Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Katelyn

Happy Retirement, Anne, from Patti!

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Many thanks to one of our dedicated volunteer caregivers and friends, Patti Sims, who sponsored this day of sanctuary in celebration of another long-time supporter and friend, Anne Roberson, in celebration of her retirement!

“I’m sponsoring today in honor of my friend Anne Roberson’s well-earned retirement. Anne is one of the hardest workers I know, so she’s probably a little unsure about slowing down. I thought, what better way to show her how to master retirement than through the retired residents of CSNW?”

Anne, now that you’re retired, you can:

Sleep without an alarm like Negra:

Read for pleasure – not just emails – like Cy:

Exercise consistently like Missy:

Spend unhurried time with friends like “Mora” (Mave and Dora):

Mentor someone like Rayne with George:

Tackle home projects like Jamie:

Go to movies in the afternoon (or spy on the neighbors 😉 ) like Burrito:

Have more time for gardening (and eating tomatoes like Missy)!:

May this next adventure bring an abundance of all the good things you can imagine, Anne! Enjoy your days ahead!

Today is for Doreen!

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Long-time friend of the chimpanzees, Donna Hughes, is graciously sponsoring this day of sanctuary in memory of Doreen, Don’s twin sister, on their shared birthday. <3

“Remembering Doreen today, on our birthday. Always a bittersweet day for me, but Sponsoring The Day always makes me happy. Doreen LOVED all of the chimps at CSNW and the people who care for them. It was one of the best days EVER the day we visited in person. So, Happy Birthday, Doreen!!! You are missed every day. I know you have our dog and cats on your lap above. I have a new friend, Pumpkin, on mine. Let’s celebrate with Foxie and Friends!!”

Don, thank you so much for continuing to include the sanctuary and chimpanzees in celebration of your shared birthday and wonderful Doreen. Happy Birthday to you both, from all of us here! I can only imagine how bittersweet this day would be. May the day also bring wonderful memories  – we know Miss Foxie is the best at bringing joy. We miss Doreen, too, and are thinking of you both, along with Pumpkin, today!

I love this whimsical series of Foxie and Asha “selfies”!:

“Who dat?!”, in loving memory of Saundra, from Paulette!

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Wonderful, dedicated supporter of the chimpanzees (and humans), Paulette Wrisley, is sponsoring this special day of sanctuary in memory of her beloved niece, Saundra. Some of you may recall Paulette’s Sponsor a Day from last year in which Paulette fondly remembered a game she and Saundra called, “Who dat?!”, in which they would test one another’s chimpanzee ID skills, which we replicated. We’re so happy to honor this sweet remembrance and Saundra with another round!

“In memory of my beautiful beloved niece, and on the anniversary of her birthday, let’s play Saundra’s “Who Dat?”! With the help of CSNW’s own wonderful Katelyn, of course. Can you name that chimp? Let’s see…”

Thank you so much for celebrating Saundra in this way, Paulette. We are all thinking of you today and hope these memories lift your heart. <3

Now, many of our loyal blog followers may not be outwitted! And for our many welcomed new followers in the past year, there’s a mix of chimpanzee people, to include some who are commonly mis-identified. I think I went easy on everyone last year – I looked, and yes, I sure did, so I will try to step up the challenge a wee bit this year. Tip: As we always learn when we are training as caregivers (and reminded every single day when we do chimp counts and safety checks) don’t be fooled by some of the usual ID indicators! And no cheating by hovering over the photo haha! Guess any or all and I will post the answers in comments later today.

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7) Seems easy, but is it…:

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Lucky 13 Bonus): People always ask how we can tell who’s who when the chimpanzees are in scenarios like this:

Happy Birthday, Amy, from Cathy!

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Our many thanks to Cathy Morrison for sponsoring a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees in celebration of Amy Granger Allen on her birthday!

“Happy Birthday to my niece! Even though Amy lives in Utah she still calls Cle Elum her home. What better way to celebrate on her birthday!”

Happy Birthday, Amy, from all of us here at the sanctuary! We hope you have a beautiful day, and thank you both for sharing your special day with the chimpanzees!

Burrito:

Jamie and Foxie:

Lucky:

George!:

Rayne:

In memory of Ryan Young, from his family

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We’re sending our heartfelt thoughts and gratitude to Karen and Don Young, and their family, for sponsoring this special day of sanctuary in celebration of their son, Ryan Young, and his continuing legacy. Through their long-time, dedicated support of the sanctuary they continue to help make so much possible for the chimpanzees, from Foxie’s group, the original seven chimpanzees to arrive at the sanctuary in 2008, to our newest family member, George, who arrived this year. Karen shared this special message:

“The Young family honor the life of Ryan Young today on the fifth anniversary of the end of his journey on earth, and we want to thank him for introducing us to the plight of chimpanzees through NEAVS (the New England Anti-Vivisection Society, now known as Rise for Animals) and through sanctuaries for captive chimps. We know that he would love having a special place for chimps to gather on The Bray called Ryan’s Lookout.  

I discovered CSNW by accident. It was on June 13, 2008, and the chimps had just arrived. J.B. drove them the entire way from Pennsylvania to Cle Elum. They were known as the Cle Elm 7, and they were in terrible condition from years of biomedical research and neglect from horrendous living conditions. That changed quickly as the tender loving care of J.B., Diana and their staff began. 

I visited the website daily, and we began donating by sponsoring Foxie. She had given birth to several babies who were taken from her as part of a captive breeding program, which thankfully has been discontinued through The Chimp Act. The other 6 chimps adjusted and discovered enrichment items including blankets to nest, but Foxie was not interested and sat there depressed until one day she spotted a troll doll. She picked it up, looked at its face, put it on her back, and life began to change for her. I remember sending her boxes of troll dolls. When I have struggles in life, I use Foxie as my role model on how to survive. 

As I continued to visit the website, I realized that I only saw the chimps in a night house so I sent an email asking if they had outdoor space. I was shown a screened in outdoor area, and all winter long, I watched as the chimps sat inside at the door of the night house and stuck a finger into the open outdoor space to scoop up some snow.  

In the summer of 2009, Don, I, Ryan and his fiancé Helena decided to visit the sanctuary. We took a tour, and I remember Ryan asking if there was anyway to enclose the outdoor space. J.B. figured out a way to place removable chimp proof glass inserts over the screens for the winter months , and thus our first project was born. It was thrilling to see the Cle Elum 7 enjoy the winter in this cozy area which became a favorite spot for them during all seasons. 

As the years passed, we have been fortunate enough to see other projects come to fruition. We hope that each one has played a part in helping this amazing sanctuary move forward to what it is today and will become as it moves into the future. It has truly been an honor to have been a small part of the dream of a few extraordinary people- Keith, J.B. and Diana and others. 

A toast to you Ryan. You were an exceptional person, husband, brother and son to us.  Your spirit lives on in everything you touched to make the earth a better place for us all through your dedication to the environment through many companies, especially Textile Exchange. We honor your life on this day and every day. 

Much love and pant hoots! 

THE CHIMPS AT CSNW

Karen and Don, Helena, Zoe and Alastair, Rob, Soo Mi, Helton and Heiwon”

Karen and Don, our thoughts are with all of you today. We’re honored to celebrate Ryan with you.

(Above, George on Ryan’s Lookout on the Bray). Below, Cy’s group, their first day exploring Ryan’s Lookout:

Burrito and Annie reassuring one another during their first moments on Young’s Hill on September 20, 2011(!!):

Foxie’s group, the original seven chimpanzees to arrive in 2008, enjoying Young’s Hill:

Foxie and one of her many beloved dolls, out for a stroll:

Willy B, who has ventured further than he probably thought possible in the last years:

Rayne taking in the view from Ryan’s Lookout:

Negra:

Jamie, on a sunset stroll last autumn:

Today is for Penelope Anderson!

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Many thanks to Lori Sheeran for sponsoring this day of sanctuary in honor of Penelope Anderson!:

“This day is in honor of Penelope Anderson! Thank you for all you do for CWU’s Anthropology and Primate Behavior and Ecology faculty, staff, and students.”

Boss babe, Jamie, hard at work:

Dora and Honey B:

Rayne:

Burrito enjoying a peanut butter magazine:

Cy:

New year greetings and January celebrations

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To begin with on this first day of 2026, we are all in awe of you. We (and Jamie) have reached out with some extra big asks this last year and again and again, you’ve so graciously met us with your dedicated support. From your likes and shares to your donations in all shapes and sizes, you’ve made so much possible.

You’ve helped give George a new life. You’ve ensured all sixteen chimpanzees and three cows who call the sanctuary home have everything they need to live healthy, safe, and increasingly fulfilling lives. You’ve helped boss Jamie’s team of humans grow and our visions for the ever-growing sanctuary become reality after reality. I have to say, at a time of particular difficulty the world over, it’s one of the most hopeful, reassuring things I’ve witnessed. We celebrate the extraordinary individuals of this sanctuary home every day, and we also celebrate you, this extraordinary community.

On to the first of our January birthdays! New year, same age. Forever young, Burrito, is allegedly turning 43 on January 6th! While we caregivers often have to tag team through ruckus and rowdy games of chase with him, he alone outlasts us all. How??

The more one comes to know chimpanzees in any capacity, the more one can only be completely astonished by their seemingly innate capacity for resilience. If you’ve followed us for a while, you’ll be well aware that in the past handful of years alone, Burrito has overcome multiple events that would have rocked any human’s world (major surgery for life-threatening injuries after a major fight, and rattlesnake bites, x2). They did rock our human worlds. And we’ve written of it many times here, but while things were incredibly intense and touch and go at times for him, he seems to have come back from each one even more imbued with the superpower that resides in his endlessly exuberant spirit. As if nothing ever happened. And that says nothing of his years as a pet and in biomedical research before coming to sanctuary. Nor does it speak to his many years now of being treated for heart disease. Hard to believe, isn’t it?

And yet here we are. This wildly joyful, beloved chimpanzee guy, buoying our hearts along in his wake every day. And too, all those times you might want to proverbially tip your meds cup, spit a gallon of water in the unsuspecting humans’ faces, chomp down unnecessarily hard on a carrot while staring at someone with a that-could-be-your-finger kinda look, charge the caging and kick it within inches of someones face and watch them jump, or shake your fist and grunt salty lingo because the humans aren’t turning off the light and it’s your bedtime? Burrito says, “Do it!” That too, is part of the medicine. The living. His reminding us all, perhaps, of our own innate capacities to dust off and unfurl, again and again, living a little more fully as ourselves each time.

It’s what I love most about caring for chimpanzees in true sanctuary. While not the life they were meant to have, a life in which they are embraced and fully accepted for who they are in every moment. I mean, that’s the dream of us all, I think.

Burrito and his good friend, Foxie:

Snow snack!

For those of you newer to our blog, you’ll see that I like to honor and celebrate the birthdays of the now adult children of our resident mama chimpanzees who gave birth while in biomedical research. Though they were taken from their mamas all those years ago in the labs, there’s is a connection no less real. And the fact that we are able to follow their lives and see them thriving in their own sanctuary homes, sometimes even getting to meet and know them, is an immeasurable gift. The hopeful in spite of the unspeakable.

Negra’s beautiful daughter, Heidi, will be turning 42 on January 8th in her sanctuary home at Chimp Haven in Louisiana. We understand Miss Heidi holds a lot of her mom’s spunk and outspokenness and that really makes us smile. (Photo courtesy of staff caregiver, Sabrina!):

Her royal mama, Negra:

Jody’s handsome son, Bart, turns 34 on January 14th! (Photo courtesy of Save the Chimps).

Beautiful Jody:

On January 29th, beautiful queen that she is, Rayne, will turn 36!

I will never think of Rayne, or be in her presence, without being struck by how regal she is. As the most dominant female in her group, I would easily consider her alpha Cy’s right-hand gal. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t express differing opinions from him at times. If you’ve been following George’s introduction process to their group, I’m sure you’re all as grateful to her for her reassuring kindness, rather magical interpersonal skills, and self-assured leadership as we are.

Rayne’s generally a calm, gentle, and easy-going person, with her superpower being the innate ability to intuitively read the room and know just what those around her need, especially if someone is struggling with, or navigating new-to-them social skills. She’s most apt to meet someone where they’re at with immense patience, tolerance, and support. It’s incredible to watch her. And in that same breath, she’s not someone you’d want to mess with. George, thankfully – and miraculously, given his history – has been doing a great job learning this so far, in no small part thanks to a lot of additional guidance from our Person of the Year, Cy.

And just to pause a moment to take that in, here I’ve spoken of three more individuals who were all stolen from their families as infants, raised in entirely unnatural environments, and yet somehow, they manage to pull from some inner reservoir of resiliency to find their way. On their own, and with others. I cannot fathom that this is in any way easy for them. Yet there again is the miraculous dusting off and unfurling, over and over again.

Rayne on “Ryan’s Lookout”:

Happy 2026, all! Whether you’ve been here from day one, or just found us a day ago, thank you for being here. It’s easy this time of year to make time about milestones. And while that’s wonderful, I think it’s so often more about just showing up as best we can, sometimes with just a breath and a foot forward, holding space for all sides of the coin, sometimes for ourselves, and sometimes for each other. Just like the chimpanzees continue to show us every day.

Through your dedicated, compassionate presence, it never ceases to amaze us what you help make possible for every one of us in this community, non-human and human, alike.

2026. What’s gonna happen?! I bet Jamie has some ideas…<3