Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Katelyn

Happy Birthday, Adam!

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Today was sponsored by Linda Webber in celebration of her son, Adam Webber’s, birthday! Adam has been a long time friend of the sanctuary and we’re happy to celebrate with him today. Linda shared this note about her gift:

“January 17th is important as it’s my son’s 49th birthday. He volunteered there a few years back, one day a month. It may have been a short time but it was he who introduced me to Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW. I’ve followed for a couple years now. It is an honor to be a part of it in a small way. Thank you so much for what you do.”

Linda, thank you so much for your compassionate gift for the chimpanzees in honor of Adam’s special day! We truly appreciate your generosity and the difference your gift makes in their lives.

Happy Birthday, Adam! We hope it’s the best one yet! Thanks for sharing your day with the chimps and your love for them.

Burrito:

Happy Birthday, Adrienne!

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Eric Beckley sponsored a day of sanctuary in honor of Adrienne DiCerbo with this lovely message:

“For Adrienne on her Birthday. From Eric and Leo. She briefly volunteered at your sanctuary and loves all your chimps, especially when they are playing, eating, and loving each other.”

Eric thank you for choosing such a kind and compassionate gift for Adrienne and the chimps!

And Adrienne, we so appreciate you sharing your birthday with the chimps and continuing to help ensure that all the chimps’ days are filled with joy, good food to grunt and squeak about, and so much love. We hope it’s the best birthday yet!

Happy Birthday from all of us at CSNW!

A Jamie and Foxie pretzel:

Jamie and Foxie in a Chimpanzee Pretzel

Happy Birthday, Lynn!

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Dawn Garcia and Jo Arroyo sponsored a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees and one of their (and our!) dear friends, Lynn Williamson! They shared this lovely message about this lovely woman who we are all thrilled to celebrate today:

“Happy Birthday Lynn Williamson! We knew this gift, sponsoring the chimps for a day in your honor, would be exactly what you would want. Lynn has been a dear friend for decades. She was a champion for the Cle Elem Seven upon her very first meeting years ago. She adores them and as a dedicated volunteer, has favorite stories she shares about each one, but we won’t tell if she has a favorite! Lynn has a huge heart for not only the chimpanzees but all animals. She is very compassionate about captive wild animals, doing her part to make them comfortable and enriched. That’s one of the reasons she volunteers with CSNW; DIana, JB and the chimpanzee caregivers ensure the chimps have the best life possible. Lynnie is a gentle soul, loyal, fun and a sometimes silly, best friend. Seattle BFF, enjoy your happy day! with big love, Dawn and Jo”

Thanks, Dawn and Jo, for sponsoring today for the chimps and Lynn! We so appreciate your big, compassionate hearts.

Lynn, we’re so happy to celebrate you today and hope your heart is full of all the good things. Thank you for all you do for our fellow animals of the world. We’re all lucky to have you here. Happiest of birthdays from all the primates at the sanctuary and whether you choose to relax or kick up your heels (or both!) we hope it’s the best one yet!

Jamie and the snowshoes

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Well folks, today has been one of those days where capturing photos of the chimps has just not been on their agenda. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t stories to tell.

The chimps have a bare path around snowy and slushy Young’s Hill, courtesy of J.B., and most everyone has been venturing out for walks in our “milder” weather (i.e., above freezing for the most part). But much to our surprise, it’s Jamie who hasn’t been interested in going all the way around the hill. (Missy on the other hand, has been ripping and running around and around!). The last couple of days Jamie seems to have incorporated the lower half of the hill into her games of chase with her caregivers, venturing half way up one side only to turn, run back down and then part way up the other side, back and forth like a pendulum.

Given how excited Jamie’s been over the winter footwear and seeing what the humans’ Yaktrax look like on her own boots, I decided to take it to the next level and see what she would think of seeing her boots in snowshoes, which we don’t think she’s seen before. Here is Jamie’s favorite new boot getting strapped in as she watches:

Suffice to say, Jamie was beside herself! Hair standing on end (polo-erect), eyes glued to her boots, hooting and low moaning and generally flailing about in excitement. Of course she immediately raced outside to play chase up and down the small slope seemingly mesmerized that HER boots were snowshoeing. Kelsi and I tried and tried to get photos of her, but I think she was so overwhelmed she didn’t have time to participate in a photo shoot. So outside of this photo of Jamie flailing (I recognize it’s hard to see, but she is waving her arms and hands about as she looks at her boot), you’ll have to take our word for it:

Jamie immediately ran outside making sure I was following and after about an hour of chase inside, outside, through the greenhouse, up the hill, down the hill (with frequent stops to check out her boot), she decided she was ready to have her snow covered boots (sans snowshoes, of course). As soon as she received them she hugged them to her for a moment, looked at them as if they (and perhaps by extension, she?) had just been on the most amazing adventure ever, and then hurried off to build a nest with them.

For years it was very uncommon to see Jamie actually sleep when she nested. Some part of her always remained on alert and if the rare occasion occurred where her eyes closed, it didn’t take much for them to spring back open. Only in the last year or two has she begun to fully relax enough to fall asleep. So to see her covered up with her blankets, surrounded by her beloved boots and favorite new boot book, sound asleep holds so much more meaning than just how cozy and adorable she looks like this. Even if brief (she’s a busy woman after all), she finally feels safe enough to fully let go and fall into a deep slumber. Perhaps dreaming of snowshoeing her way around Young’s Hill…

Happy Birthday, Manuela!

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I often marvel at the love the chimpanzees receive from friends and loved ones. To think they spent so many years unknown to so many and now they fill so many hearts and lives the world over. Manuela Santacreu sponsored this day of sanctuary as a gift for herself and Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy and Negra and sends this lovely message about today:

“Pour mon anniversaire, parce qu’il n’y a rien de plus beau que le bonheur simple de savoir ces chimpanzés heureux ! bravo à vous tous! ‘For my birthday, because there is nothing more beautiful than the simple happiness of knowing these happy chimpanzees! Congratulations to you all!'”

Manuela, thank you so much for sharing your celebration with the chimps! We appreciate the lasting difference your support makes in their lives. All of the primates here at CSNW wish you the happiest of days!

Negra:

Annie hugging Missy:

Jamie:

Burrito and Jody:

Burrito and Jody with bamboo

Foxie and doll:

Chimps: 7 – Humans: 0

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Last night, while the chimpanzees were all inside enjoying their sparkling cider for New Year’s Eve, I ran out to close the hill for the evening. With well below freezing temperatures, the sky growing dark, and Jamie inside, I assumed everyone was in for the evening. And then I saw movement out of the corner of my eye that took my brain a minute to compute. Low and behold Foxie had declined the New Year’s Eve festivities and chose to ring in the new year by having an adventure and foraging for snow treats!

Much to Jody’s horror…

Jody is such a good friend and patiently waited for Foxie, even venturing up the icy path to collect her at one point. Foxie wasn’t ready to come inside yet and sweet Jody headed back to wait for her at the entry to the greenhouse, slipping and sliding her way back down the path. Foxie stayed out quite awhile, seemingly watching the surrounding skies light up with the sunset and enjoying her time. Much to Jo’s relief, Foxie eventually made her way back, collecting several snow treats along the way and then she and Jody raced into the warm chimp house together. We all celebrate in our own way.

 

Earlier in the day, I was showing Jamie my winter boots with the YakTrax on. As one might imagine, winter shoewear is pretty exciting for Jamie. As we sat together Jamie kept gesturing, unsatisfied with the usual winter boots and Yakthax grooming, or even with me wearing her boots. It took me several minutes to realize she wanted to see the YakTrax on HER boots. Of course she did! She was so excited! Once she had a good visual of them she asked for her boots (thankfully understanding she couldn’t have the Yaktrax with them) and happily retreated to her nest with them.

Here she is sound asleep, her foot in one of her favorite new Christmas boots.

As for today, Kelsi and I arrived bright and early this first morning of 2018, arms full of goods for the chimps’ New Year’s Day celebration. But the chimps made it very clear from the start that today, we were doing things differently. Specifically, we were doing things Missy-style! All. Day. Long. During the winter, Missy is a bit infamous for choosing not to shift during the daily routine, meaning that she will sometimes choose not to leave an area so that we can go in and clean. So the humans adjust their routine or just wait it out.

In order to set up the party we needed access to the playroom, but it’s cozy, light and spacious in there and no one else was particularly interested in leaving that area either. And that’s great, it’s an example of the chimps getting to choose how their day goes. But what is a little more unique is that they’ve been choosing not to shift out of any area today! Bribes of gum, nuts, and even tiny tomatoes for Missy haven’t even swayed them! We were finally able to begin cleaning at precisely the time we normally finish the entire chimp house. So the human party plans were put out in increments or not at all. But the chimps seemed perfectly content with doing things their way and that’s what’s most important.

Jamie enjoying sparkling cider:

The chimps still weren’t interested in shifting out of the playroom for dinner in our last attempt to set up the party forage so instead enjoyed a full service dinner of black-eyed peas with cherry tomatoes, kale, baked onions and baked pears for dinner. To heck with spot cleaning. Maybe they thought since we had JUST cleaned, that was good enough. So we doled out extra blankets in the food chutes and switched up evening enrichment so we could pass it out.

As I write this, the chimps are hooting and hollering (led by ringleader, Missy) seemingly just for the heck of it. I like to think they are celebrating another year of freedom of having choices and freedom to make those choices as they deem fit. Freedom to call the shots in their own home. Freedom to change their minds. Freedom to be chimps. And really, freedom just to be. I think that’s what we all want to be able to celebrate.

Happy New Year everyone!

In memory of Mikey

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We are full of immense gratitude for the countless ways in which you all have contributed to the lives of the chimpanzees throughout 2017. As we ready to release one year and move forward into the flow of the next, how lovely and apropos is this, our last day of sanctuary sponsorship for the year, from Debi Domantay:

“All my life I’ve felt a deep passion for Nature & ALL animals with a particular interest in Chimpanzees, Gorillas & Orangutans… If I could relive my life, I’d certainly become a Primatologist. This donation is in memory of “Mikey” & ALL animals in need of being rescued from a life without dignity & respect.”

Debi, thank you so much for your heartfelt message and New Year’s Eve gift for the chimps in memory of Mikey. As we move into 2018 and our plans to begin expansion in order to not only improve the lives of the chimps, but to be able to offer others a sanctuary home, your thoughts couldn’t be more well-timed. A perfect gift in celebration of the New Year!

To those who celebrate at this time, Happy New Year’s Eve! And to all, may your days, months and years ahead each be better and more abundant in all the good ways than the last, just as you’ve made possible for the chimpanzees.

Negra:

Jody:

Jamie:

Foxie:

Burrito:

Annie:

Missy: