Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

animal rescue

More firsts after ten years

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The featured photo (the one at the top of the page) literally brought tears to my eyes this morning. Well, not the photo itself, but seeing Negra in the grass with that very relaxed face. She has come so far in the last ten years, and has made new strides just in the last two weeks since I wrote about her (and Foxie’s and Annie’s) independence. And she’s not the only one (there’s a bonus Burrito story down below the photos of Negra).

Two days ago, following our PRT session, I was starting on a walk with Jamie, when I noticed an unmistakable figure ahead. Though I knew it could only be Negra, I really questioned my eyes when I saw this chimpanzee person climb into the hammock. Luckily I had the camera with me and was able to get evidence of what I believe is a first-ever event.

 

Negra’s main purpose on the hill these days is to find prickly lettuce. She sets off on these expeditions with a certain amount of determination, so it was very special that she stopped and took in the view from this new perspective. And just look at her face in that photo of her in the hammock and the featured photo – she is relaxed, content, and at home.

After this pause, she continued on her journey:

 

almost disappearing into the sea of grass:

 

Once she happened upon a spot to forage for the plants she is so fond of, she disappeared again, this time into a sea of wild mustard:

 

I moved to get a better angle (Jamie was being quite patient with me taking photos of Negra, waiting to continue the walk we had begun):

 

Here’s one for perspective. Negra is at the very top of the hill, beyond the tower structures:

 

Lately on these treks, another chimpanzee, usually Jody (below) or Missy, will join Negra. Perhaps they are ensuring everything is okay, or maybe they are hoping to share in her harvest:

 

At 45, after decades of living in confinement, Negra proves that it is never too late for anyone to try something new and become something you never thought you would be.

 

Perhaps Burrito has been observing Negra’s new sense of adventure because today he climbed up onto to the bar structure!

Sometimes I don’t notice when someone hasn’t done something until I see them do it for the first time.

 

I am pretty sure that Foxie was aware that this was a new occasion because she was very excited to see Burrito up there next to her.

 

and he seemed pleased with the experience too:

 

What a fantastic week of firsts as we head into tomorrow’s celebration of the ten year anniversary of the chimpanzees’ arrival to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

 

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

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Paul and Jenara Miller sponsored today for Carrie Miller!

“Happy Birthday to Carrie, who introduced us to the Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW!”

Paul and Jenara, how kind of you to celebrate Carrie by including the chimpanzees and adding to their lives! Thank you so much!

Carrie, we hope you have the best of birthdays yet!! We are so grateful for all the love of Burrito and his family that you share not only with them, but with the humans of your world as well.

Your pal, Burrito, in all his much adored “Burrito-ness”:

Tiny’s Big Adventure

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Foxie may be tiny (it’s even one of our terms of endearment for her), but her courageous and adventurous spirit are limitless. And while it may take her awhile to warm up to new things, once she makes up her mind to do something, she does it.

If you’ve been following the chimps for awhile you’ve probably seen Foxie and her dolls scaling the highest points on the structures of Young’s Hill and even bravely (and nerve-wrackingly) traversing the slippery metal roof of one. But the one structure we humans haven’t seen her conquer yet, despite numerous attempts, is the Twister. She approaches it with determination and cautiously climbs part way up and every time we watch with bated breath wondering, “Is today the day she’s going to the top?!” But then as she gazes up at the very top to the crow’s nest, she decides she’s not quite ready and climbs back down, moving on to other adventures. Today, that changed.

Jody and Foxie headed up the hill with what appeared to be a sense of determination. Foxie was the first to start climbing the Twister and paused at her usual stopping point.

And then in a flash Jody headed past Foxie all the way up to the top of the Twister which seemed to bolster Foxie’s confidence.

And then it began. Foxie taking slow, cautious steps higher and higher toward her friend, Jody, who was waiting at the top. I could barely contain my excitement for Foxie (as those on the other end of the radio can attest to with my frequent shouts and squeals). I kept expecting her to turn back at any moment, but she kept going.

Once she reached the crow’s nest she found a spot to sit, hanging on precariously and appearing a little uneasy. By this time, Jody had descended the other side and was sitting on a nearby log below watching Foxie. I thought Foxie might decide that was high enough for one day.

Nope! All the way to the top of the crow’s nest!! I raised my arms in the air cheering for her and giving her a head nod which she returned along with a playful thump of approval.

This. Face!!

Foxie spent a couple minutes from her new view point and then began trying to figure out how to get back down. First she attempted to go over the side:

Then reassessed the situation and went back through the crow’s nest:

Her leg would swing around as she precariously attempted to find footing she felt comfortable with, but then she steadily made her way back down:

Yeah, Fox!

While Jody was waiting for Foxie she picked herself a quick pine tree snack and then rushed over to meet Foxie at the bottom of the Twister:

And in classic Jody style, she escorted her brave friend all the way back to the greenhouse, continually stopping along the way to reassure Foxie and make sure was following her, like the good friend she is:

I realize some of you might be thinking, “Yeesh, she’s a chimp! That’s what chimps are supposed to do! What’s all the hullabaloo?!” But when you consider the very small world in which Foxie, and all the chimps, lived for so long and that every ounce of their courage was needed just to get through each day, to get through the most unimaginable of losses, it’s nothing short of miraculous to see the healing and leaps of bravery that continue to occur almost ten years later. And it makes your heart burst right out of your chest seeing all their innate courage finally getting to be used to expand and enrich their world, their hearts and their spirits in whichever way is meaningful to them.

In memory of Simba

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Today was sponsored by Lynda Bell in memory of her beloved cat, Simba. Lynda shared this lovely message about Simba with us:

“This is in memory of Simba, my 18-yr. old cat who passed away in January. Today was his birthday. I got him 17 years ago from the Oregon Humane Society. He was the most gentle cat ever. He loved people and other animals and got along well with all. I love the idea of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and am very happy to sponsor a day for the chimps. I hope to come visit the sanctuary when it is possible in the summer! Thank you for all that you do for these wonderful chimps!”

Lynda, we are so sorry for the loss of your dear friend and family member, Simba. It sounds as though you gained an immeasurable amount of love and life from your time together. Thank you so much for choosing to rescue one of so many who need their forever homes and sharing all that a rescue animal can bring to our lives. We’re so glad you found each other. We are grateful to you for sharing Simba’s life and your compassion with us and the chimps.

Annie:

Jamie:

Burrito:

You never know what the day will bring

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Wednesday was an eventful day. The drain for the front rooms was clogged, so J.B. rented a plumbing snake to try to clear it. Jamie is always interested when there’s equipment around, so she was watching J.B. as he worked on the drain. Maybe she felt a little left out, or maybe she had been thinking about this for a while, but, for whatever reason, she decided to do some surface destruction to part of the wall in the playroom.

And there went J.B.’s plan for the day.

Volunteer Kailie was serving lunch in the front rooms when Jamie was doing her redecorating. With the added incentive of a few grapes, I was able to convince Jamie to come into the front rooms along with everyone else so that I could close off the playroom for J.B. to patch the wall. He wasn’t sure how long it was going to take to patch things up, but it was likely going to be a few hours.

They still had plenty of places to be – the front rooms, the greenhouse, and Young’s Hill (it was a mild, sunny day). But there had been some tension in the group lately, so I immediately started thinking about activities that might keep them busy and maybe out of each other’s way. I had a couple of things in mind and decided to see what they were up to so I could assess the situation.

Lo and behold, I found all seven chimpanzees occupying just a few square feet on the top of the structure of the green house! Negra was in her spot on the corner napping (she’s the only one you can’t see in the photo below), and the rest were huddled up in pairs grooming.

 

Perhaps Jamie had some sort of master plan to cause an incident so everyone would bond and work out the tensions they were having with one another. Probably not, but isn’t that a nice interpretation?

The chimps were not bothered at all by being locked out of the playroom. At one point, Annie and Negra were in the front rooms playing. Luckily, I was able to grab a camera and get some of their play session, which is one of the funniest things I’ve filmed in a long time. Be prepared to laugh out loud.

 

 

J.B. got the wall patched up in a few short hours and the playroom was ready for the chimpanzees to go back into after their dinner. They weren’t the least bit anxious to get back to that space – even Jamie, who I would have thought would want to inspect J.B.’s handiwork asap.

It just goes to show that the chimpanzees are not predictable, and sometimes an unexpected change to the routine can result in wanting to playfully push all of the air out of your friend (see video above).

 

In memory of Mikey

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We are full of immense gratitude for the countless ways in which you all have contributed to the lives of the chimpanzees throughout 2017. As we ready to release one year and move forward into the flow of the next, how lovely and apropos is this, our last day of sanctuary sponsorship for the year, from Debi Domantay:

“All my life I’ve felt a deep passion for Nature & ALL animals with a particular interest in Chimpanzees, Gorillas & Orangutans… If I could relive my life, I’d certainly become a Primatologist. This donation is in memory of “Mikey” & ALL animals in need of being rescued from a life without dignity & respect.”

Debi, thank you so much for your heartfelt message and New Year’s Eve gift for the chimps in memory of Mikey. As we move into 2018 and our plans to begin expansion in order to not only improve the lives of the chimps, but to be able to offer others a sanctuary home, your thoughts couldn’t be more well-timed. A perfect gift in celebration of the New Year!

To those who celebrate at this time, Happy New Year’s Eve! And to all, may your days, months and years ahead each be better and more abundant in all the good ways than the last, just as you’ve made possible for the chimpanzees.

Negra:

Jody:

Jamie:

Foxie:

Burrito:

Annie:

Missy: