Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Animal Welfare

All You Can Eat

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Chimpanzees love to forage. There’s something very exciting about knowing that a bunch of delicious food is scattered across a wide open space and that you are welcome to as much of it as you can hold. It’s like a treasure hunt with a tasty reward.

This afternoon we took advantage of the sun and blue skies and set up a lunch forage on Young’s Hill. Burrito kept his eyes on the prize:

Today’s winner, though, might have been Missy, who we saw hobbling along with a mouth and both hands full of the good stuff:

Happy Birthday, Jen!

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This day of gratitude was sponsored by Jen Wallace, wonderful friend of the chimps and sanctuary, as well as a member of our medical team! Jen shared this heartfelt message about her gift:

“On this day of gratitude I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for Diana, JB, Dr. Zamzow and all the staff and volunteers at CSNW. It is through the tireless efforts from passionate people such as yourselves that 7 chimpanzees have a better life. I am thankful for your continued work to rescue additional chimpanzees and other animals from lives of deprivation and misery. Thank you for all you do. (It also happens to be my birthday. This is my birthday present to myself 🙂 )”

Jen, thank you so much for your kind thoughts and for the generosity and compassion you share with so many, especially our fellow animals. All of us here hope you have a beautiful day!

Your pal, Burrito, might just think that given the food associated with this day of celebration, you might just have the best birthday yet. 🙂 Happy Birthday, Jen!!

Happy Birthday, Kery!

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The chimpanzees, our new bovine friends, we humans, and all the more-than-human animals of the world have a wonderful friend in Kery Shaw. With a heart as big as the sea, she stands witness to much that most of us couldn’t bear to see in order to bring light to dark places and she works tirelessly to connect and inspire people to grow compassion for one another, to make the world a better place for all beings who live here. Kery sponsored this day of sanctuary for the chimps and shared this lovely message about her gracious gift:

In honor of my birthday, today I celebrate the Cle Elum 7 who have given me great meaning to my life. They are a true source of hope and love. Today I celebrate the staff of CSNW, who have become like family to me. Their hard work, dedication, compassion and humility makes it an honor to know them. And I celebrate the cows, who I am so excited to meet. Today, I dedicate my birthday to CSNW. I am asking supporters and anyone reading this to check out my little fundraiser on their behalf. I share this with all of you in hopes of reaching my goal and finding a matching donor. My partner and I have put together a special video. You can find it on the fb fundraiser page. Thank you to everyone for your compassion and generosity! https://www.facebook.com/donate/344873209632252/344873212965585/

Kery, thank you so much for always holding the chimpanzees in your heart and thoughts. All of us here hope this spin around the sun is the best one yet! Many thanks for your big, lovely heart. Happy Birthday, Kery!

Guess who…:)

The Lookouts

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Chimpanzees tend to appreciate access to vertical space. The outdoor habitat (Young’s Hill) at the sanctuary, since it’s built on a hill and has several climbing structures, is prime lookout territory.

It seems particularly important for Missy, Annie, and Foxie to get up high and survey the land in the morning. With all that’s changing lately, there’s a lot of new stuff to view!

Here’s Jody, Foxie and Annie in the early a.m.:

Foxie took her new bright-haired Strawberry Shortcake doll with her to all the lookout points this morning:

Missy and Annie found their own private perches:

Here’s one view they had:

 

 

Cold, but cozy

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The mornings here at the sanctuary have been clear, but icy cold. The chimps have all been in good spirits despite choosing to spend a little more time indoors and most of them spent the morning thundering through the chimp house and anxious to play. But the afternoon has been for snoozing in warm, sunny spots.

Foxie was the most joyful, wild woman when we arrived this morning. Granted, she usually is, but this morning was next level! The second I walked into the chimp house she greeted me by repeatedly jumping up and play thumping the ceiling of the loft (my cue to jump up and hit the arch of the doorway in return – silly human can’t jump far) and then playing chase. It’s a thing. She spent the entire morning doing somersaults, pirouettes, hanging upside-down and playing chase with all her caregivers. As a result, she needed a few naps later in the day and curled up on the heated floor of the playroom in a sunny spot:

We refer to this as Foxie’s “dead beetle pose” which she usually does when she’s feeling playful or relaxing:

Once Foxie started dozing off, I saw Jamie standing over her attempting to get her to play by pinching her toes. But Foxie was too exhausted for any shenanigans so Jamie eventually gave up and decided to bring her new boots over to just hang out with her friend:

Jamie has been carrying her new boots from friend, Kelsi, around all morning to nest with:

Sooo sleepy:

The chimps aren’t the only ones feeling sleepy and looking for sun puddles on these frosty cold mornings:

Nutmeg and Honey:

Betsy:

As soon as J.B. put fresh hay out for them yesterday they all four promptly curled up on it together in the sun, enjoying breakfast in bed.

Meredith and sleepy Nutmeg on a hay pile in the sun:

Betsy and her “baby boy,” Nutmeg:

Nutmeg:

Kelsi and Jamie are out for a pre-dinner walk before the sun sets over the hill and Negra should be clapping her demands for dinner service from the loft any second. Hoping you all are also finding the joy and cozy in these beautiful crisp mornings, be they your autumn or spring.