Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

animal protection

Snow – no joke

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Today’s weather seems like an April Fool’s Day joke! See photo:

It’s been snowing all day.  It’s the first time the greenhouse has been tested with a snowstorm. The chimps have been out there all day, despite the complete lack of sun. J.B. just came by and reported that it is 66 degrees out there! And Burrito went out and played chase with him.

This morning, volunteer Denice made sure the chimps had plenty of snow to eat. Annie was appreciative.

Negra enjoyed an afternoon nesting / vine chewing session.

while Jamie used a vine to work on some project of her own making (with a boot by her side)

For all you Negra fans

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Another great greenhouse day. The ladies groomed and played out there all day, switching partners frequently.

Negra hanging out in the greenhouse sun:

web Negra close up lip face outsdie greenhouse sun_MG_5849

Missy grooming Negra while Annie groomed Jody nearby:

web Negra Missy groom hands outside greenhouse_MG_5914

Missy starting to turn the hand grooming into a little game:

web Negra Missy play hands outside playface greenhouse_MG_5920

Negra responding by playing back:

web negra missy play hands bite outside greenhouse_MG_5919

Missy sticking both of her feet up for Negra to play bite:

web Negra Missy play bite feet outside greenhouse_MG_5924

Negra taking a mid-morning nap:

web Negra sleep nest outside greenhouse hold feet_MG_5931

It’s been said before, but each day I am amazed at how the greenhouse has transformed the Cle Elum Seven’s lives. Thank you again to Karen and Don Young and all who made the greenhouse possible!

St. Patrick’s Day Party

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As promised, here is some video of the chimpanzees’ fun and festive party yesterday. Thanks so much to everyone who contributed and made the party possible. You truly made the chimps’ day!

Luck of the Cle Elum Seven

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Today, on Lucky St. Patrick’s Day, we are launching a big fundraising drive that will end on the chimpanzees’ 2nd anniversary in sanctuary and Negra’s honorary birthday – June 13, 2011. We’re announcing it to blog readers first so you can be the first to participate.

Thanks to LUSH and the blog drive initiated by Anna K., we will soon be replacing three caged windows with chimp-proof glass. We want to be able to replace three more for Negra and all of the Cle Elum Seven, but we need to make sure we cover our operating expenses first.

We do everything we can to keep our costs low, including making use of our incredible volunteer community and a great network of in-kind donations. This helps us spend 90 cents out of every dollar donated directly on our programs! The first $30,00 of the donations we receive over the next three months will go toward the day-to-day costs of caring for the chimpanzees, but we’d like to raise even more for some extra sunshine for the Cle Elum Seven. So, between today and June 13th, if we raise $35,000, we’ll replace one window, $40,000 two windows, and $45,000 three caged windows with chimpanzee-proof glass. You all know how much the chimps love the glass windows, so I know you’ll be motivated to help us reach our ultimate goal.

The first $4500 in donations will be matched by a pledge from our board of directors and staff, so we’re well on our way already! Perhaps blog readers can take on this initial challenge before we announce the fundraising to a wider audience next week. We are including income from all sources starting today – online, checks sent through the mail, facebook donations, money raised through Firstgiving, new Chimpanzee Pals, Sponsor-a-Day donations, etc. Even if you don’t have the funds to donate yourself, you can participate. Start a Firstgiving page and recruit others to donate – they are easy to set up and include fundraising tips when you sign up for your page. You could also have a fundraising dinner at your house, hold a garage sale, sell your wares on ebay, or do whatever is in your heart to raise funds for your chimpanzee friends. Let us know what you’re planning by emailing. We’d be happy to send you brochures or anything else you might need to share with others.

We will be awarding prizes to those who raise the most money, both through personal donations and through recruiting others to donate. We will provide regular updates on the blog, and you can also check out the progress and get more details on our Help Us Fundraise page.

Please join the fun in providing for the Cle Elum Seven and celebrating two years in sanctuary and give today!

Sarah on the subject of healing

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A few weeks ago, two very special people from Seattle’s NPR station visited the sanctuary and interviewed Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest’s Executive Director, Sarah Baeckler. The interview and audio from their visit will air on KUOW Presents on 94.9 FM tomorrow at 2:06pm. Please listen to it live if you’re in the area.

You can also listen to it, subscribe to the KUOW Presents podcast, or download the interview from their website right now. It’s a very moving piece, and I hope you’ll be inspired to contact KUOW to comment, and encourage them to re-air it as frequently as they can. You will learn a lot about Sarah in the interview and why she does what she does for chimpanzees.