Keri

Community

April 19, 2015 by Keri

I could not help but feel incredibly moved this morning, as myself and volunteers Erin and Tanya were cleaning the Greenhouse portion of the chimpanzee’s living quarters. There is a brightly colored painting with supporter names on the one main wall that caught my attention and I stopped to really look at it. There are so many names on the wall. As I continued to look around at all of the items in the Greenhouse, all I could think about was how every component of the sanctuary is the result of a community of loving, thoughtful and caring people.

There are so many components that make up the sanctuary, including various paintings on the walls that really help to brighten the chimpanzee areas. Various structures, tires and dangling fire hoses provide space for the chimps to climb, play, and rest. Countless blankets and enrichment items contribute to the chimpanzees’ comfort and well-being. Even the tools we use to clean, including the scrub brushes, squeegees, buckets, soap, right down to the very gloves we wear, help staff and volunteers keep the enclosures clean. Fresh fruits and vegetables make up each of the meals, while bamboo planted around Young’s Hill and in the Greenhouse give the chimps extra nesting and foraging material. And then there are the enclosures and storage spaces themselves that have been made possible by those who have donated their time, energy, expertise and the actual materials needed to construct them.

All of CSNW, every square inch, every little detail, has been made possible by countless volunteers and generous supporters. These chimpanzees are loved world wide and I can’t think of a better gift to give them than a community that is dedicated to their well-being. I know it can never make up for the countless ways in which they have been wronged in the past, but it’s the best we all can do to provide them a now and a future that is full of hope, love and sanctuary.

Looking around and seeing all the parts that make up the whole got me to thinking, why do we do it? Why do we dedicate our lives to the well-being of these chimpanzees? Is it a sense of responsibility, a way to show our compassion for all living beings, or is it when we look into their eyes, we see ourselves? Perhaps there are no words to describe why. What is your reason for being a part of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest?

Annie

Burrito

Foxie

Jamie

Jody

Missy

Negra

Which ever way you choose to support the sanctuary, know that you have and will continue to make a huge impact on the lives of these chimpanzees. And thank you!!! Thank you those who have and those who continue to volunteer at the sanctuary; those who have donated their time, energy and services to help our various fundraising efforts including the HOOT! Gala event; those who help spread the word about the plight of chimpanzees in captivity and in the wild through our Eyes on Apes advocacy program; those who have donated items through our Wishlist, and those who choose to Sponsor a day in honor of a loved one or directly sponsor a chimpanzee through our Chimpanzee Pal program. Thank you for being a part of the CSNW community.

Sometimes choosing the best photos is hard

April 12, 2015 by Keri

In any given day I may take one hundred or more pictures of the chimpanzees and secretly hope that at least half do not turn out. It’s not that I do not want one hundred pictures of the chimps, it’s just that it is so much harder to go through them and select the ones to use for the blog. There can be twenty of the same chimp doing almost the same exact thing, just at a slightly different angle or at varying degrees of zoom. Today was one of those days when so many of the pictures of Burrito turned out that it made choosing the best photos seem almost impossible. So, I figured I would post the photos of him and let all of you decide which ones are the best (don’t worry, I narrowed the number down from the thirty original photos).

Burrito was being so patient, seemingly turning on the charm while he was being photographed.

Do you have a favorite?

Celebrating Easter Chimp Style

April 5, 2015 by Keri

How did the chimpanzees celebrate the Easter holiday this year? In pure chimp fashion, of course (meaning, a lot of food, enrichment and a good ol’ fashion Easter egg hunt on Young’s Hill). Some of the party preparations included festive blankets, streamers, boxes in the shape of bunnies, books, toys, Easter baskets, bags and eggs.

We decided to set out a breakfast forage in the Greenhouse this morning using appropriate dinnerware, including Easter cups, plates, napkins and straws. Breakfast consisted of grapefruit, muskmelon, grapes and oranges. Probably the biggest hit (next to primate chow) was the morning banana, almond milk, coconut flake smoothie topped with violet flowers.

Setting up the streamers and the forage is a pretty exciting time and the chimps will often watch from the windows of the loft area that overlooks the Greenhouse. There’s usually a lot of food squeaks, head nodding and intense watching from the chimps, as staff and volunteers use their skills to transform an area into a party room.

And what would Easter be without an Easter egg hunt? Young’s Hill is the perfect place for just that. We also “planted” carrots, beets, radishes and kohlrabi on the hill for the chimps to forage for lunch.

And finally, photos of the Cle Elum 7 enjoying their Easter party today.

Negra

Jamie

Jody

Foxie

Burrito

Missy

Annie

Sometimes I wonder who has more fun at these parties; the humans or the chimpanzees. Often times, weeks before a holiday or birthday party, there is talk of what sorts of items (food, enrichment, decorations, etc.) that would be “chimp approved” that can be used to throw the party. Then there’s the time and energy that go into the preparation of the food, enrichment and the actual party setup (and clean up too). Every single bit of it is completely worth it, once we see how much the chimps enjoy the parties.

Parties are a way of breaking up the routine of day-to-day life and we’re more than happy to make this happen for the chimps, but we certainly do not do it alone. We want to be sure to offer a huge thank you to everyone that helps make celebrations like these so special, including Jayne Roepke, Lisa Stuverud, and Patti Sims. Thank you for all of the holiday decorations, enrichment, eggs and food. You helped make this Easter a hit!!

Afternoon Routine

March 29, 2015 by Keri

The chimpanzees have developed their own daily routines. Typically, they are at their highest arousal level in the morning time. That is also when they seem to be the most active, often times playing, displaying and greeting one another and caregivers. After breakfast, the chimps spend time building nests with the new blankets, checking out the new enrichment, playing and venturing out onto Young’s Hill. After lunch, the chimps’ arousal level shifts. Most of the chimpanzees either enjoy their afternoon with a siesta, or by grooming themselves or one another. Other chimps demand to go on walks around Young’s Hill.

This afternoon was no different. I caught Annie enjoying her afternoon siesta in the Greenhouse. She looked quite content on the deck and briefly interrupted her resting time to groom Missy before closing her eyes.

Foxie took her time to enjoy her chow one piece at a time.

Jody spent a large portion of her afternoon grooming her hands and arms.

Negra sat on the bottom platform for a few minutes after lunch just looking around before heading inside to get comfortable in her blanket nest.

Missy and Burrito were busy grooming one another while the other chimps were resting.

And what do you think Jamie was up to? She was busy looking for someone to go on a walk with her of course.

Picking the Right Boots

March 22, 2015 by Keri

Sometimes it can be hard to figure out exactly what Jamie wants and other times she makes herself quite clear. Many of you who follow the blog know by now that Jamie loves her boots. She especially loves having her caregivers put them on and join her on a walk around Young’s Hill (humans on one side of the electric fences and Jamie on the other side).

But how exactly does she let us know that she wants to go for a walk? And how does she let us know which boot or boots to wear? Sometimes we pick the right boot on the first try. Other times it takes a while to pick the right one. That was the case today. It took a good ten minutes to pick what turned out to be the right combination of boots to wear around Young’s Hill.

I love that final look on her face when we finally figured it out!

A Morning of Play

March 15, 2015 by Keri

All of the chimpanzees have been in a playful mood today despite the rain. Shortly after arriving this morning, I spotted Missy and Annie playing chase in the loft and along the catwalk areas of the playroom. I could hear the echos of them foot stomping on the floor and their breathy pants (laughter) as they chased each other back and forth. Then I caught a glimpse of Burrito and Foxie playing chase between the playroom and front room areas. I watched for a bit, while still listening to the echos of foot stomps coming from the loft area. I thought Missy and Annie were still playing chase, but these stomps and laughter weren’t coming from the two of them. Instead, they were coming from Negra and Jody who were also busy playing on the catwalk.

It’s always nice to see Negra in a playful mood. She was also very excited for the kale forage we put in the playroom after cleaning.

Time, Energy and Thought

March 10, 2015 by Keri

A lot of time, energy and thought go into building and maintaining friendships. Usually, there is an undeniable connection when first meeting one another; a sort of intrigue about what the other is all about. As time goes on and more energy is put into the relationship, more and more details of each individual are realized and a deeper connection forms. And the bond grows stronger, as one another figures out what makes the other tick. These lasting friendships help shape our lives.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be able to build friendships with the Cle Elum 7. Some of the friendships are low key, like with Annie, Jody, and Negra. Usually a morning greeting (consisting mostly of some head nodding and an arm extended toward the chimps) will suffice. One friendship demands more play time than the others, including chase and tug-of-war. This is often the case with Burrito. Foxie expects me to take care of her troll and dora dolls when she passes them through the cage to me. There is also the expectation that I will pass them back to her too. Quiet grooming sessions with Missy help maintain our friendship. Without a doubt, there is one friendship that takes the most time, effort and thought. Jamie demands me to be her friend; demands me to put on that boot (or boots) and take countless walks around Young’s Hill with her. She also demands that I sit with her afterwards with the boot so she can groom it.

As a caregiver, I want what is best for each of these chimpanzees. I don’t mind the expectations, demands or work that these friendships take. I truly love to see them happy and I want what is best for them, as I would for any friend. Just a few days ago, I couldn’t help but notice the sweet smell of violets in the air as I was working in my yard. Instantly, the chimpanzees popped into my head; flowers are great enrichment for them. These chimpanzees like to eat lilacs, nasturtiums, grape leaves and violets to name a few. So, I picked what violet flowers we had and put them out as part of a forage this morning along with lettuce and today’s enrichment, which was enrichment-in-boxes day. Thinking that the flowers are the first flowers of the season, I thought the chimps would be excited.

I guess I was right, if you count them eating all of the lettuce first, followed by going through all of the boxes of enrichment, then going out into the greenhouse and then spending time on Young’s Hill before coming back in to snack on a few flowers. At least they liked two out of the three!

Here’s a photo of the lettuce and violet forage.