Kelsi

Honey B Turns 36!

June 11, 2025 by Kelsi 19 Comments

We wanted to say thank you to Paulette Wrisley for sponsoring the day in Honey B’s honor!

Today we celebrated the one and only Honey B’s 36th birthday, and true to form, she kept us all on our toes! She started the day by discovering a lock that was supposed to hold her enrichment boards to the mesh caging. While we prefer to keep the boards securely fastened, it’s not threat that she has it—but Honey B doesn’t need to know that, so let’s just keep it between us. She was clearly very pleased with herself, and honestly, it brought a big smile to our faces.

We filled Honey B’s day with all her favorite foods and treats! In the morning she had a forage of tiny brown bags filled with popcorn, raisins, and a very light drizzle of honey! For her big birthday party, we served plates of pasta with a homemade roasted pepper and onion sauce, non-dairy decaf frappuccinos, and a small forage with cherries, snap peas, radishes, and mini peppers.

Being around Honey B is never dull—she’s clever, curious, and always finding ways to surprise us. It’s truly an honor to know her and share in her unique and spunky spirit.

Keep an eye out for tomorrow’s blog, where we’ll share highlights from the group celebration—like George loving his pasta!

George eating pasta:

Happy Pride Month!

June 4, 2025 by Kelsi 7 Comments

This blog is dedicated to our volunteers, Primate Awareness Network (PAN), and the walking participants. We could not have done it without your help!

Though my main role at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is a chimpanzee caregiver, but I am also the Outreach Coordinator. I help organize the Summer Visitor program for our donors, as well as organize table events year-round. We participate in many tabling events in hopes to share our mission, educate people about the chimps, connect with potential donors, and maybe even spark interest in new volunteers. However, my personal favorite events are when we get to be engage with our community. As a closed-to-the-public sanctuary, we often fly under the radar, even in our own backyard. Because of this, being a part of something like the Pride Parade is so meaningful to us! We love being able to show up and support.

Last year was our first year we participated at the Kittitas County Pride parade. We only had a handful of people and carried a sign while handing out stickers, but it had a big impact on us. Experiencing the parade for the first time actually made myself and a few others emotional, rounding the corner of our downtown to see hundreds of people cheering in support. That moment made me feel such a deep sense of pride for our little town, and it reminded me how powerful community can be.

This year, we wanted to do more! With the help of our volunteers and PAN (Primate Awareness Network) we were able to build a float and get more people involved! We would not have been as successful without their creative minds, time, and effort. Personally, one of my favorite moments was having all the volunteers come over to my house the night before, to plan how we wanted to decorate our float. They all got to work right away making hearts and troll dolls out of cardboard while painting them to represent different flags. The team worked until sun-down and then showed up at 9:30 am the next morning to finish decorating! Their dedication is truly inspiring. What touched me the most, though, was how deeply they cared—not just about representing the sanctuary, but about showing up for the LGBTQ+ community. Their energy, compassion, and commitment make me incredibly hopeful for the future.

Being part of Kittitas County Pride reminded us just how powerful it is when we all show up for one another.

The night before:

Day of parade:

Benny (JB & Diana), Birdie (mine), Poppy and Tucker (Erin)

Our crew:

Downtown:

A Day Full of Laughs and Little Moments

May 28, 2025 by Kelsi 9 Comments

Today was a pretty busy day for humans and non-humans! As you will see in the video, there is not better way to pass the time than playing and spending quality time with an old friend. Foxie and Burrito spent quite a bit of time laughing and playing with each other while we cleaned their Playroom. Their friendship always warms my heart. Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, George had an exciting moment, received access to the chute again! Click here to watch the video of George using the chute for the first time! It was a big spectacle, especially for Cy’s group, who had the best view and were very curious observers.

I’ll be honest, it was a bit noisy throughout the chimp house today (but hey, that’s life with chimps!). Eventually, things settled down, and George got to enjoy some peaceful solo exploration of the chute. Every day brings something new, and today was full of connection, curiosity, and a little bit of chaos—the best kind.

Click here for today’s video!

Nothing’s Better!

May 17, 2025 by Kelsi 10 Comments

The other day I found Jamie in this magnificent nest, with a bag of chow. As you will see in the video, Jamie seemed so content and a little silly. She was making me laugh because she would roll up the bag of chow and then put it in her pelvic pocket while she made these happy little grunts. She was comfortable in her nest so I brought her a new bonobo book, because nothing is better than cozying up to a new book!

Blustery Day

May 13, 2025 by Kelsi 11 Comments

Spring in this area is beautiful, especially with all the wildflowers in bloom, but with spring comes the often unrelenting wind. Today was one of those days where it was so windy no one wanted to go outside. However, Saturday was perfect. So perfect, that Negra marched right outside and climbed up on a platform. After a while she came down to do one of her favorite things in spring, eat grass.

This isn’t a perfect picture, but it is our photo evidence that Negra did in fact climb up this platform:

Negra, enjoying one of her favorite things on a nice day!

And my favorite photo:

Silly Willy!

May 7, 2025 by Kelsi 7 Comments

Willy B can be a really silly guy! For those who may not know, he is known for his two-step. Willy B really seems to enjoy when we stomp to a beat. I used to be a cheerleader a long long time ago, so I starting doing some of my cheer stomps for him, which he seems to like a lot. I’m assuming he does at least, because he will find me to start a game of chase. Willy’s chase also has a lot of stomping. Willy B doesn’t always need a beat to play to, but he does seem to respond well to it. In this video, you can even catch him stomping to his own beat! Boxes also make Willy B downright silly. He has been on a real box kick recently! As you will see in the video, Willy thinks it’s really funny to put a box on his head and shake it around.

Don’t forget today is the last day for GiveBIG!

Quality Time with Mave and Dora

April 30, 2025 by Kelsi 3 Comments

One of the best parts about this job is watching the chimps spend quality time with each other. A few days ago, I was walking past Dora and Mave grooming and they barely noticed I was filming because they were so engrossed with each other. Watching interactions like this is always a reminder to slow down and savor the time we have with the ones we care about. Click here to watch Mave and Dora groom!