Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Annie

What’s in Your Pocket?

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I wanted to share a cute quick story from yesterday and today, which fits perfectly with our Comfort & Joy, the Quid Pro Throw online auction theme! Yesterday, we noticed at all points of the day Annie was carrying one particular blanket in her pelvic pocket all day. I was on the other side of the building cleaning most of the day, but at any point I saw Annie, she had this blanket in her pocket. I was finally able to snap a few pictures at the end of the evening. I asked Chad, who was lead in Annie’s side and he said he observed her with it a lot too! When Annie came to lunch today she had a new blanket in her pelvic pocket that she then proceeded to carry around for the day. I can only assume that the blankets Annie carried around seemed to bring her some sort of comfort, but we can never really say for sure.

The auction is going on now! You can bid on items for the chimps or yourself. Don’t miss out on all the fun, but don’t out bid me ;)!

Annie enjoying her evening popsicle with her blanket in tote:

Annie at lunch today eating avocado and holding a blanket in her pelvic pocket:

 

A Lucky Day

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Winter may officially be at the sanctuary, but that doesn’t stop our celebration train from rollin’ through! Today we got to celebrate Lucky’s birthday. Lucky was born on November 6th, 1991 and is the youngest chimp here at CSNW.

Lucky was born at the the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) and is a full sibling to Cy and half sibling to Rayne and Honey B. Lucky came to CSNW with the Lucky Six in 2021 and is in the newly integrated group of nine.

Lucky might seem aloof to many of our blog readers, since she is often doing her own thing, but she has a goofy side to her as well. She really, really enjoys grooming the scabs off of her caregivers, will make bubbly-sounding raspberry noises with her mouth when she wants something, and is known to scoot across the floor while grasping blankets in front of her (see more here). She is a sweet, sweet lady and we are very lucky to celebrate her!

We also want to take a moment to say thank you to our amazing supporter Paulette Wrisley for sponsoring this day for Our Lucky Star. We couldn’t do the things we do without our amazing supporters and we are so grateful to you!

Cy, enjoying his mango:

A close-up of Dora:

Lucky before her birthday lunch (and Gordo cheesin’ in the background):

Rayne with a mouth full of mango:

Willy B looking very handsome during lunch:

 

Let Tree-dom Ring

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Well, we have some exciting news! I am not sure if anyone picked up on Anthony or Chad’s very subtle hints, but today Jamie’s group received access back to the new and improved Young’s Hill! For those who might be wondering about Cy’s group, the Bray Hill isn’t quite ready yet.

This afternoon, watching the seven go back out into their outdoor enclosure was a spectacular event to witness! I will share a few highlights of the day and tomorrow JB will have a video with more details to share!

Annie trying out new structures:

Burrito exploring:

Fearless little Foxie:

Missy and Annie inspecting:

Jody:

Jody and Foxie checking out their new structure:

Chad took this photo of Jamie. To me, this photo is the epitome of sanctuary:

Also this photo of Jamie, she looks so happy:

Maybe one of the best highlights of the day is Missy being the first to climb the trees! We humans and probably Jo were all holding our breath, but also so excited to watch Missy agilely climb a tree for the first time EVER!!!

Jody watching Missy climb a tree:

Jody and Annie monitoring Missy closely from the ground:

“Here I sit beneath a tree. Heartbeat calm. Soul hums free.”

– Angie Weiland-Crosby

Terms of Endearment

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Most of us grew up having a nickname or two. Here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, we have quite a few nicknames for the chimps! We have shared their nicknames over the years, but with new chimps comes new names! I have gathered what I think are most of the nicknames from staff that we call the chimps. Some names are cute while others are silly, I know I am missing a few, but here they are!

Terry: Terrance, Sir Terrance, Tare Bear, T, Terry the Tongue, Teeny Tiny Terry (it’s funny because he is not tiny, but is a gentle giant)


Honey B: Little Bean, Bean, Chickpea, Chicky, Chickabee, Honey Badger, B, BB, HB, Beezus.


Gordo: Gordy, Gordito, G, Gordis, Flash Gordo


Lucky: Luck, Lucky Loo, Lady Lucky Love

Willy B: William, Sir William, WB, William Bones, Willard


Cy: Cy Guy, Sir Cy, CyCy, Cyrus, Sir


Rayne: Raynie


Dora: Dorie, Kanzi (the bonobo, she looks a lot like Kanzi!)

Mave: Mavie, Mavis, Mavereen, Mavie Baby


Mave+Dora=Mora

Burrito: Bubba, Bubs, Bubbie, Bubbert, Bubbalicious, Bub a lub a dub dub, Mr. B


Jamie: The Boss, Friend, James, J, Lady


Jody: Jo, Joji, JoJo, Farmer Jo


Negra: The Queen, Queen Negra, Neggie, Negalina, Eggy, Myyy Neggie


Foxie: Tiny, Fox, Fox, Eens (as in eensy), Fox-a-licious


Missy: Little Miss, Miss, Miss-Miss, Missidy


Annie: Miss Annie, Annie-bo-bannie, Annie Bird, Sweet Lady

Wow! We raised $46,035 in yesterday’s Giving Day for Apes! We are so grateful to all of our amazing donors!

If you are wondering about other ways to help support the sanctuary, check out our Amazon Wish List! Jamie’s birthday boots are still on the list!

Lunchtime With the Cle Elum Seven

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Meals are always an exciting time of the day around here! The chimps get fresh fruits and vegetables for all three meals of the day, along with forages and food puzzles throughout the day and evening. Everyone has their favorites, of course, and today Caregiver Katelyn prepared tomatoes, mini sweet peppers, and avocados for lunch!

Join us for lunchtime with the Cle Elum Seven on this beautiful October day. 🙂

Terry, inspecting his own hand:

Terry, noticing me taking photos:

Negra during a meal last week:

Missy, watching Foxie play with Caregiver Katelyn:

Lucky hanging out with me earlier this morning:

A thread of Burrito photos, because he’s handsome and I couldn’t pick just one:

Versions of Annie

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It’s been a busy day. Rather than write a detailed blog post, I’m sharing a simple portrait of Annie that I took earlier this afternoon.

Annie was lounging on the elevated platform in her group’s greenhouse enclosure. The chimpanzees who live on that side of the building have been closely watching J.B. and the Sage Mechanical crew as they put in another full day renovating Young’s Hill. I thought her expression (or lack thereof) made for a good portrait. I also included some alternate versions of the image, each edited in a unique way. Let me know if you have a favorite edit!

My “preferred” version:

The original:

Black and white with red and yellow hues lifted:

Black and white with blue and green hues lifted:

Increased contrast with “cinematic” preset settings:

This Is A Bit Munch

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Hi, everyone! It’s a *beautiful* Sunday here in Cle Elum and it feels like everyone’s enjoying it. Right now I can see Cy on the security monitors relaxing in the Mezzanine with a new magazine, a few mall walkers walkin’, and Jamie’s group relaxing after a lunch forage on Young’s Hill. For today’s forage we had baked sweet potatoes, mini sweet peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers… And the chimps were so very excited. Baking fruits and veggies might seem like no big deal to us humans, but the chimps (for the most part) love it when they get baked foods. Whether it be the texture change or the natural sweetness that comes from baking a fruit, they get all worked up in the best way.

Speaking of mealtimes, the other day I was sitting with Gordo at dinner and he allowed me to snag a few videos of him eating. If you’re anything like me, it is the bane of your existence when you can hear another human chewing their meals. It’s not logical, I know, but something about it just gives me uncomfortable goosebumps. Having the opportunity to sit and listen to the chimps eat, though, is the best. The humans have talked about it and for some reason most of us feel the same way- listening to the chimps eat with their food grunts, lip smacks, and munchin’ sounds just makes you smile.

You might not believe me and that’s okay, but don’t worry- I’ve compiled a six minute long video of the chimps munchin’ away to try and change your mind. 🙂

P.S: don’t forget that our annual fundraiser is coming up next week! On Friday, September 16th we will be celebrating the chimps at HOOT! 2022! You can read more on the celebration in Diana’s blog post here, but you can still purchase tickets for both in-person and virtual festivities. We will have a live and silent auction, with items so good that some of us caregivers are trying to figure out how to snag them without Diana noticing, and if you sign up for a VIP ticket (for either in-person or virtual) you will be registered to attend an exclusive, virtual tour of the sanctuary! Join us to celebrate the chimps and sanctuary next week! 🙂 See more by clicking here.

P.P.S: As a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit organization, we rely on your support to provide lifetime quality care and sustainable sanctuary for our residents. There are a variety of ways to support us- like helping us reach our goal of being rated a 2022 Great Top-Rated nonprofit by GreatNonprofits! It’s as easy as going here and clicking “Share Your Story”. The humans, and the residents, of CSNW say thanks in advance!

Now, some photos from today’s forage on Young’s Hill! 🙂

Annie, enjoying some peppers:

Burrito, mid-swing:

Missy snagging a tomato:

Negra searching for baked sweet potatoes: