Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Katelyn

Happy Birthday, Jeanna!

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This day of sanctuary was also sponsored by John Henderson in honor of Jeanna McClellan’s birthday! John shared the following message about today:

“Jeanna has taken a real interest in the chimps since learning about the sanctuary a few years ago. She has a particular soft spot for Burrito. We visited last summer around Jeanna’s birthday, but weren’t able to do it this year as she has just started law school and is taking an accelerated summer class.”

John, thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees and including them in all that you and Jeanna have to celebrate. Jeanna, all of the primates here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW wish you the happiest of birthdays! And congratulations on beginning law school! We wish you all the best in your new adventures.

The ever-charming, Burrito:

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In memory of Kevin Clark

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Shelley Winfrey in memory of her brother, Kevin Clark. Shelley shared this message about today:

“For my  brother who passed away…he would have loved the chimps!”

Shelley, we are so touched that you would think of the chimpanzees in honoring the memory of your brother. What a special thing to do. It’s a lovely thing to know that his life has made a difference in theirs. We so appreciate you keeping the chimps in your heart and our thoughts are with you today as you remember Kevin and celebrate the live he lived.

Your pal, the handsome Mr. B. (looking at camera) with Jamie:

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You are the tomato of my eye

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To say that Missy loves tomatoes is an understatement. When she sees them offered at a meal she shakes her head vigorously, hold out her hand and follows the server relentlessly. She has no problem inserting herself in front of anyone lower in the hierarchy to make sure she receives the maximum amount possible.

Missy, and all the chimpanzees, have been watching their garden grow with increasingly impatience. Missy is very focused on the cherry tomatoes planted right outside one of the playroom windows and they are just starting to ripen. And I know this because Missy wasted no time in letting me know. When she saw me today she immediately ran to the window by the tomatoes, swung back and forth from the caging in excitement, and occasionally looked over her shoulder at me and gestured toward the tomatoes.

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Then when it seemed I was a little slow to catch her drift (humans!), she threw herself onto the caging and shook it with all her might:

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Here she throws me an outstretched arm to further plead her case:

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The chimpanzees’ garden helps supplement the wonderful food donations we receive, but it also provides visual and edible enrichment for the chimpanzees. It’s a wonderful thing for them to look forward to and to be able to request something they see, freshly ripened and still warm from the sun. Thanks largely to volunteer caregiver, Denice, the chimps’ garden is really taking off. This year it’s full of onions, scallions, beets, cherry tomatoes, and carrots to name a few.

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But for Missy, her eye is on these little guys:

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Of course, it didn’t take long for boss lady, Jamie, and everyone else to catch on so staff caregiver, Anna, served up a mid-afternoon garden snack. Here Anna serves Burrito a cherry tomato as Jamie looks on:

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Burrito was very anxious for a green onion, but with Jamie lurking next to him, he was reluctant to take it before receiving the green light from her. So he sat very, very still, hair standing on end (pilo-erect) and waited patiently for her to pass by before taking it from Anna:

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Eventually, the boss gave her OK, but let him know she was watching. Here you can see her hovering over him as he munches his onion:

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Annie loves, loves, loves green onions:

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Missy:

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Jamie keeping a very close eye on Anna, making sure she is serving things correctly during her training:

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I love that the chimpanzees have so many things to look forward to with each passing season.

Today is in honor of Andrea

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This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Juliette Brush-Hoover in honor of her sister Andrea. Juliette shared this beautiful and touching message about today:

“Andrea was my younger sister who left this world way before her time. She was beautiful, hilarious, generous and creative. She loved to help people. And she loved monkeys. I know that chimps are technically apes but I don’t think this distinction would have mattered to Andrea. In memory of my sister’s birthday I am making this special donation to Chimp Sanctuary NW. Knowing the chimps will have a special day full of treats and surprises seems a fitting tribute to my fun loving sister.”

Juliette, we are so honored that you would think of the chimpanzees in remembering Andrea and celebrating her life today. We will be holding Andrea and you in our thoughts today, grateful for all the compassion you both hold and seeing her kind spirit carrying on in the world.

It sounds like Andrea may have had some things in common with fun-loving Foxie, shown here with sweet, Annie (left):

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Today is for Derek Johnson!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Andrea Ogg in honor of Derek Johnson! Andrea surprised Derek with this special gift last Christmas and shared the following message about today: “Derek has spent a significant portion of his adult life studying, caring for and about chimpanzees. We will be coming to the sanctuary on July 11, 2015. We can’t wait to “meet” your chimps!”

Andrea, what a wonderful gift to give for both Derek and the chimpanzees! That it is complimented with your attendance of our summer visit program makes it even more meaningful and we are so touched that you would think of the chimpanzees in honoring Derek today. Thank you so much for caring about the chimps and making a difference for them.

We look forward to your visit and hope you both have a wonderful day!

Our guy, Burrito:

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Negra and friend

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Negra spent the day hanging out with a new friend. And if you’ve been following the blog recently, you may be able to guess who that might be. Diana got some great photos of the Queen enjoying a leisurely morning in the greenhouse and it didn’t take long to spot her new companion.

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You can just see a tuft of white hair sticking out from under Negra’s hip pocket:

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Negra heard the train coming and one of her favorite things to do is watch it go past in the valley below. She also loves to bang on the window at it as it passes by and today she seemed to be telling her little friend all about it.

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Similar hairstyles…

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For reasons unclear to the humans, trolls are the “it” item du jour in the chimp house again. Jody has been wearing a scarf with several trolls tied onto it for two days! She even ran back in before breakfast to retrieve it and put it on during her meal. But no worries about Foxie, she’s been spending her time with Dora today.

In memory of Ned and Noreen O’Flaherty

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Today was sponsored by Joan O’Flaherty in memory of her parents, Ned and Noreen O’Flaherty, and their wedding anniversary. Ned and Noreen were great advocates for animals and conservation and we are honored to have them remembered here at the sanctuary.

Joan, we are so touched that you choose to honor your parents’ memory by helping to ensure the chimpanzees lives are all that they deserve. In remembering Ned and Noreen today we hope that the knowledge of the difference you, as well as they, have made to the chimpanzees brings you the comfort and joy that it does the chimps. We are very thankful and will hold you all in our thoughts today.

Burrito and Negra:

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