Considering one human is responsible for keeping seven hungry chimps happy at meals, most of them go remarkably smoothly.
Annie
Happy Birthday, Karen!
This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Julie Olson to celebrate her sister, Karen Olson! Julie and Karen are long-time friends of the chimps and we’re so happy to join them in their festivities today! Julie sends this message about today:
“I am sponsoring a day for the chimps in honor of my sister Karen’s birthday. She introduced me to the chimps and I am so glad she did! She truly loves all creatures great and small except for spiders :-D”Â
Julie, thank you so much for sponsoring today in Karen’s honor! Your compassion and generosity ensure that every day is one of sanctuary for these amazing chimps and we’re truly grateful to you and Karen.
Happiest of birthdays to you, Karen! We hope your day is filled with Annie-Missy style joy and love! Well, maybe not the games of wrestling and chase at dangerous heights, but still the joy and love. 😉
Beautiful mornings
Annie and Missy each took moments to check on the staff and volunteer arrivals this morning before resuming their lively game of chase.
Today is in honor of Robert Ruggeri
It is a beautiful and peaceful day morning here at the sanctuary. Â 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):
Master Forager, Jody:
Negra:
Sunset over the sanctuary:
All day forage
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.
Keeping cool
Today has been all about enjoying the brilliantly sunny day while doing our best to keep cool. We’ve reached that wonderful time of year when we begin to remove the panels on the greenhouse and the chimps enjoy breakfast in the open air with a view of the hill. Volunteer caregiver Lizz made an extremely popular smoothie this morning (pineapple, banana and lime) and served apples and watermelon so the chimps were beside themselves.
Annie emptying her cup and Jody on the left licking up a drop from the caging:
Everyone was so happy this morning that even Negra couldn’t contain herself and initiated a wrestling game with Missy in the middle of breakfast (you can see a glimpse of Missy’s big play face!):
Foxie and Jody anxious for Lizz to pass out watermelon:
Foxie rubbing her toes in happiness:
After breakfast the chimps all headed out onto the hill with almost everyone heading to the top. Annie chose to go on her own exploration, as she often does:
Annie is her own woman. She has so many endearing habits – walking bipedally around Young’s Hill more often than not, making her Annie-bird noises by whistling through her hands when she’s particularly content, and lying on her back and blowing water out of her mouth to wash her face. With the temperatures hovering around 90, she has taken to doing this as a way cool off as well:
The chimps have been enjoying lots of frozen and watery treats today to stay hydrated and we even broke out the snow cone machine.
My favorite mountain lupines are finally blooming around Young’s Hill and there is an entire field that reaches inside and outside the perimeter of the chimps’ outdoor habitat. Walking through that area is my favorite part of the walks with Jamie this time of year. Sometimes the amazing scent wafts through the greenhouse:
For the first time I noticed several Melissa Blues, a small violet-blue butterfly I have typically only seen at higher elevations around the mountain lakes and rivers. There were so many floating around the lupine today it looked as if the flowers were taking flight:
It’s such a beautiful time at the sanctuary. Be it butterflies, flowers, beautiful days, exciting fresh food, or big-hearted humans, I’m so grateful for all the beauty, in all it’s varied forms, that surrounds the chimps every day.
Happy Birthday, Erin!
Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Shelley and Tim Connelly in honor of their daughter, Erin Connelly! They shared this message about today:
“We would like to honor our daughter Erin on her birthday. She is a volunteer at the sanctuary and will be graduating in June with a M.S. in Primate Behavior from Central Washington University.”
Shelley and Tim, thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees as you celebrate Erin and her accomplishments today! As one of our amazing chimp house volunteers, we’re so happy to be able to celebrate her special day with you!
Happy Birthday, Erin! We hope it’s the best one yet! Thank you so much for all your hard work for the chimps and your dedication to improving the lives and well being of primates living in captivity. Have an amazing day!
Beautiful Annie:
