Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
It’s our favorite time of year when the grass is green and so tall that you can barely see the chimps!
Burrito hidden in the grass:
Jody protecting and foraging:
Annie:
Missy:
However, with tall grass means patrolling for snakes becomes even more important (Missy and Annie looking for snakes in the morning which they did find one in later in the day):
And tiny Foxie:
I don’t think I see a day go by where it’s not demonstrated somewhere, somehow, that someone is thinking of the chimpanzees and how to make their day better in some way. Whether it’s gifts coming from afar via our Amazon Wishlist (including all the amazing Safeway gift cards that allow us to shop for all the chimps’ favorite foods and keep their fridge stocked with fresh produce!), companies who donate produce, someone sending a book or a boot or a doll, volunteers and interns who take the time to think of new enrichment the chimps might like, or who work to grow mini-gardens in the midst of construction, who sit and groom Jamie with a toothbrush while she falls asleep, who buy special treats when they come for their shifts, and countless other thoughtful gestures. Your donations, your engagement on the blog and social media, sharing your love of the chimps and their lives with others, including them in your celebrations and honoring and remembering of loved ones, supporting our gala and auctions, lending your time to help improve and expand their home, and the home of those to come. There are countless ways you each make a true and lasting difference in their lives. In the lives of us all, really. What a gift you each are to us.
Imagine having spent decades in small cage in a windowless basement, unseen, to having people across the world, near and far, thinking of you and you’re well-being every single day. It’s an incredible, incredible privilege to witness.
Today, the chimpanzees were given the gift of the most gloriously fluffy and flamboyant peonies from a long-time friend and volunteer’s garden! Jamie took her time picking up each flower and smelling it and then gently setting them down until she chose the ones she wanted. I missed photos, sorry! But Annie and Jody were particularly enamored with these amazing flowers and gathered armfuls of bouquets to just bury their faces in, inhale their intoxicating scent, and then munch on.
Annie:
I love Annie’s flower petal vampire teeth. 🙂
Jody:
This day of sanctuary was gifted to the chimpanzees by our wonderful friend, Robin Lundy! She shared this note about her gift:
“I am sponsoring this day for my friend Becky and her sister Karen. June 8th would have been Karen’s 61st birthday. Although Karen and Becky were perhaps not as rambunctious in their interactions with each other as when Foxie and Jamie wrestle themselves into the shape of a furry pretzel, or when Missy and Annie chase each other around Young’s Hill to grab each other’s toes, nevertheless, they were each other’s best friends.”
Robin, this is so lovely. Thanks so much for choosing to celebrate the special gift of best friends and sharing that with us all.
Becky, we hope your heart is full of joy, love and comfort on this special day. We’re so happy to think of you and Karen and are grateful to think of her legacy rippling out to make a difference in the chimpanzees’ lives.
Annie and Missy:
Rachel Ruggeri sponsored today in memory of her father, Robert Ruggeri, and shared this beautiful note about her gift:
“Today would mark my father’s 83rd birthday. And though he passed away six years ago in July, he is ever present in our thoughts and a part of so many of our conversations. My father loved to laugh and he found so much joy in the everyday antics of animals, most especially primates. He would be comforted knowing that the gang of seven now joined by the bovine bunch had found a future filled with peace and independence at the sanctuary in the quiet hills of Eastern Washington. I like to think that my father has also found that sanctuary somewhere in the ether…high above the clouds, but still within a distance to see all the beauty in the world he left behind. We miss him each and every day, but know that “sanctuary” is where we all ultimately aspire to be…”
Rachel, thank you so much for remembering your father in this way and for the difference you make in the chimpanzees’ lives by doing so. We’re honored to celebrate Robert’s legacy and wish you and your family a day of comfort and joy-filled memories as you hold him in your hearts.
Negra:
Foxie and Missy:
Jamie:
Burrito:
(clockwise) Honey, Betsy, Nutmeg and Meredith (front):
Jody, Foxie and Annie:
Young’s Hill is a magical opportunity for the chimps. It is a place to feel free, it is a space they can protect, a place to escape to be alone, and a place to play and have fun with friends. And to me that is sanctuary. I have a collection of photos of all the ladies on the Hill from the past week. I can’t explain how it feels to watch these 7 chimps go out on to Young’s Hill and that it’s just part of their every day life. That for some chimps like Jamie they get to do what wild chimps would do; patrol their perimeter. If they can’t be wild I hope all chimps get this experience.
Foxie:
Annie:
Jody:
Missy:
Jamie:
Negra:
The chimps’ dear friend, Meg Lunnum, sponsored today in honor of some new friends of hers!
“I would like to honor my new chimpanzee friends from the Tulsa Zoo, Suzy, Morris, Hope, Vindi, Bernsen, 5 year old Enloe and Jodi. The day I visited, it looked like they didn’t like kale very much but were having lots of fun with shredded sisal packing material. Based on the accommodations for the Cle Elem Seven, I always try to see if chimpanzees at zoos I visit are happy.”
Meg, thank you so much for looking out for chimpanzees everywhere and for introducing us to these lovely people. Enloe and his mama, Jodi, are awfully sweet. It makes us so happy to know that you hold the the chimps’ lives here as an example of joy and well-being. We’re grateful to you for helping to ensure that for them. We certainly hope for all animals, in captivity and the wild, to experience such things in their lives.
Beloved Annie:
If you needed something to make you smile or a good laugh, you have come to the right place!
We had a very silly Burrito:
A Jamie full of mischief:
Negra wasn’t quite ready to get out of bed this morning:
But Foxie and Burrito were grooming up a storm:
Negra did venture out to the Hill later in the morning:
Foxie wanted to play a very lazy game of troll toss in the green house:
Annie and Missy could be found lounging all around the chimp house today or rippin’ around Young’s Hill:
And the wonderful miss Jody spent her day quietly foraging on the Hill and napping in the green house:
