Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Animal Welfare

Here for the Show

by

Burrito spends a lot of his time spying on the neighbors, especially when said neighbors are in the Chute, which is close to his playroom’s windows. But he can even get glimpses of other chimps when they are in Lupine playroom.

What was catching his attention this afternoon was a lot of displaying from both of the other groups.

You probably know Cy by now as more of the quiet bookish type, but he’s also a large male chimpanzee who is more than capable of putting on an impressive display:

It’s not clear if Burrito wishes he were in the mix or is merely entertained/enriched by focusing on the goings-on of the other groups.

He’s certainly not the only one.

Missy was also keeping a close eye on things this afternoon, bounding up and down as a greeting when she glimpsed Terry in the Chute.

While we won’t be doing any introductions with Burrito’s group in the near future, it’s clear just having neighbors has added a very enriching element to their lives.

Twosday

by

The weather over here went from full blown Winter, to false Spring, and then back to cold with a chance of snow very quickly. We did not get any snow today, but the day has been chilly, windy, and gloomy. The sun made a brief appearance during the morning and the greenhouses got packed with chimps enjoying their warm spaces. Between the Oakwood and Riverview greenhouses, Cy and Willy B displayed back to back through a viewpoint where both groups can see each other. The displays lasted a few minutes and then they both joined their groups for grooming sessions.

Once the sun hid behind the clouds, most of the chimps went inside to rest in cozy nests. Burrito, though, did not mind the weather and requested two non-stop runs around the hill with caregiver Chad. Jamie felt the same way and made me sprint the entire way around the hill. Cardio for the day: Done.

Last Friday our very own Barn Kitty AKA B.K. made his way back to the Sanctuary grounds! During the Winter he tends to leave for an unknown amount of time and it is always very exciting to see him come back to us. Here he is:

Dora high up in the platforms of Oakwood greenhouse

Mave soaking in the few rays of sunshine that made it through today

Willy B on the platform across from Mave in Riverview greenhouse

Cy going through some magazines

Rayne nesting while wrapped in a pride flag

Gordo mid-inspection of a magazine

Rayneception

by

For weeks now, I’ve been bringing my camera with me when I walk between the two new greenhouses (Oakwood and Riverview) in hopes of catching someone looking through the canvas flaps that separate those areas from the indoor playrooms. The concept formed when I saw Rayne pause there a while back and thought the rectangular doorway framed her face nicely. Sadly, I did not have my camera with me at the time, but Rayney had already inspired (or incepted?) the idea into my mind.

This afternoon, Rayne unknowingly made me a happy photographer. (I’d say she made me a happy caregiver, but she does that everyday regardless.) I was walking by the greenhouses and trawling for blog material when she popped her head out to see what I was up to. Rayne calmly paused in the doorway, gently lifted the curtains, and peered out into the greenhouses to see if there was any activity worthy of her time. I cheerfully snapped a few shots, excited that my vision for a composition had actually manifested itself into a real photo. I might need to do a little editing to make the image look the way I think it should, but Rayne clearly did most of the work here.

As I was transferring the image file to the desktop computer we use for blogging, I found some other photos of Rayne that I don’t remember sharing here before. I hope her tender, inquisitive demeanor comes through in the photos!

 

A Lucky Combination

by

We continued with introductions today with Cy, Lucky, Willy B, and Mave. In the beginning, Willy B and Cy had to get out some displays… a lot of displays. It took them about 20 minutes to calm down and start grooming between the mesh. We gave them a few minutes before we opened the door. Any combination that includes Lucky and Mave is one of my personal favorites. Mave and Lucky get along really well and genuinely seem to enjoy each other’s quiet company grooming each other. Even when the boys are displaying before the door opens, Lucky and Mave usually seeks reassurance from each other regardless of who else in a part of the introduction.

Lucky and Mave

Willy B and Lucky aren’t the greatest of acquaintances. In fact, Willy B usually antagonizes Lucky during most of their meetings. But there are some windows of calm between the two.

Mave, Lucky, and Willy B

Then the “bromance” between Willy B and Cy continues. After they got their displays out of their system, they spent the rest of the afternoon grooming and playing. We could hear their laughs through out the whole Chimp House.

Willy B and Cy grooming

As a bonus, please enjoy these photos I took around the Chimp House today.

Overall, today’s meeting was very positive.

Dora

Cy

Rayne

Annie

Lucky

A celebration from the heart: Cherish the chimpanzees this Valentine’s Day

by

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today the chimp house was full of celebratory festivities, and the cattle were frolicking in their pasture on this unusually spring-like February day.

Gordo reaching for a box full of goodies.
The boxes included blood oranges, strawberries, raspberries, and heart-shaped banana oat pancakes, as well as sparkling cider with raspberries.
Enjoying his bounty!

Spring weather always puts me into planning mode. As we’ve mentioned before, we have a very busy summer ahead as we complete new outdoor habitats for the chimpanzees. We’ll also be introducing the cattle to a new area of the property, so there are adventures ahead for everyone!

Betsy, Nutmeg, Honey, and Meredith!

In the past, we’ve had fundraising drives on Valentine’s Day. This year, instead, I wanted you to join me in planning mode. You can give with your heart today while also planning for the future by including CSNW in your estate plan.

With our well-into-maturity chimpanzees, you may wonder what our plans our for the long-term future of the sanctuary.

If you signed up to receive the link to the recording of the conversation I had with Jen Feuerstein about merging groups of chimpanzees (and you made it all the way to the end of that recording!), you know that we are thinking hard and carefully about the next steps for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Whether than means rescuing more chimpanzees or rescuing smaller species of primates, there is a lot ahead for this sanctuary, well beyond my life, I hope.

Creating an estate plan is definitely an action that comes from the heart, for your loved ones and their future. And it can make a generational impact on the organizations important to you. When you create your will, you’re ensuring the future of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and helping to provide future residents the promise of a sanctuary home.

This free online tool helps you create your will in just 20 minutes so you can secure the future for the human people and the chimpanzee people you love. If you have any non-probate assets not included in your will, you can use this secure tool to designate beneficiaries for those assets and make your plans.

Thank you for making this Valentine’s Day so special.

Annie enjoying the banana oat pancake!

If you’ve already included us in your plans, please fill out this form to let us know; I want to thank you for your kindness!

Other financially clever and more immediate ways to provide hope, love, and home include giving from your IRA or donating your appreciated assets.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the ways that you give your hearts to the chimpanzees and the bovines too.

Dora enjoying here box of goodies!
Willy B grabbing as much as he can in Riverview.
Cy with armfuls of goodie bags!

Names of Sanctuary Spaces that Honor Donors

by

When we started the Bring Them Home Campaign for Expansion, I was full of hope for a future that included helping more chimpanzees, but I really wasn’t sure how long it would take to raise the funds needed to expand.

We have been incredibly fortunate to have the support of many dedicated donors who are invested in providing all of the chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest with an enriching loving environment with a variety of things to do and places to explore. Thanks to all of you!

The ongoing campaign includes the opportunity to name specific parts of the expansion for certain significant donations, which was a bit of a new approach for us. We have had some wonderful donors take advantage of this opportunity, and we now have names for the two playrooms and greenhouses that were Phases 2 and 3 of the expansion.

Drum roll, please…

Playroom 2, which is on the east side of the building, closest to the Chute and Courtyard, and connected to the front rooms of the expansion, is named Lupine. The naming opportunity was given as part of a fundraising initiative that included a drawing with a chance to name the space. Longtime local-to-Cle Elum donor Patty Clark wanted to honor her mother, who was known as “the flower lady”, with the name, so together we chose the name of a beautiful native flower, with it’s purple spikes decorating the hillside of the sanctuary each summer.



 

Playroom 3, on the west side of the building closest to the road and the river, and connected to the Mezzanine, was named Marmot Mountain by Monica Best. With her training in wildlife biology, Monica has a great fondness for all local fauna and chose to honor the small and delightful mammals that scurry all over the property in the spring in summer. You might notice a marmot silhouette painted on the wall of this playroom in photos shared on the blog. There’s a chimp-proof window that looks into Marmont Mountain from a human area that we boringly refer to as Mechanical Room 3. That window is a favorite spot for chimps to greet people, like Anna’s daughter Luna.



Greenhouse 2, with its 20-foot-high peak, artificial tree, real bamboo, and views of the hillside and open-top habitat (soon to be multiple habitats) to the east, has been named Oakwood in honor of Oliver Mazner by Karen Emmerman Mazner. Oliver thought about the place he feels the most loved, secure, and at ease—selecting his grandparents’ neighborhood in the Oakwood area of London— to reflect that the chimps are now in just such a place.  A new overhead tunnel being built now will run outside of the building, providing another connection between Oakwood to Lupine and also branch (see what I did there) to the existing Chute, which will open onto the Bray, the new open-top expanse named in honor of James Douglas by his wife Jen.

   

Greenhouse 3 stands equally tall on the west side of the building. The chimpanzees from Wildlife Waystation love lounging on the high benches and the platform of the artificial tree, looking out towards the river and the railroad that runs beside it. Donors Vicky and David Fagerlee allowed the staff to choose a name for this indoor-outdoor space. They appreciated the creative puns often seen in blog titles by Chad and Anthony, but we opted to go for the more literal (but we think still poetic) name: Riverview.

Thank you again to every person who have made these spaces come to life and who will continue to contribute as we continue to add more exciting habitats!

Bananas for Kongs!

by

Today all three groups got food puzzles as daytime enrichment. The puzzles were Kongs filled with oats and mashed bananas and they were a hit to say the least.

Annie

Cy

Rayne

Willy B

BONUS: Mave looking good and relaxed in the green house