Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
We will never truly know what it is about Foxie’s treasured dolls that she loves so much.
We will never know what she is thinking when she is gazing at them.
We will never know what tales she weaves when she is interacting with her dolls.
Do they speak to her?
Do they have individual personalities?
What we do know is that Foxie is a unique chimpanzee. We love her exactly as she is.
We are so happy she found something that provides endless entertainment and makes her feel safe and happy:
I have the most amazing job in the world. I know so many people who would love to be in my place and help run a sanctuary for chimpanzees. There are stressful times though; a lot of stressful times, if I’m being honest.
But then there are the moments that bring me back to the mission of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the reason that I’m here, and probably the reason you are reading this.
Today, it was a simple moment.
I was finishing up a walk with Jamie (wearing a mismatched pair of boots, at Jamie’s request).
Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Annie, Missy, and Negra all came outside while Jamie and I walked the perimeter of the outdoor habitat. By the time I came to the end of the walk, everyone but Negra had gone into the green house.
Negra remained sitting by the “cabin” that we named after her, in a field of green, sampling the fresh grass, as content as any chimpanzee I’ve ever seen.
Thank you, Negra, for this reminder today. It’s all about these moments.
Jody has just 29 Pals right now. Watch the video, fall in love, and become Jody’s Chimpanzee Pal!
It’s no secret that Negra has a big place in my heart. I first wrote about my love for her in this blog post from 2008, before the chimpanzees had made the journey across the U.S. to come to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. She has many endearing qualities, including her enjoyment in watching her caregivers dance (as shown in the Dancing with Negra video from 2009), the multiple stages of her droopy lip, and her love of the night bags that we give the chimpanzees after dinner each night (there’s a short video of Negra getting her night bag here).
As mentioned in this post, one of my favorite sights is a very content Negra eating her night bag while the shells of the seeds in the night bag drop on her belly. Tonight, I finally got a few good photos of just this. Negra has lost a little weight at the sanctuary, but, despite our attempts at rationing her food, she still has a buddha belly. She actually eats quite a bit less than the other chimpanzees and isn’t as food focused as, say, Burrito, but she’s also the least active of the chimpanzees. I consider Negra’s shape to be a pretty endearing quality in itself.
I hope these photos make you as happy as Negra with seeds are her belly makes me.
