Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Katelyn

Snow keep away!

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After bearing up incredibly well to a long, snowy week, the chimpanzees were finally able to get out and enjoy some time on Young’s Hill today! Even though it was sunny with surprisingly warm temperatures, the remaining snow was melting fast and made for pretty slushy walking.  The chimpanzees were so anxious to get outside and collect some snow, but no one wanted to walk in the slushy mess (can’t say that I blame them!). So everyone clung to the fire hose to navigate their way onto the hill without having to touch the snow.

Here are Jody, Annie and Missy, going out of their way not to touch the snow. And of course, Missy (on the right) had somewhere to go so it was pretty funny watching her make her way past Jody and Annie when no one wanted to touch the snow!

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Annie lifts her arms for Missy to squeeze past:

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Missy briefly stops to greet Jody before moving on her way:

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And then she’s on her way:

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And back on the other end of the fire hose, Jody cautiously makes her way back to the greenhouse with her snow prize:

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Whew, made it!

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Happy Birthday, Judy!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Judy Nash! Today is Judy’s birthday and she shared that she is giving herself a day for the chimpanzees, who she’s fallen in love with! Judy, what an incredibly lovely and generous gift to give! Thank you so much for including the chimpanzees in your special day. We hope your day is off to a wonderful start and full of pant hoots and food grunts, just like the chimp house is right now!

On behalf of your Pal, Burrito, and all of the primates here at CSNW, Happy Birthday!!

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Happy Birthday, Sherry!

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A day of sanctuary was sponsored today by Sherry Berman! Sherry expressed the following message:

“I am sponsoring today for the chimps to help me celebrate my 50th birthday. I get so much enjoyment each and every day of the year following them on Facebook that I wanted them to be part of my birthday celebration. No better way to celebrate a milestone than to share it with those you love.”

Sherry, we are so touched by your kind words and generosity in wanting to share your special day with the chimpanzees! Thank you so much for all that you do for them! And from all of the primates here at CSNW, Happy Birthday!!

Burrito will no doubt be food squeaking up a storm, thanks to you!

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Today is for Gene and Chris Tonry!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Claire Tonry in honor of Gene and Chris Tonry! Claire shared the following message:

Gene and Chris are both students and scholars of ethics and philosophy. They became interested in the plight of chimpanzees in captivity after reading the compelling petition by the Non-Human Animal Rights Project aimed to allow Tommy to live at a true sanctuary like CSNW.”

Claire, thank you so much for your generous gift for the chimpanzees in honor of Gene and Chris! And thank you, Gene and Chris, for your interest in captive chimpanzees and the issues they face and for recognizing how very special they are.

The amazing Jamie Chimpanzee:

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For Mel, and for caregivers

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This special day was also sponsored by Dawn Garcia and Jo Arroyo in memory and celebration of Mel’s life, as well as for the caregivers in his life. Dawn and Jo shared these thoughtful sentiments:

“We would like to honor the caregivers – those of CSNW who give their time to enrich the lives of the Cle Elum 7 and those at the Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA.  Mel spent the remainder of his days engaging in a fun and friendly relationship with one of his nurses Ben.  In ICU RED, nurse Telly and physician’s assistant Tatum, kept Mel comfortable and were also warm and caring to me and Jo. I know there were more caregivers involved and we thank them for their loving hearts. Mel would smile at this honor – having a celebration with the chimps on the day he was born- January 30th. Cheers to caregivers everywhere!”

Thank you so much, Dawn and Jo! All of the primates here at CSNW are truly honored to be included in such a special day.

Negra enjoying her time in the sun:

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Happy Birthday, Dr. Mel!! We miss you. The world and so many lives won’t be the same without you, but are all so much better because of you.

In memory of Dr. Mel’s birthday

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Lynn Williamson, Connie Lamm, and Sue Rowlett, in memory of Dr. Mel Richardson. Today would have been Dr. Mel’s 64th birthday. His dear friend, Lynn, wanted to share these beautiful sentiments:

“Happy birthday to our dear friend Mel. I have gone to the phone and laptop a number of times to reach out to you, and then I remember. You are greatly missed. Some of the things I miss most are:  you had my back always, you had a lovely accent, you had a big beautiful smile, you had a wicked sense of humor, you were so smart and witty that I could listen to you talk on any topic – in particular of your adventures, your vast knowledge of, and love for,  animals and veterinary medicine.

Mel also had a resilient personality but a very tender heart. Mel introduced me to the sanctuary and to the chimps – because of that, I have these 7 amazing beings in my life. I also am honored to now be friends with the most amazing bunch of humans who share my values and ethics. So thank you, Mel, for this and more. See you again some day.”    

Jody, Jamie, Annie and Burrito on Young’s Hill:

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And these lovely thoughts from Sue:

“I had never met Mel but have worked with Lynn Williamson for many years and what he shared with, and taught her, was carried forward by her to me and to others. Like when a rock is dropped in the water and the ripples fan out. The difference being Mel’s ripple effect doesn’t stop.”

Thank you so much, Lynn, Connie and Sue, for honoring Mel in such a generous way and for including the chimpanzees in this special day.

Jamie enjoying her view:

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If you have been following our blog recently, you probably realize by now that Dr. Mel was a very special person, loved by so many throughout the animal kingdom. We are truly touched and honored by all those who have wished to honor Dr. Mel’s memory through their support of the chimpanzees. More than one person wished to sponsor today in celebration of Mel’s life so please check back later for another sponsorship and the chimpanzees’ party in his memory.

Snowballs!

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The chimpanzees (and humans) woke up to several inches of snow this morning! We started the chimps’ morning by offering them icicles before breakfast, a favorite treat! As I prepared to open the door to Young’s Hill, the chimpanzees all crowded around, food grunting in anticipation of being able to eat some snow. Once the door was open, no one wanted to venture all the way out, but they all sat in the doorway reaching out (and over) one another to grab handfuls of snow. And much to our surprise, Jamie even through a few “snowballs” at caregiver, Debbie, before heading into the greenhouse to enjoy her snack.

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Burrito chose a quiet spot by the door to Young’s Hill where he could eat to his heart’s content:

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Then for the first time in days, the sun came out! Even Negra left her cozy nest to spend some time in the warmth of the greenhouse and enjoy some snow snacks. Between the excitement of the snow and a bright, sunny morning, the chimpanzees’ moods seemed to all be lifted today. The chimp house was full of laughter, games, and food grunts all morning. After we cleaned the playroom we filled the chimpanzees’ wading pool and some buckets with snow and sprinkled it with some seeds and dried fruit for their morning forage.

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Annie enjoyed several mouthfuls of snow. I don’t know how she kept from getting “freeze brain.”

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While most of humans are not usually too happy to see snow, I am so glad it provided some great enrichment and an exciting day for my chimpanzee friends.