Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Annie

Rainy Sundays

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Well, today turned out to be a mostly rainy day. The chimps took advantage and tried to recuperate after the crazy party yesterday! Jamie and I got to fit a few walks in luckily, but otherwise the chimps spent their day playing lazy games of chase, napping, and grooming.

Burrito took a mid-day nap on the floor:

Jamie found most of the Playroom forage (big nuts) and snacked on it for a while:

Later, Jamie took a nice relaxing nap with her boot:

Annie also took a minute to lay down and rest:

Jody decided to keep it pretty low key:

Jody and Annie spent a lot of their day grooming and laying in any warm sunshine they could find:

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:

The infectious joy of grabbing feet

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Last week after the chimps’ enjoyed a St. Patrick’s Day party in the greenhouse, Jamie and I went for a walk around Young’s Hill together. Like many of Jamie’s walks, this gives some of the other chimps an excuse to spend some more time outdoors as well. Missy was a bullet of energy, running around starting games of chase with Foxie and Annie. Her signature move of the day? The foot grab!
Missy going in for the “kill” on an unsuspecting Foxie:

Foxie chased Jamie down the hill making similar moves to grab Jamie’s feet:

Annie yanking her foot from Missy’s grasp:

Spring has Sprung

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Spring has sprung and there is nothing but happy chimps here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest! We had chimps (Negra and friends) baking at the top of the platform in the Greenhouse, Missy asking for the barn doors to be open, Foxie playing wild games of chase, Jamie walking on the Hill & enjoying lots of grooming sessions with her boots, Burrito and Jody hanging out & grooming all day, and Missy and Annie chasing all over the place. Foxie was nice enough to let me get another photo shoot in and Jamie also let me get a few snaps before we started a game of chase this morning!

Foxie:

Jamie:

Jody staring out the Raceway towards the Hill:

Today is for Janice Clayton!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Carole Galuska in honor of her friend, Janice Clayton! Carole shared this really lovely message about her dear friend:

“I wanted to sponsor this 1st day Spring, in honor of my very good friend, Janice Clayton. I can’t say enough about what a good person Janice is. She volunteers and sponsors all sorts of organizations and has a never ending love for animals. She is truly one the most generous people I know, always thinking about what she can do for others. Last year Janice made my childhood dreams come true by bringing me to the chimpanzee sanctuary, I was absolutely thrilled. My love for chimps had started as a small child, some children beg for a pony but I drove my parents crazy with my desire to have a chimpanzee! For a Christmas gift this year Janice is bringing me back to the sanctuary for another visit this summer! She really has no idea how special this gift is to me. So I decided what better way to thank her again but to sponsor a day in her honor. Thank you JC for all that you have done for Steph and I over the years. You are such a special person with an amazing soul and we both adore you! We will see you soon Jody, Burrito, Annie, Foxie, Missy, Negra & Jamie!!”

Carole, this is such a wonderful way to celebrate Janice and we so appreciate you thinking of the chimpanzees and being part of their special home here.

Janice, thank you so much for all the good you bring to the lives of so many and for sharing your love of the chimps! It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate someone who brings so much  hope and inspiration to others.

Happy spring hoots from the chimps to you both (and everyone the chimps are so fortunate to call their family and friends)!

In honor of your friendship I couldn’t help but think of dear friends, Annie and Missy:

Happy Birthday, Phoebe!

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Today was sponsored by Brian Freyermuth in honor of his niece, Phoebe, on her 7th birthday! Brian shared this lovely message about his gift:

“Phoebe is my niece who is a lover of birds and all other animals and who gives me hope in the compassion and kindness of the next generation.”

Brian, thank you so much for giving us all hope in the future by sharing Phoebe’s compassionate heart with us! This is such a wonderful way to celebrate her and the chimps.

Happy Birthday, Phoebe! Thank you so much for caring about all the animals we share the earth with. It makes our hearts happy to hear of your love for them all. From all the primates at CSNW, chimps and humans alike, we hope you have the happiest day today! And how wonderful to be celebrating your special day on the first day of spring!

Annie is known for her “bird noises.” When she is feeling particularly content she whistles through her hands and we can hear her Annie-bird songs all through the chimp house which always makes us happy because we know it means she’s is extra happy.

Annie bird and bluebirds

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Everyone’s gathering. Red-winged blackbird, nuthatch, woodpeckers, squirrels. With each passing day we see the return of our wild neighbors. We’re still below freezing at night, but today is almost 60 degrees! And with that warmth returned the neighbors I’ve been watching for every day, the ones who announce it’s spring, regardless of the calendar: the swallows and the bluebirds!

When the chimps rushed onto the hill together this morning they all seemed to slow down, noticing the warmth of the sun and the air filled with birdsong. It was as if everything stilled for a moment and my heart sang right along with all the birds just watching the chimps take it all in. Spring has arrived.

When the sky is bluebird bright and clear, Annie in particular loves to find a perch outside in the sun and take it all in in relative solitude. Her bestie, Missy, was ripping and running back and forth beneath her trying to entice her into a game of chase, but it was some time before Annie could be swayed to leave her lookout. When she finally did decide to head inside she promptly made a nest in the sun streaming into the chimps’ playroom, put her feet up on the wall and sang her own Annie-bird song (whistling through her hands) that always means her heart is joyful and content. Missy came in and curled up next to Annie in the nest. And so our day went, all our hearts singing.