group figures out their new normal.

More recent photos of the group of nine:

From our whole family here at CSNW – thank you so much for everything, Jen!!!

A Day to Forage

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It shouldn’t come as a surprise that no two days here at CSNW are the same. Especially in spring time, when there are an abundance of projects to be done, you never really know what your day will hold.

Today is an absolutely perfect spring (early summer?! maybe?!) day here in Cle Elum, WA. The sky is that precious blue bird blue with only a few clouds floating by, the temperature is warm with a nice breeze that keeps you comfy, and the sunshine is bright. Most of the chimp house doors and windows are open, so it’s hard not to feel that happy feeling that comes with having a soft breeze and fresh air throughout the chimp house after winter.

In season appropriate fashion, this week has been dubbed spring cleaning week and today our team is tackling the kitchen. It’s quite the task, believe me. One of the items on the list was to de-frost the freezer, which meant an exciting forage of “All-The-Frozen-Things” this morning! We put out a daily morning forage when we are done with the first round of cleaning on each side of the building. It’s different every day, but the frozen treats were pretty unique and it had everyone excited!

Negra and Jody were both particularly excited when they saw the icy treats. 🙂

While we enjoy spring cleaning with the windows open, the chimps are leaning into the season with all their might! Cy’s group has access to their outdoor chute and this morning I arrived to find most of them out enjoying the early sunshine. Can you count (and identify) the chimps in this photo?!

To continue the excitement, we did a lunch forage for Jamie’s group on Young’s Hill. J.B. recently wrote about how construction has resumed on The Bray for Cy’s group, which meant that Jamie’s group had to be off the hill for a few days too since some of the tasks involved both sides of the hill. Today we were able to give them access just in time for a lunch forage and a more perfect day could not be had!

Foxie took her doll with her to forage, of course.

On a lovely day like today it’s hard not to think about how grateful I am for our supporters who have made sanctuary life possible for our 16 chimp and 4 bovine friends. As someone who got involved at CSNW as an intern in grad school, left for a few years, and then had the opportunity to return full time – it’s amazing how many things have changed in just a few years. Taking a bigger step back and looking at the then-and-now between fifteen years ago and the present day, it’s truly inspiring. That’s what all of you, every person reading this blog, have helped to create- years full of hope and love in a forever home for individuals who deserve it so much.

As we reflect back we also have to look forward, which means reaching out a hand to you. Right now, early giving is open for GiveBIG. Every donation matters – no matter how big or small – and, right now, donations are being matched by our amazing supporter, Donna T! Please consider helping us reach our goal– every donation will go to support our incredible residents.

Like beautiful and amazingly cool, Jamie.

We’re also super excited to announce our next Virtual Visit! We will be hosting a virtual Lunch with Cy’s Group on Sunday, May 21st from 1:00 – 2:00pm PT! If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to serve a meal to the nine chimps in Cy’s group, then this is the event for you. Be sure to register today to save your seat and submit any questions you have so we can answer them during the virtual visit!

Cy can’t wait!

BONUS PHOTOS:

A drama, in three photos, caught by Caregiver Chad’s photography skills.

Gordo and Dora enjoying the chute:

Sweet Foxie in a peaceful moment.

The Great Hose Heist

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What a day!

One of the enrichment items we pass out for the chimps in the evening before caregivers leave are treat buckets. For treat buckets, we fill buckets with a variety of soft enrichment items (socks, scarves, etc.) and put seeds, nuts, or fruit slices in the bottom. We place these on the outside of the caging and give the chimps bamboo sticks so they can get the goodies out of the buckets. Straight forward concept, right? Pretty fool proof, right? That’s what we thought, too.

We were wrong.

We came in this morning and discovered that there was some sneaky heist action last night after the caregivers went home! Check out the blog video to see who was involved and what happened.

Teaser Photo:

Book Club

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It’s no secret that quite a few of our residents here at CSNW enjoy looking through magazines and books. They all have their favorites, which got me thinking – let’s chat CSNW Book Club recommendations!

First up, we have recommendations from our O.G. chimp group, the Cle Elum 7. Jamie’s first recommendation would be I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo by Mathea Levine. This has been Jamie’s favorite for a while now, along with the sequels Bonobo Lucy Grows Up and Is Bonobo Lucy Singing? She has a knack for knowing where the current copy is at all times. Today, for example, we were cleaning the playroom on the seven’s side. We had just swept up the floor and taken the trash can out when Jamie started gesturing at the trash can. I looked behind it, beside it, and below it to try and figure out what she wanted. I couldn’t find anything, but she kept gesturing. Finally, I looked inside the trash can and there lay her current copy of I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo. Thankfully, it had stayed clean and I was able to grab it, wipe it off, and give it to her. She happily grabbed it and went off to nest with it in her hip pocket! Crisis averted.

I think Jamie would also recommend anything a la National Geographic, especially if it featured mummies. Extra points if it’s a cowboy boot book, too!!

On the other side of the chimp house, Cy would recommend something a little in the pop-culture scene. At the top of his list: People Magazine.

Often, when we take him a new magazine we will be met with excited grunts before Cy comes down to grab it and take it away for his own private reading session.

Some of the humans at CSNW are also very into reading. If you’re looking for a book to expand your knowledge of chimpanzees, we would recommend The New Chimpanzee by Craig Stanford. A few other favorites are Next of Kin by Roger Fouts, Through a Window by Jane Goodall, and In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall.

A few other staff recommendations, that are not chimpanzee related, are How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur (Diana’s pick), Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Grace’s pick), The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lax by Rebecca Skloot (Sabrina’s pick), and The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Chad’s pick). We’d love it if you would share your latest good reads with us in the comments! 🙂

And don’t forget- we are gearing up to celebrate Cy’s 33rd birthday on March 12th! We are planning a library themed birthday party for our book worm and have added the things we need to our Amazon wish list. Click here if you want to help us celebrate Cy’s birthday!

On a similar note, we are always looking for donations of magazines. If you have extras laying around, please consider sending them to us at PO Box 952 Cle Elum, WA 98922. Or, if you are local, drop them off at The Whole Pet Shop in Roslyn! Thanks in advance! 🙂

Bonus Photos:

Mave and Dora , hanging out, while Mave holds Dora’s foot

Burrito being handsome during a morning play session:

Foxie being her goofy self: