Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
For the first time in what feels like forever, we have had some consistent sunny days with the temperatures in the 60s. A sunny day with slight overcast in 60º weather and the slightest of breezes are the perfect conditions for the first forage on Young’s Hill of 2022!
Annie:
Burrito:
Foxie:
Jamie:
Jody:
Missy:
Negra:
Annie and Missy:
It’s going to be a busy Monday here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest- a produce delivery, a facility inspection, some staff training, ongoing construction work, and all the usual chores- so today’s blog post is short and sweet.
Here’s a photo of Foxie enjoying the views from “The Portrait Studio” (Front Room 4), complete with a colorful doll companion.
We are pretty darn excited about the expansion projects underway at the sanctuary! I predict Jamie is going to LOVE her new patrol routine.
Learn more about all that’s happened the last two years and the future/current projects on the Future of CSNW page on our website.
Construction costs have gone way up, so if you have the ability to donate, we would really appreciate it!
In addition to all of the various ways you can contribute every day, there will be a few special opportunities throughout the year, including the upcoming GiveBig and the in-person HOOT! fundraising fête in September. Reach out if you want to talk to me about donation and sponsorship opportunities.
Today was a warm, sunny, and windy 56F degree weather day, perfect to enjoy from inside the green houses. All three green houses were packed with chimps napping and relaxing all afternoon. Jamie and her six friends went on multiple walks around the hill only to come back and relax again. Willy B, Mave and Honey B got access to the Courtyard where Willy B spent a big chunk of time basking under the warm sun. He did not seem to mind the Spring wind at all. The girls remained in the chute enjoying the day. Lucky, and the other five members of her group spent almost the entire day in the green house as well. With optimal napping spots up in the platforms, and raisin board enrichment as extra enticement, it was no surprise that it was just the place to be all day. Even the cattle and Barn Kitty were spotted enjoying this day in the most relaxing ways.
Gordo using a chopstick to get raisins from the raising board enrichment his group got today
Rayne napping…until she heard the “click” of the camera…sorry 🙁
Lucky resting but watching my every move from the platform in the green house
Dora napping
Jamie on the top platform of the original green house, next to a boot…of course!
The cattle in their most relaxed form courtesy of Caregiver Chad who took this photo today while on cattle care.
Even Barn Kitty was into the sun’s warmth for some nice resting time
Today we will round out our Chimp ID Series of the Lucky Six! Though she is last in this series, she is certainly not the least. Today is all about none other than Dora!
When Dora first arrived here, she was a bit of an enigma to the caregivers. She was very quiet and reserved, and wanted no interactions with the humans outside of meal time. Though she loves spending time with her chimpanzee family, she also enjoys were alone time equally as well.
As the months went on, Dora really started showing her personality to the human caregivers. She let them know that she indeed loves to play.
Just like a certain someone we all also know well, she is tiny but fierce. Dora is in the fact tiniest member of her group. But despite her small stature, we have seen her step up to the big guys in her group if they get too rowdy.
In fact, today Willy B began displaying in the Oakwood Greenhouse while she was grooming Terry in Riverview. As Willy B was displaying, Dora was the first one to begin to respond to his displays with pant hoots and a swift kick to the caging that separates them.
For us caregivers, it is this tiny body that allows us to identify her easily. But as you may have noticed, though she has a tiny body, she has big eyes. Her eyes are very unique to her group. This is another feature we use to tell it’s Dora.
We are really only starting to get to know Dora, and can’t wait to see her shine!
Although years, days, and seasons are observable phenomena supported by astronomical measurements, the custom of starting our calendar year in early winter seems comparatively arbitrary.
Personally, I tend to feel that western cultures missed a grand opportunity by not using the spring equinox to mark and celebrate another long journey around our star. The logistics of that switch may get a bit messy, but I would support it symbolically… in spirit.
For one thing, spring is accompanied by the start of baseball season. That’s reason enough for me to regard it as a “new year.”
Importantly, it’s also a time of rapid transition around the sanctuary. We caregivers witness the local wildlife emerge from their winter dens (MARMOTS!), the pastures develop a tinge of green, and the chimpanzees venture outside for both recreation and reconnaissance. (Also, there are marmots.) All of these little signs gradually accumulate, day by day, until the landscape is bursting with wildflowers and songbirds and we’ve forgotten all about the winter snowstorms.
In honor of this “new year”/equinox, I’m sharing some recent photos that feel undeniably spring-like. (Did I mention the marmots already?)
Cy has been trying out different ways of retrieving the walnuts out of the fire hose knot puzzles over the last few months. The last few times that I’ve been in the chimp house when Cy’s group has gotten fire hose knots, I’ve seen him chew the nut while it’s was still in the fire hose, then suck on the fire hose, I suppose getting some essence of walnut out of that process.
Last night, however, I was lucky enough to get this video of Cy’s new, and more fruitful, method of getting that sweet, sweet walnut reward.
