Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
It’s not the wilds of Africa, but Young’s Hill is looking pretty good this time of year. Even nervous Negra is exploring more than ever.
Negra:
Missy:
Jody:
Burrito, Missy, Annie, Jamie, and Foxie:
Burrito, Foxie (with Dora), and Jamie:
Annie:
Foxie:
Do you remember when Diana wrote to stay tuned for a new unveiling? Well, today is the big day!! Blog readers and sanctuary supporters, meet Twister; the chimpanzees’ newest climbing structure. The Twister design was conceived by J.B. with a starting idea by Nick and built by J.B., Keith, Josh, Becky, Mark, Jack, Jim, Brian, Gretchen, and Patrick.
Funds for building it were donated by friends of Bill Walters. He and his wife Nicki and their friend Dave were here today to see the chimps explore the structure.
Jody, Annie, Missy and Jamie checking out the newest addition.
Some of the chimps were daring enough to reach the top and take in the surrounding view.
Annie sitting on top and Missy just below.
Missy
Jamie
But, I think the highlight, and perhaps they would agree too, was seeing Annie and Missy playing on and in and around it. Here’s an action shot Katelyn took today of Missy and Annie.
Stay tuned for more photos and videos of the chimps exploring this newest addition to their 2 acre outdoor enclosure (Young’s Hill).
Today is a day for dual celebration. Not only is it Mother’s Day, but it’s also the day we celebrate Jody’s birthday. We don’t know her actual birthday, (she may have been born in the wild.) What we do know is that Jody spent decades as a test subject in biomedical research before coming to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. During those years in the lab, she gave birth to nine babies, so we chose Mother’s Day to celebrate her and to honor her as a mother.
It’s hard to fathom Jody never having had the chance to raise any of her babies. It’s equally hard to imagine that she was not able to learn and grow under the guidance of her own mother in the wild. Wrapping my brain around the reality of her past is heartbreaking. And knowing that there are so many other captive chimpanzees that share a similar story brings tears to my eyes. But, today is a day to celebrate; to celebrate Jody, her life and all that she has become since her new beginning at CSNW.
Because we have two very special reasons to celebrate, we set up two parties…one in the Greenhouse….
…and one in the Playroom.
Today, we honor the mother that Jody is by showering her with love and giving her some of her most favorite things…extra blankets for building huge nests, good food, flowers and alfalfa cubes. You can read more about Jody here.
Jody
Missy
Annie
Foxie
Jamie
Negra
Burrito
For each of us, every season holds favorite things to look forward to. That one special food, flower, sight, sound or scent that you can only enjoy at a certain time each year.
This spring I’ve watched the chimpanzees anticipating the growth of the wild greens on Young’s Hill and the fruits and vegetables in their garden weeks before anything appeared. For weeks Jody diligently marched to the top of Young’s Hill each day to see if the wild mustard or wild lettuce had begun to grow yet. The second the weather warmed up, Missy began asking us to open the barn doors to their playroom so she could see outside to her beloved garden. And every day she runs to the window next to where we plant her favorite cherry tomatoes each year, checking to see if they’ve magically appeared. This is the first year I’ve noticed the chimps demonstrating such clear anticipation for things to come with the corresponding season. It makes my heart so happy to know that they recognize they have favorite things to look forward to in their sanctuary home throughout the year.
Of course spring in particular offers a variety of favorites for each of the chimpanzees. Annie for example, loves racing across the expanse of Young’s Hill in a mad game of chase and wrestle with her best friend, Missy. But she also increasingly enjoys exploring and foraging on the hill in solitude. Just sitting and taking in the sky, the surrounding fields and watching the birds. Often she will be the only person out on the hill, perfectly content and serene.
And another of Annie’s endearing favorites as the season grows warmer? Toes. Yep, Annie loves to see human toes! The second she spots our feet in sandals she immediately blows raspberries (indicating she wants to see our toes right now!), grabs a tool, and races over to check them out, utterly mesmerized. Around here, the humans are pretty smitten with chimp toes and while I think their toes are a lot cooler than ours, I guess I can see why she might be fascinated by these strange things that probably seem so similar and yet so different to her own.
The Hoot! Gala this year was a huge success! The generous donations of many supporters this weekend has left the humans at the sanctuary buzzing with excitement for the future of the sanctuary! If you missed our newest announcements, check out the video below!
As I walked around Young’s Hill with Jamie this morning, I stopped and watched the chimpanzees play and forage together. Missy and Annie were two that caught my eye first. Two long time friends, enjoying each others company.
Annie and Missy have been best friends for years, but at some point there was an introduction and a beginning to their relationship. I cannot help but think about the other chimpanzees that may soon join the Cle Elum 7. We can only hope that they will form friendships like those that Missy and Annie have already established. Maybe even be a part of the Missy/Annie friendship?! When the newcomer chimpanzees get the chance to enter Young’s Hill for the first time, who will be their companion for their first outing? The possibilities are thrilling!
Yesterday, the chimps were treated to a fantastic party, complete with an early dinner forage and numerous evening puzzles to keep them busy as staff prepared for attending the big HOOT! Gala fundraising event in Seattle. And today, both the humans and chimps are recovering. Seems that partying and celebrating take a lot of energy.
In between napping and mellow play sessions, Annie and Missy spent some time exploring the top of Young’s Hill.
Annie
Missy
A most sincere thank you goes out to all attendees and volunteers who attended last night’s HOOT! Gala!! It was an extraordinarily fun and successful fundraising event!! Be sure to stay tuned for a recap of HOOT! tomorrow!
J.B. and I met Annie eight and a half years ago, along with the rest of the chimpanzees who were to become The Cle Elum Seven.
From the very first blog post we wrote about her (read it here), when we talked about Annie, we talked about her friendship with Missy. Her clear love for and reliance on her friend Missy was her defining characteristic.
But Annie is coming into her own.
While some of the chimpanzees are taking advantage of the sanctuary and living out the childhood that they never had (notably Foxie – just watch the video re-posted to the blog yesterday), I think Annie has been experiencing a bit of a rebellious adolescence lately.
It was clear from day one that Annie was at the bottom of the hierarchy of the seven chimpanzees. We’ve written about her anxiety and lack of confidence in social situations many times. And we’ve told you that her confidence has skyrocketed in the last few years. What we might not have mentioned is that she’s moved beyond confidence to downright moxie.
As a general rule, timidity is not a trait that is revered in the chimpanzee social world. Chimpanzees can be a rough bunch, and if you’re not prepared to walk your talk (or would that be walk your pant-hoot?), you might find yourself in a perilous situation.
While Annie remains sweet and soulful, she is learning that she can be just as tough as the other ladies and gent, and she is much less likely to back down during conflicts now. In fact, sometimes she is the one starting them. If she feels wronged, she won’t just have a self-directed anxiety-laden outburst as she did in the past, she will let the group know she’s not only upset, but she’s not putting up with it.
On Saturday, we will be raising funds at HOOT! for our Expansion Fund. We have some big dreams for the future of the sanctuary, and we will be sharing these, including a surprise announcement, at the gala.
We have received a matching grant pledge from the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Fund for $50,000. Laura Bonar, Fund Advisor for the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Fund and Chief Program & Policy Officer at Animal Protection of New Mexico, will be one of our special guests at the event!
That grant and the matching funds that we will raise on Saturday will go towards our first phase of expansion. This means that we will be adding more chimpanzees to the group in the near future.
We are still seeing the individual personalities and the group dynamics of the Cle Elum Seven change after almost eight years, and this will be a whole new and thrilling chapter in the lives of Annie and her six family members.
Who knows how we will be describing Annie’s position three or four years from now. What I do know is all of the chimpanzees will continue to change and grow and experience life in new ways.
I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
