Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

animal rescue

Valentine’s Party?

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Shelly C. thought it would be great to have another call for some party donations for the upcoming Valentine’s Day party. Let us know if you’d like to contribute – it’s kind of like passing the hat around the office, only parties for the Cle Elum Seven are way more fun than office parties. This will be their first Valentine’s celebration!!! We’re brainstorming the menu already.

Oh, and speaking of celebrations, we’re almost done mapping out the birthdays for the group. We had to choose birthdays for most of the chimpanzees because they were not known, but we know they all deserve their own special day. I’ll update y’all soon with the actual dates.

Thanks!!

Jamie has something to remember… her red tutu

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Last week Jamie took a small piece of cloth mesh  (it may have been part of a troll costume), and tied it around her toe, then her finger. Jamie really likes shoes and feet, so I often show her my own toes. I have a toe ring, so maybe she was emulating that, or maybe she had something remember 🙂


Today she spent much of the day wearing her new red tutu, courtesy of her friend Tamela.

Foot gloves – more sanctuary fashion

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Last week, the same day that J.B. hung the mirror, Jody was wearing a striped glove on her foot. She wore it ALL day. Occasionally she would take it off and put it back on. She made a point of putting her toes into the fingers of the glove (at least some of her toes in some of the fingers), as you can see from the close up below. She wore the foot glove while inspecting the mirror as you can see in the second photo. That’s Jamie next to Jody half standing in the box. You just never know what the chimps will find appealing. It’s a good thing they receive so many great gifts – there’s always something for everyone in their daily enrichment! Thank you all so much for sending your care packages that are always full of fun gifts and warm sentiments. You make a difference in the lives of the Cle Elum Seven everyday.

Jody changing

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Welcome to new blog readers! We are so excited about the ABC coverage that brought you here! To get you up to speed, I hope that you have perused the blog and learned about the wonderful Cle Elum Seven and their growing human family of supporters.

We have periodically been posting some “then” and “now” photos of the chimpanzees to show how quickly they are changing, and I thought it would be appropriate to post another one of these today as so many new folks view the blog. I think that Jody’s physical improvements have been the most dramatic. What do you think?

Jody on day one at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, after decades in research.
Jody on day one at the sanctuary, after decades in research.
Jody a few days ago outside.
Jody, taken a few days ago outside, after four months of sanctuary life at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Laugh and Shop

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We have a lot of stuff going on to support the Cle Elum Seven – I hope you can join us for these upcoming happenings:

Tuesday, October 7th: If you’re in the Seattle area, come to comedy night this Tuesday! Doors open at 8:00pm, and you can rsvp now using Evite.  You can meet Keith, J.B. and myself. You can laugh up a storm. And you can buy some prints of Jamie’s artwork, as well as cards that have prints of a watercolor of Jody that Margaret painted! If you caught the interview on the radio this morning, you learned all about Yoram Bauman “the stand-up economist” and his Non-Profit Comedy Nights at Seattle’s Comedy Underground. It’s bound to be a lot of fun and it will raise needed funds to help care for the Cle Elum Seven. UPDATE: THIS SHOW IS FOR 21+ ONLY – a new decision by the state liquor board.

Sunday, October 12th: Our first Holiday Shopping event is happening at the Freemont store Urban Weeds. 25% of all purchases on the 12th will go towards CSNW. If you’ve never been to this cool urban gardening store, visit their website then visit the store on the 12th.

Saturday, October 18th: Wild Birds Unlimited in Monroe, WA is donating 10% of their profits for the day. This store is a must-visit for all bird enthusiasts, and a great place to pick up gifts for the backyard birders in your life.

Saturday, October 25th: 20% of sales from the Seattle store Laura Bee Designs will be donated to the sanctuary. Laura Bee has all kinds of unique, stylish and customizable handbags and accessories. A perfect place to pick up unique gifts! Check out Laura Bee’s recent blog post featuring Negra!

Rainstorm bravery

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It hadn’t really occurred to me before today, but it hasn’t rained in any significant way since the chimpanzees arrived at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Today it poured.

When J.B. and I heard the playroom erupt in alarm barks, we realized the chimps may have never seen a rainstorm before! We went into the human area and saw the chimpanzees intently staring out the windows upstairs. When the rain started to slow down, some brave chimpanzees began to approach the doorway to the outdoor area.

Missy seemed most curious…

Missy standing in doorway

Annie followed Missy’s lead…

Annie sitting in doorway

It was Jamie who finally ventured outside…

Jamie right before going outside after rain

She immediately came back in to dry her hands…

Jamie drying her hands

And the rest of her…

Jamie putting cloth over head

What a great new experience for everyone!! Missy also took a couple of steps outside. Jamie went back out, wearing the cloth over her head, and Annie remained content sitting in the doorway. The other chimpanzees looked out the windows – maybe next time they’ll decide to go out too.