Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

animal rescue

Jody wadging a cattail

by

This video (above) reminded me of someone eating a corn dog at a ball game, though I don’t really go to ball games and I have no idea if they still have corn dogs.

In any case, Jody definitely was enjoying her cattail wadge while keeping an eye on the neighbors today.

For more on wadging, check out this blog post from Anna from a few years ago or this one, also from Anna, with some photos of Jody wadging pineapple skin.

Today is the first day of sending out the blog to both the old and the new lists of subscribers. If you are new to the blog, welcome!!

If you signed up to the new list the other day, you should be receiving notice of this blog post from both WordPress and Salsa. Check your spam folders just in case!

Note: if you have previously unsubscribed from our e-newsletter or other communications, you may not receive the email. Get in contact with me if you have any questions or issues: [email protected]

I’ll be troubleshooting this week, so you might not receive blog posts through Salsa (the new way) everyday, but my goal is to have it all worked out by the end of the week.

If you haven’t yet signed up to the new subscription, you should be able to do that on either the right side or below this page (scroll down).

Happy Saturday, everyone!

 

Glorious Greenhouses

by

I have to really hand it to J.B. for his greenhouse design and Gary from Sage Mechanical for putting it all together plus adding some special touches.

These new greenhouses are truly a chimp’s dream.

Gordo
Gordo

 

Yesterday was the first day that I was cleaning in one of the new playrooms with the new group of six chimpanzees on the other side of the windows in a greenhouse. I snapped some quick photos on my phone through the window to give you a sense of the chimpanzees’ perspective.

That view! 

All of the new six like to take advantage of the vertical space and can often be found up high on the benches at the edges of the greenhouse. There are some great spots to observe the neighbors.

Lucky watching the neighbors from a high bench in a greenhouse.

Cy even took a minute away from his magazines to watch Willy B in the Courtyard today:

At Wildlife Waystation, the indoor space for the chimpanzees was much smaller than at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, and they spent most of their time in their concrete-floored, chain-link fenced space. We were all pleasantly surprised that they walked on the grass in their new greenhouse habitats right away. The grass is an experiment for us in these new spaces, one that so far is working well.

Terry

Though there are many differences, the greenhouses are probably most similar to what they are used to at Wildlife Waystation. During the day, there is usually at least one chimpanzee out there, and sometimes all six of them are in one greenhouse or another. During their first week they were in the greenhouses well after we had closed up for the night.

Last night around 7:30, I was outside wandering around. The sanctuary property was full of activity. There was a doe grazing in the pasture near Young’s Hill. The bovine family had gotten up from their daytime shady spot and they too were spending the cooler evening hours grazing. Ground squirrels and the occasional marmot were scurrying about, always in a hurry. The cliff swallows that have taken over the eaves of the new addition to the chimp house were soaring and dropping and diving, undoubtedly getting their dinner of insects.

As I approached the chimp building, however, there wasn’t even the hint of anyone stirring. I walked around the outside of the fence behind the new greenhouses and did not see a soul.

It made me feel disappointed for a fleeting moment, because it’s nice to see the chimps among the bamboo and logs and grass, with the sky as the backdrop, but then I smiled. Sometimes I even have to remind myself that it’s not about what I want or what I think they should be doing; it’s about giving them choices and letting them figure out what they want.

I pictured all six of them–Cy, Lucky, Gordo, Terry, Rayne, and Dora–sleeping soundly in their nests made of blankets and paper, in the special spot they chose for themselves, indoors in the new playrooms, perhaps with a newfound sense of safety and security.

 

Full Hearts

by

Getting to know the new Lucky Six chimpanzees is an incredible experience. In some ways, it seems like they’ve been here much longer than one week. But it’s true that we barely know them. So each new observation, every moment spent with them, fills our hearts.

The thing is, it’s still the same with all of the other non-humans in our care. They are all such interesting and unique beings; we can never know everything there is to know about them, and we still delight in the little moments.

I’ve been reflecting on little moments lately because our dog Wilson, who I’ve written about on the blog before, passed away this week. He had numerous medical issues over the years, and far outlived anyone expectations. His end was sudden, but not surprising, and J.B. and I were both with him. Though his body, specifically his heart, was failing him, it never slowed him down or changed the goofy, lovable, big-headed, empathetic dog that he was. Our hearts are broken, but that’s because they were filled with so much love.

We’re surrounded by life at the sanctuary. Grief is a strange bargain we make, but it’s worth it to feel so much love.

 

Dora Chimpanzee
Dora watching herself eat dinner
The one and only Jamie. She tied this scarf on with purpose and wore it all afternoon.

 

Jody

 

Wilson

 

One Hot Day

by

Today was the hottest day in our forecast reaching triple digits as the Pacific Northwest is currently trapped in a Heat Dome. As the temperature began to rise, caregivers were quick to offer the chimpanzees some solace in the this scorching weather. There were tons of icy treats, cool refreshing drinks, fans, and misters for the chimpanzees to enjoy.

Burrito, Jamie, and Jody enjoy a pool filled with Gatorade and ice inside their playroom.

Willy B also enjoyed ice in a Rock Around toy.

Mave (I personally think) had the best idea. Find the best place to lay down next to a sandbox (minus the sand) filled with Gaotrade and ice, take a few drinks, and lay the ice cubes on the floor next to you and enjoy at your leisure.

As we are still trying to get to know the new group of chimpanzees, we were curious what their decisions would be. For the most part, most of them have been spending a lot of time in their greenhouses usually grooming or napping.

Rayne and Gordo taking it easy in the shade.

Dora sitting in the shady spot right underneath the greenhouse platform.

Gordo on the same log amongst the bamboo with the stem from his breakfast bananas.

As the day began to come to an end, I was able to gather these last minute photos of how some of the chimpanzees were dealing with the last minute heat.

Negra ate her portion of dinner bell peppers inside.

Willy B, Honey B, and Mave spent the rest of the afternoon in a grooming party inside.

Can you spot everyone in this photo?

And Dora enjoying her evening food puzzle, a Kong, inside one of her playrooms.

As a bonus, a photo from yesterday I was able to get of Terry with fistfuls of beets and carrots.

And as one final bonus, a photo of Lucky (left) and Dora (right) exploring their greenhouse on the day they arrived here.

Comin’ in HOT

by

Hey everyone! It’s been a long week so far.

For one thing, the scorching heat is  r e l e n t l e s s .

Today brought record-setting temperatures to Oregon and Washington. Tomorrow will have more of the same. For comparison, it’s hotter than Guy Fieri’s wardrobe over here.

For actual quantitative reference, tomorrow’s forecast shows Cle Elum being 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hotter than it’s ever been in the state of Florida (109F).

That’s correct. Our town nestled among the snow-capped Central Cascades will have higher temperatures than they’ve EVER HAD on ANY DATE in FLORIDA. It will also be hotter than it’s ever been in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and at least fifteen other U.S. states and territories. Tomorrow would be the hottest day ever in Washington… if we hadn’t already broken that record today.

To cope, our staff has been closely monitoring the doors and windows, cranking all the electric fans, and consuming a steady stream of popsicles, sports drinks, and good ol’ fashioned water. As all the smart people say, hydrate to dominate, baby!

Despite the sweltering heat, we’re excited to report that all SIXTEEN chimpanzee residents are doing well, staying hydrated, and keeping cool. Of course, those sixteen residents include the six newest arrivals: Cy, Dora, Gordo, Lucky, Rayne and Terry.

This group of adult chimps has been called “The Lucky Six” during the campaign to send them to sanctuary, but we’ll also likely refer to them as “Cy’s Group” since he seems to be their undisputed chief. While our own medical and caregiving records have less mutable designations for each group (e.g., Group C), it will be nice to have an informal and familiar way to specify which group we’re talking about.

We’re still getting to know the six chimps in Cy’s group, but it’s already evident that they all have unique personalities and complex social dynamics. As is tradition, we’ll be shining a virtual spotlight on each individual over the next few months so that you can all get to know them as well. In case you missed it, Kelsi announced their arrival and posted a few portraits on Saturday, and Katelyn followed up with more photographs in yesterday’s post (which was dedicated to those who cared and advocated for the six newcomers at their previous home). For now, we’ll continue to share what we can on the blog when we’re not busy taking care of chimps!

For today’s blog, I threw together a video using clips that our staff have recorded over the past few days. We look forward to sharing more in the near future, so please stay tuned and be patient! The new guys are amazing and we can’t wait to tell you more about them!

Brunch Tomorrow!

by

Are you ready??!! Tomorrow is the big celebration – The Queen’s Brunch virtual event for the humans, and the celebration of Negra’s honorary 48th birthday plus the anniversary of the start of a new life for Negra, Burrito, Jamie, Jody, Annie, Missy, and Foxie.

It’s really difficult to believe that it has been 13 years since the trailer pulled up in the driveway and we welcomed the Cle Elum Seven to their sanctuary home.

And it’s even more difficult to believe that we will be doing the same thing in just a couple of weeks for six more chimpanzees!

I hope you can join us and watch the rest of this video:

And help us welcome the Lucky Six to their new home by sponsoring their journey and bidding on auction items!

You will be able to watch the virtual event on both Facebook and YouTube at 11am Pacific Time, and you can join us live from the chimp house for the After Brunch Party by getting your “ticket” in advance on the online auction site.

I owe Anthony. He came for a visit today on his day off and graciously allowed me to use the photos below that he took while the seven were enjoying their favorite space – the original greenhouse.

It won’t be long before we’ll be sharing photos of new chimpanzees in new greenhouses!!

Jody and Burrito grooming.

 

Jody in her summer spot in the greenhouse.

 

Jamie keeping her eyes on Anthony.

 

The Queen herself. Happy day before your birthday, Negra!

 

Burrito in a Tub

by

The other day I was questioning J.B. as to whether he thought we deserved to have playful Burrito in our lives, and his reply was, “I don’t even think the world deserves Burrito.”

Deserving or not, here he is to spread joy to all of us, doing whatever it is he was doing or trying to do with an empty tub and a big tub full of water.

Speaking of spreading joy, have you registered for The Queen’s Brunch yet?

The virtual event is on June 13th, just eight days away!

I was going to share that there were some Burrito pillow cases available to buy now that had been carefully stashed away from past events, but the two we had were snatched up already!

There are, however, still a few pillow cases featuring Negra, Foxie, and Willy B on the online auction site. You might need to act fast to get one!