Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Katelyn

Happy Anniversary, Via!

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Long-time chimpanzee friends sponsored this day of sanctuary, Carrie Miller in honor of Sylvia Gandolfo! Carrie shared this message for Sylvia:

“Happy Anniversary to Via, who, like the CSNW team, gets to it every day to take care of caregiving business no matter how much crazy is going on in the wide world.”

Carrie and Sylvia, thank you both, for your loyal friendship to the chimpanzees and so generously making a difference in their lives countless times over. We so appreciate you both!

Wishing you a beautiful day, Sylvia!

Annie. Beloved, sweet, Annie:

Annie holding her bestie, Missy’s, foot:

AnnieMissy (one word, because, well, AnnieMissy! 🙂 ):

Willy B’s Cyber Monday Wish

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Willy B has been doing a little Cyber Monday shopping on this cold, wintry day and he has a request! He LOVES watching TV and is glued to our iPhones every chance he gets. But his very own television would allow him to watch documentaries and movies he takes an interest in to his heart’s content. So if anyone is interested in helping Willy B complete his Cyber Monday shopping, he chose this TV and put it on our Amazon Wishlist!  Willy B would also greatly appreciate Safeway gift cards from our Wishlist! I mean, you have to have plenty of healthy snacks while you’re watching TV, right? 😉

As always, from our hearts, thank you for everything you do to support each one of these amazing ten chimpanzee people in a myriad of ways. We truly appreciate you just being here and sharing in their lives. You make a difference for them every day.

**UPDATE: You all never cease to amaze us! As we always say, we have the best supporters. Willy B’s (and friends) TV has been purchased! Thank you so much!!

In honor of Team Burrito

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A second day of sanctuary was sponsored today by Lisa McCurdy and her husband, Chris Grattan, both of whom so generously serve as two of the members of the amazing team we’re fortunate to work with as our board of directors. They shared this beautiful message about their gift:

“This first day of December is in honor of Burrito and his resilience as he continues to heal. May this new month bring healing — body and soul –for Burrito and all the beautiful souls who have saved him time and again. With love from the Grattans.”

Lisa and Chris, we’re so touched by your kind and generous hearts and truly appreciate all that you do to help ensure the well-being of all your fellow primates at the sanctuary, as well as the bovines!

We love this guy so very much and are so grateful for all the healing, care and support surrounding him, and us all, these past many weeks:

Happy Birthday, Tom!

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This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Lisa Babb in honor of Tom English on his birthday!

“Tom is my partner and fiance. This (Dec 1) is his 55th birthday. He is a true hero of dog rescue in our area, and the kindest person I’ve ever met. He and I obsessively follow CSNW and love each and every chimpanzee in your care. He cries at the posts a lot and is very emotionally invested. Wishing the best for Burrito!”

Lisa, thank you so much for your generous contribution to the chimps’ lives in sanctuary as you and Tom celebrate his special day! We so appreciate you following the chimps and including them today! Most of us have cried over one post or another and we write them! 🙂 And thank you for sending all the good thoughts to Burrito!

Tom, thank you for the work you do for our canine friends! May all the love your big heart sends out come back to you many times over. Happiest of birthdays to you!

We’re so grateful for all the love and healing being held for this special man chimp, Burrito, and can’t wait for him to be back to his old self. We love him so.

Happy Birthday, Mari!

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Today was sponsored by Lynn Wilson, in honor of Mari, to wish her a Happy (Belated) Birthday!

“Mari has come to love all of the chimps since following them after the 3 came from California. She would love to bundle Burrito up in a blanket and hold him tight.”

Thanks so much, Lynn for adding to the chimpanzees’ lives through your celebration of Mari! We so appreciate you thinking of them all in this way.

Mari, we hope you have a beautiful day, full of all that makes your heart happy! Thanks so much for following Mave, Honey B and Willy B on their journey to their new home and for embracing all ten members of this chimpanzee family.

Mave:

Honey B:

Willy B:

 

In honor of the CSNW staff, interns and volunteers

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This special day of sanctuary and gratitude is sponsored by Dr. Jennifer Wallace in honor of the humans of CSNW! Jen shared this lovely message about today:

“On this day of thanks, I would like to express my gratitude to all of the CSNW staff, interns, and volunteers. Special thanks to J.B., Diana, Anna, Kelsi, Anthony, Katelyn and Dr. Erin. I am so grateful there are compassionate and dedicated people such as yourselves to provide a safe, loving and comfortable home to the 10 chimpanzees in your care. The world is a better place with all of you! Happy Thanksgiving!”

Jen, thank you for such a kind and gracious gift for the chimpanzees and humans here! We are so touched. Please know the profound gratitude that we hold in our hearts for you, Dr. Erin Zamzow and Dr. Erika Nelson Rinear, and all the incredible veterinary and medical professionals who give so generously of your amazing skills and incredible hearts to help ensure the highest level of health and well-being possible for the chimpanzees.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Our beloved Burrito guy seems most appropriate to share as we celebrate the gratitude in our hearts:

The grateful things

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After all the constant change and unexpected events of the past few months, today I’m grateful for all the little signs of normalcy returning for many of the chimpanzees. All the live long day not one chimpanzee person offered to sit still for the camera for a proper photo. But as much as I love to share their beautiful selves, them getting back into small snippets of their routines, enjoying their lives, having more easeful days, I care more about that than their photos.

Things like Foxie tossing a troll down from the loft and asking a caregiver to play chase up and down the human hallway while she raced back and forth above. Or spinning in pirouettes throughout the loft – I haven’t seen one of her patented Foxie spins in a long time – she’s had other things on her mind. Or Missy, asking a caregiver to brush her hair while she sits atop a barrel against the caging, warming up after a brisk gallop around Young’s Hill. Mave, Honey B and Willy B asking for kisses in the excitement of mealtime. I can’t say this is or isn’t “routine” for them as we’re still getting to know them, but I still take it as a sign of happiness from them. Or Mave low-moaning in happiness up in the mezzanine when I toss up extra blankets warm from the dryer at bedtime. Then there was Annie running over to greet caregivers and asking to groom their toes (Annie LOVES human toes). Jamie being back to asking for her cowboy boots at bedtime. Jody (!!) swinging from a firehose while she play-kicked her friends below. Negra clapping and using salty chimp language in demand for her meals which outside of her amazing nests, she pretty much lives for. Even our beloved Burrito, though he’s busy working hard on healing, giving the sweetest laugh to a caregiver, grooming with his chimp lady friends, and closing his eyes in sleepiness and calm while I knuckle-rubbed the top of his head as he lay next to me pressing it against the caging. Or ending the day with all ten of the chimpanzees giving long and hearty nest grunts goodnight in response to lights out and “Goodnight everybody, we love you.” It’s these little things I’m most grateful for today and always. Because these little things are indicative of such big things. The things I hold most dear to my heart. The chimps’ hearts and happiness, contentment and well-being.

All I managed to capture today was Missy from afar, enjoying her lunchtime chow as she sat suspended in a sunbeam while balancing on a firehose in the middle of the playroom. Such a wonderful Missy thing to do: