Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Annie

Captured Moments

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It’s the day after the 2015 HOOT! Gala fundraising event and we couldn’t be more thrilled! The event was such a huge success and we cannot possibly begin to thank all of you enough for your continued support for the Cle Elum Seven!! It is truly a blessing to know there are so many people that make up this sanctuary family! It’s clear that people near and far have fallen in love with these seven chimpanzees! I’ll leave the details of the event for Diana to write about on the blog later this week. Be sure to tune in for highlights from the big event!

Here are some moments we captured of each of the chimps from today.

Negra sat on the bridge in the Playroom looking toward the window that overlooks the neighbor’s farm.

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Jamie photo bombed this picture of Negra, as she made her way down the railing to where I was standing taking photos (I didn’t notice she had done that until reviewing the pictures).

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Jamie on her way down the railing.

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Jamie checked out her surroundings on Young’s Hill.

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Annie spent some time grooming her leg while in the Greenhouse this afternoon before walking in the tall grass on Young’s Hill.

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Missy enjoyed a cup of water…

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…and then groomed herself.

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Jody took full advantage of the quite afternoon and warm temperature to rest before going back out on Young’s Hill.

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Foxie lounged with one of her troll dolls on her belly before making her way up to the new climbing structure on Young’s Hill.

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Burrito made his way back toward the Greenhouse from the newest climbing structure by walking bipedal in the tall grass.

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Foxie’s in charge now!

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The chimpanzees were ready and waiting for the door to Young’s Hill to be opened this morning after breakfast. With chow bags in hand, they all filed out of the raceway and headed straight for their new climbing structure. And Foxie was leading the way, with purpose and intent in every step! Everyone else just fell in behind her, even boss lady, Jamie.

Foxie, followed by Annie, Burrito, Missy:

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Jamie catches up (crossing over the log):

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Look at these chimps! Jody joins the troop in the lower right corner:

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And today, Negra brought up the rear! She remained a rebel and chose not the follow the others initially, instead sticking closer to the greenhouse to forage in the grass:

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Foxie was the first to climb the tower as well, and all except Negra joined her under the roof as they ate their chow together. I can’t express how amazing it was seeing them all sitting together in perfect calm and peace, taking in their new view. Unfortunately, by the time I reached them with the camera, all had started heading back down the hill except Jamie:

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Once again, even the boss was following Foxie:

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But who do you think I spotted walking out from under the new structure? Oh, just Negra! Today she decided to see what all the fuss was about I guess and although she didn’t climb the structure, the fact that she walked all the way to the top of the hill to see it was incredible. As she calmly ambled back down the hill she was beside herself at finding a huge patch of wild mustard to eat:

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I could barely see her, but she finally peeked out at me:

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The chimps have spent the entire day traipsing all the way up to the new structure, hanging out on the towers, and then coming back down and cooling off with a nap in the cooler play room. I think they may be adjusting to the additional exercise! Once rested they would all head back up again. And so it was all day. Play, repeat, play, repeat.

At the end of the day we had a gorgeous thunderstorm roll through. I went out to check on the chimpanzees as they typically head for the chimp house at the first sound of thunder. Almost everyone was back in the greenhouse, even Jamie, but when I looked up at the towers I spotted Foxie, Annie and Missy, showing no fear or nervousness, seemingly watching the storm in awe. I couldn’t believe it!

Annie and Missy chose the covered tower to observe from:

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And Foxie? Out in the open, all on her own, braving a thunder clap as she peeked over the edge of the railing. I adore this photo:

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My heart has been full to bursting all day at the sight of the chimpanzees embracing their new options with such courage, determination, security and joy. I keep thinking about the contrast their view of the world held seven years ago, living in a windowless basement in cages no bigger than a bathroom stall. Imagine the awe and wonder they must feel now.

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New views, new perspectives

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What an amazing day we’ve had here at the sanctuary! Everyone worked so hard to complete the chimpanzees’ new structure on Young’s Hill early and even had it ready in time for a chimpanzee inspection and lunch forage.

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The chimps were SO excited as we opened the raceway to the hill, pant-hooting, food grunting, and hugging each other in excitement and reassurance. Everyone filed out and quickly made their way to the top of the hill to check things out. Surprisingly, Missy wasn’t the first person on the structure, but she wasn’t far behind Jody, Annie, and Jamie who led the way. And just to warn you, you may have to look a little harder to see the chimps in some of these photos, but we hope it gives you an idea of their new perspective on things!

The new structure is the highest on the hill at about 16 feet high and the chimps’ view is incredible! Annie was one of the first to go up and take it in. She looks so small!:

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Annie looking below the tower:

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Jody was fearless and explored the entire structure with confidence and her new found athletic skills (she is on the shaky bridge as Annie watches from the platform):

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Burrito foraged in the gorgeous new bamboo below the structure initially:

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But it wasn’t long before he joined Annie and Missy (walking on the hand railing, naturally) up top:

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Jamie on the bridge:

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As we’ve previously written on the blog, it wasn’t that long ago that Foxie wouldn’t have felt comfortable exploring this new structure right away. She initially foraged and assessed the situation from below with her troll. But it didn’t take her long to climb right up and explore:

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Never one to take the easy way, Missy climbs one of the posts:

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Those six small, black, specks on the structure are all of the chimps except Negra. This view is from the top of Young’s Hill looking toward the chimp house and the roof in the lower left hand corner is the barn:

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It took a bit for Negra to decide to leave her comfy nest and venture onto the hill to see what all the excitement was about. Being the clever woman she is, she chose to enjoy the forage closer to the greenhouse, which really was pretty smart given that she had it to herself. This was one of the only sightings of the Queen as she disappeared in the tall grass and shade:

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And you can probably guess who the speck of a fearless woman in the following photos is…Missy, of course, had to test out tightrope options. After all, why be boring and take the bridge between the towers when you can walk across on the fire hose? (Honestly, I think we all had to remind ourselves today that even though we shuddered seeing them so far off the ground, they were doing what chimps are meant to do!):

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Her best friend, Annie, waiting to greet her at the other end:

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If you look closely, that tiny looking chimp walking on the hand railing of the tower is the boss lady, Jamie:

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Jamie takes in the view of her kingdom:

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In two weeks time we will be celebrating not only Negra’s birthday (June 13th), but the chimpanzees’ 7th year in sanctuary. It’s hard to believe how far they’ve come since they arrived. The ghosts of themselves they arrived as, the fears, anxieties, and uncertainties they carried, are shadows of who they’ve become. Shadows that grower fainter by the day. We are profoundly thankful to all of you who have made this possible for the chimpanzees and can’t wait to share all that lies ahead with you.

Seconds, Thirds and Fourths…

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We put out a lunch forage on Young’s Hill this afternoon and everyone but Negra went outside right away to gather their favorite foods. Some of the chimps made their way back to the Greenhouse to enjoy their tasty morsels out of the wind, while others stayed out eating and foraging along the way. After they had their fill, most of the chimps stayed in the Greenhouse and either napped or groomed one another.

I went out a few times to check on them throughout the afternoon and each time one or more of the chimps was back out on the hill, foraging for the pieces they didn’t find earlier. I love lunch forages because they last all afternoon.

If you were given a choice between raw carrots, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, onions, brussel sprouts, mixed peppers or mushrooms, which would you choose?

Annie seemed to really like the combination of carrots, sweet potatoes and primate chow (by the mouthful).
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Missy bypassed the veggies and harvested some fresh green plants to eat on her second outing.
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And on what may have been Missy’s fourth trip out onto the hill to look for left overs, she came back to the Greenhouse with a handful of raw mushrooms.

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Negra did eventually brave the wind and spent time eating primate chow and grass before returning to the Greenhouse.
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Annie Evolving

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Annie was not brimming with confidence when she arrived at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. (This is an understatement.) She had a couple of things working against her: her position at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, and decades of history in research labs during which she lived in fear and frequent pain. She had every reason to believe that the world was not kind.

During her early days at the sanctuary, Annie had regular anxiety attacks. If she felt threatened by another chimpanzee, or sometimes for no discernible reason at all, she would throw herself on the ground while screaming and flailing. She was glued to her best friend Missy’s side, and would become noticeably agitated if they were separated. At the sanctuary she was given space to roam, other chimps to play with, nourishing food, and caregivers who adore her. But she was not at ease.

Fast forward almost seven years, and Annie is a different person.

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She has shed her old demons and has been hard at work building a whole new Annie. This new Annie is filled with peace and joy and wonder. She plays with friends and stands up for herself during family disagreements and claps her feet and makes bird noises and is not afraid of solitude.

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This new Annie greets the world with a glint in her eye.

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Good Clean Fun

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Today after cleaning the playroom, we put a small drop of non-toxic dish soap in the pool and filled it up with water. The chimpanzees all enjoy soapy water. Jamie sometimes uses it to scrub the floor, while others like to take big mouthfuls of it. They seem to like the sensation of the foamy bubbles in their mouths. There’s no denying it – bubbles are just fun.

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Annie:

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Foxie:

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Jody:

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The lush life

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Today has been steamy and warm, dark skies threatening to rain in between bursts of hot sun, but not a drop has fallen. Life is full and lush this time of year. It feels as though you could see things grow if you watched close enough. The air is heavily scented with wildflowers and woven with the trilling of birds, the hum of honeybees, and the slow whine of grasshoppers.

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Our bluebird pair, despite being gifted with some lovely bluebird houses made by Daniel Anderman and kindly donated to the sanctuary by he and his family, have seemingly chosen to nest on Young’s Hill. Not the wisest choice, but so far they’ve gone undisturbed by the chimpanzees:

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While all this was happening outside, this was happening inside: Foxie napping.

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When Foxie is happy and content she rubs her toes together. I wonder what she was dreaming about?

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It must have been an adventure, because minutes after these photos were taken, Foxie suddenly woke up, swung through the greenhouse with her hair standing on end (pilo erect), Dora the Explorer in hand, and marched with purpose toward Young’s Hill. Her behavior was the same she exhibits when she wants her caregivers to chase her, but what happened next? Everyone, even Jamie, suddenly fell in line behind this mighty little lady with a purpose, as she led them out onto Young’s Hill.

Foxie and Dora lead the way with Jamie, Jody, and Burrito following:

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Foxie, Jamie and Jody:

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Annie and Missy bringing up the rear (Negra was fast asleep in her nest for this adventure):

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Everyone began to disappear into the tall, lush grass as they foraged for wild plants. Occasionally, I caught glimpses of them in between the structures and bamboo.

Jamie and Foxie:

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Burrito:

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Foxie:

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Missy:

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Jamie:

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Who knows what, if anything, Foxie may have been dreaming about before leading the way onto the hill, but it brings to mind the words of Thoreau, “Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.”

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