Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Katelyn

Happy Birthday, Michael!

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Today the chimps received a beautiful gift of a day of sanctuary, sponsored by Michael Miller! Today is Michael’s birthday and he shared this gift for the chimps would be “a good way to celebrate turning another year older 🙂 thank you for your work!”

Michael, it’s amazing that you would start your day, and your own celebration, by not only thinking of the chimps, but contributing to their lives and well-being! Thank you so much for your generosity. All of us here at the sanctuary wish you the best of birthdays! It’s a phenomenally beautiful day here at the sanctuary – looking out the window, Ellie the neighborhood elk is dozing in the shaded, tall, green grass, the chimps are lounging together in the bright, sun-warmed greenhouse and periodically running out onto Young’s Hill to enjoy this beautiful spring day.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

Jamie on Twister

For Jody and all the mamas

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The weekend of celebrations continues in the chimp house today as we celebrate not only Mother’s Day, but beloved Jody, on her 42nd honorary birthday!

I was in my gracious neighbor’s magical backyard bright and early this morning, heisting two armfuls of lilacs. Many of the chimps enjoy smelling and eating them and even now, late in the day, the scent of fresh lilac occasionally is wafts through their home.

We started the celebration off with a beautiful breakfast forage of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, pineapple, watermelon, and baby bananas on a bed of lettuce, strawberry and banana smoothie, and more sparkling cider.

The greenhouse was bright and sunny as we set up the party. Pineapple tops are a favorite of the birthday girl so we hoped Jody would find this pokey treat:

And she did:

Nothing says party like shoving an entire pokey pineapple top in your mouth:

Dora had a gift for someone:

Foxie gazing at Dora while enjoying her fresh lilacs and melting my heart into a big ol’ puddle:

Annie enjoying a party plate:

For Jamie, parties are even (or maybe I should say especially) serious business. She was methodically looking for her favorites and keeping a watchful eye on the three pinatas hanging from the ceiling until she could get to them. Jamie loves a challenge so this was her kind of party:

The lilacs are quite popular with a few of the girls and Annie was doing her best to collect some on the sly while avoiding the eyes of the more dominant Missy and Jamie and she collected quite a few:

Gorgeous Missy enjoying a treat box:

Burrito was a wild man all morning long. Riling up the girls, rattling the caging, displaying throughout the chimp house. Pretty much normal stuff, but with an extra dash of wild today. But he did find time to settle down and enjoy the company of his friends on their special day and even went to Annie’s defense to reassure her when she got yelled at for picking the “wrong” lilac:

Burrito and Foxie:

And then there’s Negra, who ended the celebration by collecting all the lilacs she could and winding up with a beautiful bouquet:

Mother’s Day is a special day at the sanctuary. If you’re new to the blog and just learning about the chimps, we only know that Jody was most likely born in the wild sometime in 1975. We chose this day to celebrate Jody in honor of the nine infants she gave birth to, but who were stolen from her during her time in biomedical research. With the exception of Jamie and Burrito, all of the chimps residing here had children and were denied the right to raise them. So today, with full hearts, we honor each of the chimps, their loss of their own mothers, and their children who lost the opportunity to grow up with their amazing mothers. You can learn more about each of their stories here.

Mother’s Day can feel like a bittersweet celebration here at times. But what I am finding is that with each passing year, as we’re astounded and privileged to witness the strength, healing and resiliency of these amazing beings, the pain of knowing the horror they endured for so long starts to fade into the shadows, eclipsed by the incredible light of each of these special souls. While we will always honor all they’ve been through, it’s really become about celebrating all they’ve overcome as unique individuals, the hope and joy they embrace each day with, and the family you’ve made possible for them to have. I hope with all my heart that they feel the same.

Happy Birthday, beautiful Jody!! We love you so very much!! And Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas out there! And I really think that’s all of us in some shape or form. 🙂

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Hoot!

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It’s finally here! Our biggest fundraiser of the year, our annual Hoot! Gala and Spring Fling celebration! And while the humans are on their way to one of the most unique and exciting parties in the city, they aren’t the only people partying. The chimps are having their own celebration with a dinner of field roast and roasted sweet potato on a bed of lettuce and cabbage, sparkling cider, and a huge forage with sweet onions, corn on the cob, and fresh coconuts:

On this one day of the year, we have to get the chimps settled in earlier than usual so that staff working in the chimp house have time to get spiffed up and head to the gala. Routine and the comfort and security of knowing what to expect are important to the chimps and we don’t want to veer from that more than necessary or have them getting bored with a little more time on their hands, so a sure fire way to keep everyone active, happy and engaged is to set out an exciting forage cut into teeny, tiny pieces.

Annie sitting in a field of forage:

Burrito was beside himself, as usual when there’s food involved (that’s Jody behind him):

Jamie likes to drag a table around with her during forages for easier collection:

She decided to eat the field roast first and save the rest for later:

While Jamie was occupied elsewhere, Burrito bravely decided to steal her leftover dinner “boats.” I braced myself for Jamie to scream at the top of her lungs (her tactic when someone is touching – or even thinking about touching – something she doesn’t want them to), but she must have decided she found something else worth her attention and Burrito scooped them up without issue and food squeaked to celebrate:

Annie mid food grunt (you can just make out Negra’s ear as she sits in the sunny window below Annie enjoying her dinner with a view):

Jody, ever the adventurous foodie, was collecting corn cobs:

Foxie and Missy were ladies of the loft for this one and out of sight of the camera.

Anna, myself and volunteer, Helen, put the chimps’ dinner out a couple hours ago and Jamie is still foraging!

The chimps are completely silent as I write this so I just went to check on everyone. And who did I find, but this guy, fighting off a food coma in the last sun puddle of the day:

Somehow he mustered enough energy to still be an adorable goof:

But it was so hard:

There are some crazy amazing items of this guy (and more!) up for auction tonight. To all of you who have helped sponsor this amazing celebration, volunteers who have helped plan this party of all parties, to all those working to make it special for our guests, those who are attending the gala and making it so much fun, those who will be raising your paddles high or who have been pre-bidding online, and those of you cheering us on from home, there aren’t enough words of thanks to each of you for making everything that you do, possible. You make this sanctuary for these seven amazing chimpanzees a home. A home filled with love, comfort, joy, adventure and healing. And we hope a home for others, who are awaiting their day in their own sun puddles.

Hoots of love and gratitude from all of us to all of you! Have a fantastic evening and check in tomorrow for our celebration of Jody’s birthday and Mother’s Day! Yep, that’s how we roll in the chimp house…party, after party. Hopefully, Burrito is revived by then…

The Queen appears

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The second I opened the door to Young’s Hill this morning all the chimps immediately filed out together (minus Negra) and made their way up Young’s Hill:

As I was watching them I noticed they all occasionally paused to glance back toward the greenhouse, particularly Missy:

When I finally looked to see what they were watching for, the Queen herself emerged. Spring at the sanctuary means the return of swooping swallows and raucous birdsong, wildflowers, neon green grass, bees, butterflies and HRH (Negra) on Young’s Hill. Negra didn’t need to venture far to find a lush patch of her beloved spring grass:

She was immediately so relaxed, she sat with her royal drooped lip and took in the morning sights, sounds and sun:

Then she went back to her private grass forage:

Negra was only outside for about 5 minutes, but for her, that seemed enough to fill her with contentment and she headed back to the greenhouse. As I passed by a minute later I saw her climbing to the toasty top platform with an armful of blankets for her morning nap. The life of a Queen:

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Walks in the rain

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There is a gorgeous book recently written by a mother and daughter in Hawaii called “H?nau ka Ua” in which they recorded over 200 hundred names for rain in the Hawaiian language. It is written that their k?puna, or elders, were so attuned to the environment that they gave individual names to the variety of rains and winds on the islands. They knew each rain based on where and when it fell, the intensity and duration, the effect it had on people, the sound it made on the trees, and even the scent it carried. So in tune to their environment they considered it their kin.

In this part of the world, spring is ushered in on the winds. Not just any old breezes, but winds that come off the still snow-covered mountains and barrel down the valley like a freight train, that kick and buck like a wild horse, and throw sticks and stones for good measure. The days like that are sunny, but often leave all the primates taking cover. But on the days when the wind’s wild rumpus finally settles, like today, it can be cloudy and rainy. A gentle, soothing rain.

When not on Young’s Hill, the chimps chose to spend the entire day in the greenhouse, under the sound of rain on the roof. Annie nested there all day, as she often does when it rains. During a downpour at lunch we all just sat taking cover together, faces turned upward listening to the soothing rhythm.

Foxie keeping France Dora safe:

When Jamie insisted on multiple walks in the rain today, I marveled at the transition she’s made to being a Pacific Northwest chimp, virtually un-phased by the showers. Each walk for each kind of rain was different, but all were joyous and calm.

In a gentle, but steady light rain we didn’t dawdle, but she walked surprisingly slowly, the only sounds the raindrops on my Gortex jacket and our feet moving through the wet grass:

 

Later in the day when the rain let up and turned to only a few sprinkles was when she decided to kick up her heels and run:

On the final walk of the day most everyone decided to come out (though it was too wet for Negra today).

Burrito:

Jody:

Foxie and Dora:

Missy:

I’m so grateful that the chimps have the opportunity to be so connected to their home. To each rain and wind, snow and sunny day. To be kin with their environment and the wilderness in their hearts. Just as they were meant to be. Just as we were all meant to be.

Happy Birthday, Maureen!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Erin Yuhas in honor of her mom, Maureen! Erin is a long-time supporter and friend of the chimpanzees and we’re happy to be able to celebrate Maureen along with her. Erin shared this lovely message:

“My mom has shared my love of chimps and has visited several sanctuaries with me simply for our love of chimps. For her birthday I would love to bring her to the sanctuary to celebrate her special day in person but this will have to do. I want these sweet seven to help us celebrate my mom’s birthday with us. Thank you all for all you do for these chimps and thank you for the great updates you give us every day.”

Erin, thank you so much for all you do to make a lasting difference for the chimpanzees. What a special thing for you and your mom to be able to share. We’re honored to celebrate with you and you will both definitely be here in spirit.

Maureen, Happy Birthday from all of us here at the sanctuary! We are so happy to celebrate with you and Erin today and hope your day is filled with all the good you help make possible for chimpanzees living out their lives in their sanctuary homes.

Missy and Annie:

Missy and Annie with prickly lettuce

Country chimps

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Chimpanzee sanctuaries naturally tend to be in rural areas. And as you might imagine, for chimpanzees who have spent the majority of their lives to date in biomedical research, finding themselves exploring their outdoor habitats in the country can bring enrichment in all manner of forms.

This morning was beautiful, the grass is a brighter shade of green with each passing day and the chimps love pouring out onto the hill after breakfast to play and investigate things. Foxie took Dora (with a windswept coif) along this morning and decided to take in the surroundings in a quiet spot while deciding where her morning adventure would begin:

Annie and Missy came tumbling up the hill together and Foxie decided to follow them further up toward the structures:

As Jamie and I were walking along the perimeter together, I noticed Foxie in the background suddenly stick Dora in her mouth and with a determined look head quickly across the hill toward the fence, on a mission.

Then I realized what her mission was probably about. “Intruder” cows who needed to be run off! (Meanwhile, Annie – in the foreground – was happily picking spring grass and could have cared less about the cows):

But fierce Foxie wasn’t having it and Jamie quickly backed her friend up to chase the cows down the hill. These sweet calves belong to our neighbor and are currently grazing a portion of our property. Can you imagine what the cows’ perspective must be when they first see the chimps? Scanning their mental repertoires of possible fellow animals and thinking, “Squirrels? No…Dogs? No…Horses? No…What???”:

Notice Annie still just going about her business 🙂 :

Annie looking after Jamie, Foxie and the cows, as they all ran by, probably trying to figure out what all the hullabaloo was about: