Annie

After Hours

June 23, 2016 by Elizabeth

After dinner each day, most of the chimps grab their blankets and bed down for the night.

Jody:

Negra:

But for Jamie, the day is just getting started.

Jamie likes to be in control. It’s hard to say whether this is a result of spending decades in a research lab where she was absolutely powerless, or whether this would have been her personality regardless of the circumstances she was born into, in which case it’s even sadder to imagine her stuck in a cage with no choices and no control over her life.

But not to worry; Jamie is making up for lost time. One of the ways she exerts her newfound power is by keeping the staff at work after hours. Before we go home each night, we close the door to Young’s Hill and make sure all the chimps are safe inside the building. As long as the door to Young’s Hill remains open, the staff are required to stay at the chimp house. Jamie is aware of this policy and will often run at top speed to throw her body into the doorway to prevent us from closing the door. This serves the dual purpose of buying her extra time outside in the evening, as well as extra time with her human friends/minions.

Until recently, Jamie has been the only one to take advantage of this “loophole.” She will keep her caregivers at work until 9 or 10pm some evenings, while the other chimps are snoozing away inside. But this summer Jamie has had some company during her after hours adventures. The other chimps are starting to see the appeal of warm, peaceful summer evenings outside.

Burrito:

Annie:

A Strawberry Solstice

June 21, 2016 by Katelyn

One of the chimpanzees’ favorite summertime happenings is their garden. Volunteer caregiver, Denice, and staff caregiver, Keri, are the driving forces behind this beautiful project each year. It not only helps us supplement the chimpanzees’ food supply, but it provides them with enrichment while adding beauty to their home.

As soon as the weather turned warmer this year the chimpanzees immediately started looking out the windows of the playroom to see if the garden had magically appeared overnight. Once things start growing we get to harvest fresh fruit and vegetables for them almost daily and they LOVE getting to choose what they would like and have their caregivers hand it to them straight from the garden!

With our first full day of summer arriving yesterday in conjunction with the stunning full Strawberry Moon last night, I thought it only appropriate to have a small strawberry feast this afternoon to celebrate. Volunteer caregiver, Ally, picked through the chimps’ strawberry patch as they watched from the greenhouse and then served everyone the fresh berries, still warm from the (official!) summer sun.

Burrito and Jody watch Ally in the distance. The entire time, Annie was banging her feet on the caging and Foxie was blowing raspberries to hurry Ally along with the strawberry picking:

Burrito:

Jody:

Foxie:

Annie:

Jamie:

Missy decided to wait down by the onion patch, but she was happy for a handful of strawberries:

And Queen Negra opted to avoid all the excitement in the greenhouse and wait it out in the comfort of her nest until I hand delivered some strawberries to her. She climbed down from her nest at Negra-style warp speed and though she was not interested in having her photo taken, she enjoyed her strawberries in peace with a view of the flower garden.

Year Seven

June 19, 2016 by Keri

Continuing the trip down memory lane in celebration of the sanctuary’s 8th anniversary, today is all about the Cle Elum Seven’s seventh year of sanctuary.

The seventh year of sanctuary would include moving the veterinary clinic under the newly constructed pole barn…

…adding a new climbing structure to Young’s Hill. It would be the tallest structure built on the hill to date. It is comprised of two climbing towers (Carlene’s Tower and Jamie’s Lookout), which are connected by a swinging bridge…

Jamie’s Lookout

Carlene’s Tower

…and perhaps one of the biggest highlights of the seventh year of sanctuary has been the addition of Positive Reinforcement Training (click on the link to read JB’s description of PRT at the sanctuary.) I think Diana summed it up the best; “Our ultimate goal with this program is to give the chimps the opportunity to participate in their own medical care, and to make it a positive experience for them.” The information gained from these training sessions is critical to providing the best care possible for the chimps.

Click on the link to read more about Negra’s progress in the PRT program.

The chimps also had some new visitors on Young’s Hill this year, including Hank the Hawk and Bernard the Eagle.

And here are some more highlights from the seventh year of sanctuary.

Thanks to the handy work (destruction) of whom we can only guess was responsible (most likely Jamie), the chimps got a new and improved bridge in the Playroom.

Foxie flips

Jamie enjoys Young’s Hill after hours.

Burrito doing what he does best, being a big kid.

And Jody doing what she loves, foraging for plants on Young’s Hill.

Annie’s increased independence.

Year Four

June 16, 2016 by Elizabeth

In celebration of CSNW’s 8th Anniversary, we are taking a trip down memory lane. Today we look back on the chimpanzees’ fourth year at the sanctuary.

By the beginning of Year Four, we had a long-standing dream of expanding the sanctuary and giving the chimpanzees a spacious, open-air outdoor habitat, unlike anything they had experienced in their lives.

Young's Hill – The Dream from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest on Vimeo.

By the summer of 2011, thanks to help from supporters Karen and Don Young and so many others, Young’s Hill was nearing completion.

The chimpanzees were able to watch the construction from the greenhouse, but it’s hard to say what they thought of it. We hoped that they knew it was for them. They were certainly curious.

As the big day approached, we all tried to predict how the chimps would react to the door to Young’s Hill being opened for the first time.

For most of them, this would be the first time in their long lives that they would feel grass under their feet and have an unimpeded view of the sky above. We guessed that they would probably be too apprehensive to stay outside for long on the first day, and that some of them would likely be too afraid to venture out at all.

We should have known not to underestimate them.

On the day that the door to Young’s Hill was opened for the first time, all of the chimpanzees showed astonishing courage by stepping eagerly into the great unknown. Watch video of their exhilarating first moments outside. It was an emotional day for the chimps and for all the humans who love them.

The opening of Young’s Hill set off a series of firsts for the chimpanzees that year. It was the first time they were sharing a habitat with other creatures, and they had to deal with a lot of strange noises.

Having lived in indoor or partially-indoor enclosures for their entire lives, they had never fully experienced weather or seasons. On Young’s Hill they encountered sun, wind, rain, and snow.

Despite their burst of courage and adventurousness on the first day, not everyone felt immediately at home outside. We saw the more confident chimps support and encourage the more hesitant individuals.

We all got chills seeing the chimps behave like a wild troop for the first time, now that they had a territory to patrol.

And we continued to be amazed as they stretched their legs and their horizons.

Thank you, Birgit!

June 16, 2016 by Katelyn

We are so fortunate to have THREE Sponsor-a-Day gifts today! Our second sponsor for this wonderful day is Birgit Neher! It’s amazing to think of people from entirely different corners of the world all thinking of the chimpanzees and wishing to make a difference in their lives as they honor a special time or person in their own lives. Especially on the same day. There is so much beauty and inspiration in that.

Birgit, thank you so much for holding the chimpanzees in your heart! All of us here at CSNW hope this day is filled with the love, joy and comfort you help to ensure their lives are filled with every day. We are truly grateful to you for thinking of the chimps today and giving them a life of sanctuary, inside and out.

Foxie and Kate:

Annie:

Jamie:

Happy Birthday, Julie!

June 16, 2016 by Katelyn

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Karen Olson in honor of her sister, Julie Olson, on her birthday! You may recall that Julie recently sponsored Karen’s birthday for the chimpanzees! Karen shared this special message about today:

“Happy Birthday to the best big sister anyone could ever have. Julie is kind to everyone, humans and animals alike. She will be happy to share her special day with the Cle Elum Seven!”

Karen and Julie, what a wonderful idea to trade the gifts of sponsoring a day of sanctuary for one another and the chimpanzees! Thank you so much! And Julie we hope that your birthday is the best one yet, full of all the good things that you bring to the lives of others.

Missy (left) and her best friend, Annie (right), being their usual joyful and goofy selves:

A Big, Joyful Day

June 13, 2016 by Elizabeth

We have a lot to celebrate today! Negra is turning 43, and it has been eight years to the day since the Cle Elum Seven stepped off the transport trailer and into their new home at the sanctuary. (If you haven’t already, check out Diana’s thoughts in this morning’s blog post here.) I think these photos from today’s celebration paint a pretty good picture.

Burrito:

Missy:

Foxie:

Jody:

Annie:

Jamie:

Jamie had an especially good day. At this year’s Hoot! gala, we auctioned off two pairs of fabulous white cowboy boots, procured and donated by auctioneer and friend of the sanctuary Laura Michalek. Maryam Salt, the winning bidder, is now the proud owner of one of the pairs, while the other is for Jamie, our resident boot enthusiast. Jamie was beyond thrilled when we presented her with this gift today. Thanks so much to Laura and Maryam!