Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Katelyn

Tiny babies

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Two, tiny baby trolls arrived for Ms. Foxie Chimpanzee in the mail today, thanks to supporter Stephanie H.!

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When Elizabeth and I showed them to Foxie her eyes got big, her hair was pilo-erect (standing on end because she was so excited!) and she just stared at them, mesmerized. As soon as I handed them to her, she gazed incredulously at them, rubbed them against her belly, and then passed them back to me to play “pass the troll” for several minutes. Foxie’s hair remained pilo for the entire game, she jumped up and down, spun pirouettes, and had me chase her with them all through the chimp house. Needless to say, she adores them.

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I missed the photo of this, but might I also add, the tiny babies are apparently just the right size to set inside one’s bellybutton (if you happen to be Foxie, that is). Stephanie also sent a wooden cookware set and wooden tool puzzle which Jamie was very excited to see. Thanks for brightening the chimpanzees’ day, Stephanie!!

And in other happenings at the chimp house today, you’ll be happy to know that thanks to the quickly melting snow, Jamie was finally able to walk all the way around Young’s Hill again with a caregiver! At one point she stopped for a few minutes and surveyed the hill and surrounding mountains. Then she turned and ran all the way down the hill. Spring is coming!

Today is in memory of Ned and Noreen O’Flaherty

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Joan O’Flaherty in memory of her parents, Ned and Noreen.  Although Ned and Noreen were born 2 years apart, they shared the same birthdate of March 1st. Ned and Noreen also shared a great love for animals and their environment, and valued the conservation of both. Joan generously sponsors this day each year in honor of her parents because she feels they would have loved the chimpanzees.

Joan, thank you so much! We are so touched that you include the chimpanzees in such a special memory and it makes us happy to think that your parents still get to be a part of the sanctuary and providing a forever home for the chimpanzees.

Good friends, Burrito (left) and Foxie (right), enjoying each others’ company:

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Icicles

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While there is still plenty of snow around the sanctuary, we had a break today and finally got to enjoy a morning of sunshine! This seemed to brighten the moods of all of the primates here at CSNW and the chimpanzees spent the morning enjoying the warmth of the greenhouse, grooming, chasing each other and laughing, while we cleaned their home.

With all the snow of late, we’ve had a bumper crop of icicles and the chimpanzees LOVE icicles! We are always challenged with finding new and exciting enrichment ideas for the chimpanzees, particularly as they’ve been experiencing “chimp house fever” lately. So today we decided to add to their morning forage by “spiking” the snow with icicles and throwing in some cherry tomatoes.

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There was a lot of excited food grunting going on as Debbie and I were bringing the snow and icicles in. Once the doors were opened, Jamie, being Jamie, had a plan to execute and grabbed her wheelbarrow to load up:

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Icicles, snow, and tomatoes are three of Missy’s favorite things so she was pretty happy:

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Missy looked as though she couldn’t decide which frozen treat to eat first:

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Here’s Jody, so excited her hair is standing on end (pilo-erect) as she surveys the icy smorgasbord:

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Despite there being enough for everyone, this didn’t stop Jody from food peering at Missy’s icicle. Food peering is one of my favorite chimpanzee behaviors. It effectively lets the other chimpanzee know that whatever they are eating looks really good and the other person is hoping they share. But Missy had no intention of bending to such pressure today:

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And Foxie, just looking cute with a mouthful of something scrumptious:

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Jamie, always up for a project, decided to use part of a telephone book to get some tomatoes out of the window caging. She later went out and got some bamboo to use, and yes, she got them all:

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Everyone ended up with plenty of treats and Negra fans, not to worry, she made a beeline for the cherry tomatoes and took a handful to enjoy in the comfort of her nest in the sun.

Enjoying the winter sun

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We have continued to get quite a bit of snow off and on at the sanctuary over the last week and while the chimpanzees do have access to Young’s Hill, they have understandably chosen to stay indoors and make good use of their caregivers by asking us to fetch snow for them to eat. Maybe not so much asking, as demanding. But that’s why we’re here and we wouldn’t have it any other way. They each took handfuls, mouthfuls, and “footfuls” (that could be a word…) and swung up to the upper level of the greenhouse, or the southern facing windows, to enjoy it while lounging in the sun. Smart chimps.

The sun has been out intermittently today so the chimps have spent a lot of the day napping and grooming in the warmth. Before lunch, I found Burrito (left) and Missy (right) grooming one another in the sun:

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Notice Missy’s prehensile lip action while grooming Burrito.

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Of course, Jamie is a busy lady and doesn’t have much time to relax. In the midst of everyone else lying about, enter Jamie, pant hooting (notice the hoot face) and pounding on her barrel:

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As a result, Missy and Burrito’s grooming session came to an abrupt halt. As you can probably tell from the photo, they may have just been a little too relaxed to respond:

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Jamie’s display was short lived and I think everyone else was feeling so relaxed they chose to ignore the outburst for the most part and just continue enjoying the warmth of the winter sun.

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And THANK YOU to all of our amazing supporters who have not only helped us reach our Share the Chimp Love goal, but surpass it!! It’s truly because of each of you that the chimpanzees are able to enjoy their “day in the sun” so to speak. We are so grateful to all of you who have been able to contribute! We still have 8 days left so please continue to share your love for the chimps and spread the word about our fundraiser!

Today is in honor of Family Day!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Tanis Sklarchuk in honor of Family Day! Tanis sent us the following message:

“February 17, 2014, is Family Day in Ontario, Canada. This day is in honor of CSNW for creating such a wonderful family at the sanctuary, for the chimps and humans alike. Keep up the great work!”

Tanis, this is such a beautiful gift, thank you so much! We are so full of gratitude for you, and all of our wonderful supporters, who make it possible for the chimpanzees to have the family and home they deserve. Whether you live somewhere this day is recognized as a public holiday or not, it’s such a lovely thing to celebrate! Happy Family Day!

Jamie (left) receiving a brow bite/kiss from Negra (right) as she offers her a little reassurance. Just what friends and families are for.

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And thank you so very much to all of you who have helped us through our Share the Chimp Love campaign this month! We have 10 days left to reach our goal and are almost there! Every single gift makes a difference and helps to ensure that we are able to provide Annie, Missy, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody and Negra with the life long care they deserve. And it helps us to build up our reserves so that in the future we may be able to offer other chimpanzees in need their long awaited sanctuary family and home.

Happy Birthday, Stephanie!

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Today’s day of sanctuary love was also sponsored by Donna Mensching and Burrito Chimpanzee, in honor of Stephanie Perciful’s birthday!! We suspect Burrito might just include this message for her: “Stephanie, would you “B” my Valentine on your Bday?!”

Stephanie has been a long time volunteer caregiver with Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and has one of the biggest, kindest, most generous hearts of anyone we know so it’s seems only fitting that she was born on Valentine’s Day. Every year Stephanie chooses to spend her birthday throwing a party for the chimpanzees! She enriches the lives of the chimps, and every human and non-human animal she meets, in countless ways and is one of Burrito’s very favorite humans in the world (and one of ours as well!). She just makes the world a better place.

Donna (and Burrito), thank you so much for honoring our dear friend on her birthday in such a sweet and generous way! Stephanie, we could never thank you enough for all you do for the primates of CSNW but we wish you the very happiest of birthdays and a day filled with all the love you deserve!

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Of course, there is a huge Valentine’s Day party getting underway for the chimpanzees so be sure to check back later today for the festivities! We are so grateful to all of you who share your hearts and support with the chimpanzees, we truly couldn’t do it without you! And if you are still looking for a Valentine (or seven!) you can learn more about the chimpanzees and how to help here: Share the Chimp Love. Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

In honor of Rita and Scully

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Today was sponsored by Rita Morgan for Rita Laws and Scully Dog. Rita shared the following touching message about her friends, Rita and Scully:

“Rita rescued Scully the dog over a decade ago but lost her this summer when Scully passed away. Scully was a faithful and true friend, brave and sweet, and lived to cuddle with her mama. Nothing brought her more joy than getting the invitation to tunneling under a blanket on Rita’s lap. She felt safe and warm, and all was right with the world. The chimps would appreciate her skill in creating the perfect nest. I know Rita would love to celebrate Scully’s life by helping to build a new nest for the many chimps who need our help. I chose Valentine’s Day to honor Scully because I lost my baby boy Kobe, the love of my life, on that day in 2010. Take care of our Scully, Kobe. Honeybee and Deuce too. We love you all and miss you so so much. xxxooo”

Thank you so much, Rita, for honoring your dear friends, Rita and Scully, in such a special way and thank you both, for bringing so much love into the world. Happy Valentine’s Day from all of the primates at CSNW!!

Beautiful Negra:

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