Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Sam Jones

Happenings of the Day

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When I was opening up the chimp house this morning I found Negra still resting in the Greenhouse. She knows how to make a comfy looking nest!

Annie exploring Young’s Hill in the morning.

Missy close behind Annie.

Jody watching the others on the hill.

After her walk around Young’s Hill Missy was eating breakfast with style.

Foxie cooling off in the front rooms.

After lunch Missy went around and picked up all of the leftover cucumber pieces.

I was attempting to get get some photos in the afternoon and Burrito just wanted to play. So I stopped taking photos to get a little workout in.

It is very hard to catch this guy being still! He was resting after many play sessions with Chad. It didn’t last for long! By the time I was uploading this photo he was ready to play again.

 

Honey B was making such a good nest of blankets, troll dolls, her scooter, and some scarves that I was trying to get a photo of it. I got the Honey B stare instead 🙂

I worked with The Lucky Six a couple of times last week and here are some of the photos I was able to get. I am really enjoying getting to see their personalities more as the continue to open up with us! I didn’t work with them today, but as I was performing safety checks Terry was in my line of vision from a distance ready to play!

Gordo right before a game of chase started.

Dora and her sweet face.

Cy is definitely going to steal some hearts around here!

 

Corn in the USA

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Happy Fourth of July everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your day. I know we did here at the chimp house. The first part of the celebration involved all of the chimps receiving a mid afternoon treat of dixie cups scattered around their enclosures. These were filled with blue Gatorade, strawberries, and blueberries to follow the theme of the day. This was a big hit and Rayne was sooooo excited! She was the fist one over to get as many Gatorade cups as she could.

All of the chimpanzees enjoyed a celebration lunch of corn, tomatoes, and heads of Romaine lettuce. The corn was a huge hit all around! A few of the Lucky Six were a little weary of the corn at first until they got a taste of it. Then it was pure excitement. There was a nice breeze today and it was “cooler” than last week, so the seven got to enjoy their lunch as a forage on Young’s Hill. During forages I like to see what each chimp searches for first. Today it was everything! They were gathering as much corn and romaine as they could carry in their arms and mouth! The tomatoes went very quickly and Missy was quite happy. A lot of the chimps take their findings back to the Greenhouse and eat in the shade.

Cooler weather and celebrations make some pretty happy chimps and that makes us caregivers happy as well.

 

Blue Gatorade with strawberries and blueberries in each one.

Jamie enjoying the Gatorade and fruit.

In the excitment before their forage on the hill I caught Burrito and Negra in a play session.

Burrito enjoying the first head of Romaine he found.

Negra went straight to this spot.

Jody usually wins the award for most food she can carry.

Foxie climbing to grab more corn on the platform above.

Annie enjoying her corn back in the Greenhouse.

Look at Missy’s pile!

Jamie found lots of corn to keep her occupied for awhile.

Diana helped get photos of the three while serving lunch. They were also super excited about the corn!

Mave

Willy B

Bonus photo of Rayne that JB was able to capture yesterday.

Hot as tater tots!

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Summer is here! We are definitely feeling the heat today. We have been trying to help keep the chimps cool and passed out some shaved ice in the afternoon. They love ice! Even if its just a regular old ice cube they are excited for the snack. We have also been giving out extra hose drinks to the chimps who have been requesting it while we are cleaning. Even though they always have access to a water source, drinks from the hose always taste better! Katelyn was fanning/misting Jamie and Annie today. In the photo below you can see them enjoying this. Annie kept putting her head up to let Katelyn mist her forehead.

Jamie needs all that extra water and fanning today from her adventures last night. Since the heat was starting to rise during the day yesterday she didn’t go on as many walks as normal. She wanted to save that for when the sun started to go down. Jamie didn’t want to let go of Youngs Hill for the night after dinner and we went on multiple walks around the hill with her, in a variety of ways. It was fun to see how many different ways she wanted to walk around! First, I went around the hill driving the gator. Then she was ready for Anthony to drive the gator while I rode along. After that, Jamie wanted Chad to follow in the gator behind us. After a couple more variations of walks throughout the evening Jamie decided on one last final walk. This included Anthony, Chad, the gator and I. Missy also came out to join us and Annie was resting on a platform watching. After this final walk Jamie was inside ready for her book and boot bundle. We usually pick out a couple different books and boots to give her before we leave to make sure she has what needs for the night.

Jamie enjoying a walk around the hill, while I drove the gator.

 

Here are some photos from around the chimp house today!

Mave relaxing in the Chute.

Honey B sitting in the doorway of one of the new Greenhouses.

Willy B being groomed by Mave.

Annie being her sweet Annie self.

The cattle were even avoiding the heat today. Chad found them relaxing in the shade by the creek.

Meredith and Honey hanging out by the creek.

Nutmeg and Betsy cooling off in the mud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chimp Activities

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Today the chimp house was a little busier than yesterday. We are making sure the two new Greenhouses are in order and ready for chimps soon! While waiting for some maintenance things to be completed we found Jamie and Burrito engaging in a long play session. I love hearing chimp laughter. To me, it is one of the best sounds in the world and always brings a smile to my face. There was lots of laughter today, as I saw Burrito playing with Foxie and Annie too.

I checked in on the three to see what they were up to and found Mave and Willy B in a grooming session. I’m still learning so much about Honey B, Willy B, and Mave. I didn’t work with them while I was an intern here, so I have been trying to get to know them better and learn more about their personalities.

Mave grooming Willy B.

Honey B looking to see what photos I was taking.

Willy B taking a break from the grooming session.

Missy resting in the Greenhouse.

Napping Weather

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Today was a relaxing day here at the chimp house. Everyone was resting after the big party yesterday and taking advantage of the cooler and cloudy weather. The perfect napping weather! There were some storms in the area last night and it’s been very ominous looking outside today, like it could start raining at any second. All day today I found chimps nesting and lounging. Willy B likes to nest with his leopard print blanket and he made good use of it today! We have a couple wolf blankets at the sanctuary and the seven were taking advantage of those. They are pretty large and the chimps love nesting with them.

Jamie had to make sure we got a quick walk in before any rain this afternoon. Some of the others thought about following, but turned around after they saw the weather outside. Missy did join us towards the end of the walk and was sprinting back and forth! It’s so amazing to watch her zip all over the hill. I wish I had that energy and athleticism. Also, while there was a break in the weather Chad and Katelyn picked some strawberries for the chimps and served them as an afternoon snack. The strawberry bushes are getting full of strawberries and are ready for the chimps to eat!

 

I can find Jody nesting in the front rooms most days. Today she was looking extra comfy sleeping on the wolf blanket.

 

Annie eating strawberries and making a nest on a wolf blanket.

 

Jamie watching Burrito and me play chase from her boot and blanket nest.

 

Burrito ready for me to stop taking photos and get back to playing chase.

 

Foxie relaxing in the Greenhouse.

 

The cattle were watching Jamie and I on our walk around the hill.

A leftover photo from yesterday. Jody with her lettuce from The Queens Brunch.

 

New Friend

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Hi everyone! My name is Sam and I am one of the new caregivers here at CSNW. Originally, I am from Ohio and I moved to Washington to attend Central Washington University to obtain my Masters degree in Primate Behavior in 2016. During that time I was an intern/volunteer at CSNW and this started my path in the direction of chimpanzees. After graduation I moved to Georgia to work at Project Chimps and was a caregiver there for the past 2 1/2 years. I am beyond excited to be back in the Pacific Northwest and here at CSNW working with these amazing chimpanzees, humans, and cattle!

 

This past month I’ve been learning the routine and enjoying the beginnings of building friendships with these 10 chimpanzees. Jamie has been keeping a close eye and making sure I’m being trained correctly. Grooming my boots in the afternoon is also a strict part of the training process. Burrito has been helping to build my cardio and Honey B has been making sure I am always on my toes.

 

I have a couple photos to share with you, as I have started practicing with the camera.

 

Burrito between play sessions

 

Jamie keeping an eye on things from her comfy nest

 

Jody enjoying an orange for breakfast

Honey B watching watching us do checks

 

Betsy relaxing in her summer pasture