Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Animal Welfare

Keeping It Clean

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It’s a safe bet that anything you give to a captive chimpanzee will go immediately into their mouth, and if it’s possible to swallow it, they will swallow it. Those of you who have expressed an interest in sending gifts to the chimps have probably been directed to our incredibly detailed safety guidelines for enrichment.

Occasionally we put out a few buckets of soapy water for the chimps – they like to play with the bubbles and sometimes they’ll even pitch in with some cleaning. Always keeping in mind that they can’t be trusted not to ingest whatever we give them, we use only a tiny drop of plant-based non-toxic soap. And that’s a good thing given Annie and Missy’s choices this morning:

Annie:

Missy:

Happy Birthday, human Jamie!

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Lynda Ferguson sponsored today in honor of her daughter, Jamie, for her birthday! Lynda shared this sweet message about today:

“I wanted to sponsor the chimps in honor of my daughter Jamie’s birthday. She is a very kind, caring, compassionate person, and loves animals with all her heart. I know she loves seeing the photos and videos of the Cle Elum 7 as much as I do, and she will be very happy to see a donation in her honor, going to such a wonderful organization. I hope we are able to visit the chimps one day soon. Happy Birthday Jamie!”

Thank you so much, Lynda! This is such a lovely way to celebrate Jamie’s special day and we so appreciate your love of the chimps and your compassionate contribution to their lives.

Jamie, all of us here wish you the happiest of birthdays! We hope you have a beautiful day doing whatever brings you a sense of joy, adventure and hope, just as you’ve helped bring the chimps.

Jamie Chimpanzee:

Social Primates

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While volunteers Chelsea, Erin, and Kailie were finishing up the big clean of the playroom today, I went in search of some chimpanzees.

I found all seven of them on the “top bunk” of the structure in the greenhouse. I was able to watch them for twenty minutes or so as they rested and groomed. There were frequent switches of grooming partners, with everyone receiving and giving attention at various times and then sitting quietly grooming themselves or dozing off.

It’s incredibly heartening to witness this rag-tag bunch interacting like a true chimpanzee family group. They definitely don’t always get along (no primates do, if we’re being honest), but these times of togetherness are a big part of who they have become. Even when they were focusing on themselves, they were just inches away from one other.

 

Here are a few photos of Missy and Jamie: