Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Below is a video of Negra and Missy playing in front of one of the windows that will soon be replaced with chimp-proof glass thanks to LUSH and the winter blog fundraising.
Update on our 3-more window Anniversary Fundraising soon – some exciting news to share!
Today’s weather seems like an April Fool’s Day joke! See photo:
It’s been snowing all day. It’s the first time the greenhouse has been tested with a snowstorm. The chimps have been out there all day, despite the complete lack of sun. J.B. just came by and reported that it is 66 degrees out there! And Burrito went out and played chase with him.
This morning, volunteer Denice made sure the chimps had plenty of snow to eat. Annie was appreciative.
Negra enjoyed an afternoon nesting / vine chewing session.
while Jamie used a vine to work on some project of her own making (with a boot by her side)
We decided it would be fun to celebrate April Fools’ Day with the chimps today. While we didn’t throw a full-fledged party, we did try to switch things up and do some wacky, unpredictable stuff. To start, we served dinner for breakfast. (Their traditional breakfast of smoothie and fresh fruit will be served for dinner, of course.) Negra, especially, loved the rice with apple puree in flour tortillas, and everyone was beside themselves when we brought out night bags at the end of the meal! Later, we thought we’d take a midmorning nap with the chimps. While Burrito thought playing was a much better idea, Jamie came over right away and enjoyed some quiet time with us.
As I write this, Jackie and volunteer Pam are preparing a dinner (or breakfast?) of banana smoothie, pears, oranges, and peanut butter waffles, and the chimps are keeping an eager eye on the process through the kitchen window. The Cle Elum Seven’s first (celebrated) April Fools’ Day seems to have been a success!
Studies have found that adult chimpanzees (like adult humans) don’t play as frequently as young chimps. Annie and Missy have been too busy playing to read those studies.
Happy Birthday, Chris! Thank you for sponsoring today for your birthday. What a great gift for the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees!
check out the Sponsor-a-Day calendar on our Donate page.
Although the girls have been spending the majority of the daylight hours playing, grooming, nesting, and resting in the greenhouse since it was completed, Burrito has been much more hesitant to go out. He usually has the indoors to himself during the day while everyone else enjoys the 75 degree weather outside. Even the lure of food hasn’t been enough to tempt him outside for more than a couple of very nervous minutes (and everybody knows how much Burrito loves food!).
He’s making remarkable progress, though. In the last few days, he has begun to come out into the greenhouse for a few minutes at a time (even with no food incentive). This morning, he spent about 20 minutes in the sun grooming Jody and playing with his human friends. I don’t think I can express how happy we all are to see him gaining so much confidence!
What else would Jamie do with a giant roll of paper??
