Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Krissy Brasfield

Dora the Acrobat!

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It was a busy day today, in the chimp house.  I didn’t have any blog content, and I was worried.

Jenna and Dora to the rescue!

Jenna spied with her eagle eye, a little Dora chimpanzee person whooping it up in the playroom, while her family napped all around her!

How cute is she??

And, don’t forget!  Giving Day for Apes is just around the corner on Tuesday, October 8th. We need your help to reach our fundraising goal and every dollar goes to the care of our deserving residents.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Let’s Do a Perimeter Check!

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One of the first things we caregivers do each morning is to perform a perimeter check.  We check the all important rattlesnake fencing for holes.  Next, we check the primary and secondary fencing that surrounds the chimps 4 acre habitat to be sure that it has remained sound through the night.  We also make sure everyone onsite has performed a radio check, we check locks, and we make sure the fence voltage is within an acceptable range.

Next, we let the chimps out onto their respective outdoor habitats!  Young’s Hill is home to Jamie’s group, and Cy’s group has access to The Bray.  It’s fun to see who is first to go outside each morning!

Come along with us!

Morning Play!

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This morning, Jenna and I were cleaning the playroom when we were greeted with delightful chimpanzee laughter coming from the front rooms.  Can you guess who?  Of course, it was Burrito and his good friend Foxie!  Wrestling, poking, tickling, biting, pushing, pulling…all the things required for a raucous play session.  We really wanted to capture this fun time without catching the ire of the fun police.  How do you think we did?

Tea Time with the Girls

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Today, part time caregiver Dusty set up a table and chairs for a bunch of Foxie’s dolls, and filled the cups with Gatorade.  The results are pretty sweet (or creepy, you be the judge!).  Foxie, for sure, was thrilled to enjoy a refreshing beverage with her friends.

Even Jamie enjoyed some time at the tea table.  Although, she has some opinions about who can, and cannot, have a seat at the table.

 

Annie’s Dance Card is Full!

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It’s such a joy to watch Annie kicking up her heels!

Today, as caregiver Anna and I were cleaning the playroom, Anna commented that there was some serious chimp laughter coming from the front rooms.  Sure enough, I found Annie and Burrito whooping it up!

Missy was sitting close by.  I figured she was annoyed with the tomfoolery.  Little did I know, she was simply waiting for her turn to be silly with her dear friend Annie.  Pretty sweet!

Reminder:

Sunday, August 25th was the second installment of the HBO docuseries Chimp Crazy, which is available to watch on MAX. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance will once again be hosting a discussion this evening after the episode (August 27, 6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET) to explore Episode 2: Gone Ape. Register to join the second installment in this discussion series “Primate Perspectives: Unpacking Chimp Crazy. We will talk about the contents of episode two and the history of the use of chimpanzees as pets and the current pet trade in monkeys. We will be recording it this week, so if you register but are unable to join, we will send you a link to the recording.

Let Me Tell You ‘Bout My Best Friend

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Bubba, Bubs, Bubba Lou, Bubba Lewsky, Lewsky, Lewsky Lou, Lewsk, Lewsky Louis, Louis, Lou

Those are just MY nicknames for my dear friend, Burrito.

I met Burrito on December 5th, 2019.  He was in isolation while recovering from a fight that occurred during an attempt to integrate the newly arrived Californians (Willy B, Honey B, and Mave) with the Cle Elum 7 (Negra, Jamie, Jody, Missy, Burrito, Annie and Foxie).  I’m sure many of you remember how traumatic that event was for both chimp and human alike.  Burrito sustained some pretty severe injuries, so he remained in isolation for more than 2 months!  But even so, he wanted to be friends.  As a volunteer, you are instructed not to interact with the chimpanzees, besides a polite head nod, until you’ve been trained to safely do so as a Level III volunteer.  I remember cleaning the front rooms as a Level II volunteer, along side where Burrito was staying, and trying my hardest not to interact with him.  He wanted to play so badly!  I will admit, I whispered to him, “some day, Burrito, some day we will be friends”.

Me and the nest I built for Burrito while he was in isolation.  This was pre-Covid, which is why I’m maskless.

Fast forward to August 2021, the sanctuary started inviting a few volunteers back after Covid.  I was one of the lucky ones, and became a Level III volunteer.  And you know what that means!!  I was finally able to play with my new friend.  I think that, when it comes to Burrito, if you are willing to be super enthusiastic in your silly ridiculousness, you are in!

Burrito is funny, charming, handsome, energetic, silly, goofy, spirited, ridiculous, giggly, and just plain cute!

It’s actually tough to get much done when Burrito is around.  Cleaning toys by Playroom 1?  Nope – time for chase!  In the kitchen doing dishes?  Heck no – it’s time for a run around the hill!  Serving a meal?  Burrito wants you to stick a carrot in his ear!

I hope that you are lucky enough to have a friend like Burrito in your life.  He brings me so much joy!

Tomorrow, Sunday, August 25th is the second installment of the HBO docuseries Chimp Crazy, which will be available to watch on MAX on and after 10pm ET. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance will once again be hosting a discussion on Tuesday after the episode (August 27, 6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET) to explore Episode 2: Gone Ape. Register to join the second installment in this discussion series “Primate Perspectives: Unpacking Chimp Crazy. We will talk about the contents of episode two and the history of the use of chimpanzees as pets and the current pet trade in monkeys. We will be recording it this week, so if you register but are unable to join, we will send you a link to the recording.