Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Animal Welfare

For Zach the awesome nephew!

by

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by long-time friend of the chimps, Stephen Maluk, in honor of his nephew, Zach Plastaras. Stephen shared this message about today:

“Zach, often known simply as The Nephew, recently graduated from 6th grade and is kind to animals.”

Stephen, thank you so much for including the chimpanzees as you celebrate Zach, his accomplishments, and so importantly, his kind heart. We truly appreciate all you and your family do to help us care for these amazing beings.

Zach, congratulations on your graduation! Thank you so much for caring about animals! It’s people like you who the chimpanzees and other fellow animals of the world will depend on in the future to care, protect and honor them and we’re really grateful to you for being their friend. All of us at CSNW hope you have an awesome summer!

Burrito:

We wish we were as cool as Missy

by

Missy is beautiful, kind, joyful, goofy, serious, independent, self-assured, and the most loyal of friends you could hope for; she’ll back you up no questions asked. Well, if you’re a chimp friend that is. When the humans have been deemed to have “wronged” one of her family members she is often the first to let us know and she will hurl her tiny self onto the caging in front of you with shocking force while repeatedly kicking it and threat barking in your face with all her might.

One of my favorite memories of Missy is a time when I was trying to serve her something and Jamie decided she didn’t want that to happen and let me know by hitting the caging and threat barking at me. Given that Jamie is the dominant chimp in this society, it’s her right to do so. Even though Missy had her hand out in anticipation, she immediately backed Jamie up and joined in threat barking at me, seemingly incensed that I had tried to do something so egregious. The second Jamie walked away though, Missy immediately asked for the item again (and gestured to be quick about it!) until Jamie caught sight of us and the whole scene played out again. Missy is brilliant at chimpanzee politics.

On nights that Jamie chooses to have the door to Young’s Hill remain open she will often seemingly employ Missy to guard the door while she goes inside to retrieve something she wants. Missy doesn’t usually have any interest in the door remaining open or not and is typically ready for bed, but don’t think you are going to close that door with her standing guard in the boss’s absence.

Honestly, Missy’s a bit of a thug. And we couldn’t love her more.

In other news, one of our volunteers, Jake, discovered the hit of the summer to come! It’s hot today and we were lamenting not having any ice to run through the chimps’ snow cone machine. The chimps have access to water all day, but we occasionally offer ice snacks to help keep them cool and hydrated. So Jake brilliantly decided to experiment with running frozen grapes and a touch of strawberries through the machine and it was an immense hit with chimps and humans alike! They literally melt in your mouth. Go immediately and buy yourselves snow cone machines and grapes to freeze!

Behold:

Happy Birthday, Negra!

by

Lucky June 13th. Today is one of the biggest and most special days of celebration at the sanctuary. Nine years ago today seven chimpanzees found themselves at the end of the road trip of a lifetime, having made their way across the country from a windowless basement in Pennsylvania and decades of use in biomedical research, to pulling up the driveway to a new life, a second chance, in their sanctuary home. A home that was created just for them. A home where every single thing that happens, where every single human who enters (in person or from afar) is to ensure their comfort, dignity, safety and well-being above all else for the rest of their lives.

And as such, this is also the day that was chosen as Negra’s honorary birthday because it’s the day her life was returned to her and her six chimpanzee friends. Today we are celebrating Negra’s 44th birthday!

To kick off the celebration, dear friends of the sanctuary and Negra’s pals, Althea and Ahmad Dani, are sponsoring this first of two days of sanctuary and shared this sweet message:

“Happy Birthday Negra! We’re wishing you the most beautiful and perfect day for the most beautiful and perfect girl! We love you very much! Althea and Ahmad.”

Althea and Ahmad have two of the most generous, compassionate hearts you could ever know. They share so much love and make such a difference in the lives of many chimpanzees and orangutans and we’re so fortunate to have them as part of our chimp family.

Althea and Ahmad, thank you so much for sponsoring the Queen’s special day and for all you’ve done to make it a celebration to remember!

Her Royal Highness / Birthday Girl:

Festivity preparations are in the works so be sure to check back later today as we all celebrate hope, love, home, sanctuary, and Neggie!

Today is in honor of Robert Ruggeri

by

It is a beautiful and peaceful day morning here at the sanctuary.  The chimps started their day, as they do most days this time of year, basking in the early morning sun coming into the greenhouse, and our neighborhood elk, Ellie, was still dozing in the shaded green grass when I arrived. Such a day couldn’t be more fitting as we celebrate a day of sanctuary sponsored in honor of Robert Ruggeri by his daughter, Rachel Ruggeri. Rachel shared this beautiful and touching message about her father:

“This day is in honor of my father, Robert Ruggeri, who would have celebrated his 81st birthday on June 6th. Though he passed away four years ago this July, his vital spirit continues to remain present in our minds and in our hearts. His love of animals was part of the fabric of his being – always with a dog by his side and happy to see all creatures enjoying their natural habit and the freedom that ensued. He would love nothing more than to see the chimps enjoying a sense of well-deserved peace and harmony among the acres of Eastern Washington, the place he himself fondly called home.”

Rachel, thank you so very much for your generous gift for the chimpanzees in memory of your father. We are honored to celebrate Robert and our hearts are with you and your family, hoping that the incredible memories you must have of him fill you with love and comfort. He sounds like such an amazing being and we’ll be holding thoughts of his special spirit here with us all.

Burrito, in all his courage, on top of the Twister:

Jamie and Foxie:

Annie (below) and Missy (top):

Annie and Missy top of Twister

Master Forager, Jody:

Jody with forage haul

Negra:

Sunset over the sanctuary:

All day forage

by

The chimps have had an exciting day of forages! Breakfast in the sunlit greenhouse, lunch on the stunningly lush Young’s Hill, and dinner in the playroom.

In the wild chimpanzees spend the majority of their days traveling and looking for food. Here at CSNW we serve most of the chimps’ meals by hand to make sure that everyone gets their fair amount and it also gives us the opportunity to check out any wounds and see how everyone is doing. That said, we take every opportunity to present the chimps with choices and activities that encourage their natural behavior. Forages are a great way to get them active and engaged and I imagine they often appreciate the opportunity to do as they please and not wait around for the humans to serve them their portions.

A beautiful lunch forage with Foxie and Dora:

Missy in the treat rock:

Burrito in the hammock! (Annie to the right):

Annie standing, Burrito to the right:

Annie checking out the tire swing for sweet potatoes, Burrito foraging in the grass:

Sweet Annie:

Missy had to stop several times to keep putting food back in her mouth and picking up pieces she’d dropped. She was not going to leave one piece behind!

Whew! She made it back to the greenhouse with her corn stash!

Jamie:

Beautiful Jody:

After lunch Jamie asked me to put on her boots and sit with her near the open panels of the greenhouse that face Young’s Hill so she could groom the boots. She eventually made a nest and decided to lie down next to me and enjoy the cool breeze. So I decided I should also have a nest and got a blanket to lie on next to her, a safe distance from chimps and caging. Before I knew it Burrito came over and sprawled out in the corner next to us, and Annie and Foxie curled up on the top platform facing the hill and we all just enjoyed a few moments of rest together on a peaceful spring day. Some of us (chimps) got to rest longer than others (me), but it was lovely while it lasted. 🙂 Sanctuary for us all.