Annie

Celebrating Jody on Mother’s Day

May 10, 2015 by Keri

In honor of Jody’s “adopted” birthday, we chose to celebrate today with a party!! Parties are a great way of celebrating special days and the chimpanzees love them. This morning was full of excitement as staff and volunteers Anna and Jake set up the party in the Greenhouse, complete with many of Jody’s favorite things, including streamers, blankets, socks, toys and fresh lilacs and grass.

This morning’s breakfast included fresh pineapple and kiwi and a grapefruit and banana smoothie with protein powder. We supplemented the fresh fruit with peanuts and primate chow as well.

Fresh flowers for Jody’s 40th birthday!

Once all of the party pieces were in place, it was time for the celebration to begin. The lilacs were a huge hit with the birthday lady as well as some of the other ladies in the group. The smoothie cups were a close second, at least for the ladies. Burrito went straight for the primate chow.

Jody

Negra

Missy

Foxie

Jamie

Burrito

Annie

Today we honor Jody for the strong, intelligent, beautiful and independent woman that she is. We truly admire her for her ability to make the most elaborate nests with blankets, bamboo, paper and whatever else she deems necessary for maximum comfort. We also admire her foraging ability (being able to gather as many food items as possible in her arms and mouth and still be able to walk). And we love her for her enthusiastic greetings, helping us out by getting stray blankets out of the doorways when shifting the chimps and rounding everyone up for meal times.

Happy birthday Jody and happiest wishes for all mothers of all species everywhere! And thank you again Tracy for sponsoring today for Jody and the rest of her family!

Happy Day

May 7, 2015 by Elizabeth

Today is warm and sunny at the sanctuary and the chimpanzees are in great moods. Annie and Missy spent much of the morning like this:

Photo shoot to photo bomb

May 6, 2015 by Katelyn

Missy isn’t typically one to sit and have her photo taken. She isn’t really a fan of the camera and let’s be honest, she has better things to do, places to go, and chimp friends to chase. But for whatever reason she was quite tolerant of me with the camera this morning as we sat in the sun together.

What isn’t seen in the above photos is Missy’s best friend, Annie, who was doing her absolute best to get Missy to play while I was taking these photos. Missy remained so poised, ignoring Annie’s efforts to engage her with play slapping, play biting, and stomping. That is until Annie decided to just photo bomb the photo shoot, hence, the blur of Annie’s face to the right of the photos below:

Of course, Missy couldn’t resist Annie’s attempts to play after this, not to mention it’s a little hard to pose for the camera when your friend is biting your hand.

If peace had a face…and toes

May 5, 2015 by Katelyn

The chimpanzees have all appeared particularly serene and at peace today. It’s a beautiful spring day, but the wind is especially cold and everyone has spent a lot of time lounging in the warm greenhouse as they looked out over Young’s Hill.

While we often try to imagine what these moments must feel like to the chimpanzees after decades of trauma and uncertainty, I doubt we ever fully could. I am grateful and hopeful that with each passing day these moments outweigh those that came before. And I am grateful and hopeful that these faces (and toes) say it’s so.

Annie:

Annie feet:

Burrito:

Foxie:

Jody:

Missy:

Jamie was tucked away in a cozy nest in the front rooms, one arm splayed out over her eyes and the other hugging her boots to her chest, sound asleep. Unfortunately, not a spot the camera can get.

And you’ll never believe who the chimpanzees were watching from the comfort of the toasty greenhouse…

Negra. Hair blowing in the wind, the hill to herself, and how peace looked for her today.

A Place to Rest

May 3, 2015 by Keri

These photos of Annie really stood out to me as I was going through the photos taken of the chimpanzees from today. There is something about Annie’s utter relaxation that shines through. I mean, granted, I’m a sucker for watching the chimps resting and sleeping; I don’t know many people who wouldn’t be. But what really gets me, is the thought of them in their cages before they arrived at the sanctuary and the fact that most of them probably never got the chance to lie down and rest like you see in the photos below. There were no blankets or fresh air or even the space to be able to stretch out while they were in the labs. It’s truly heartbreaking to think about what it means to not have the space, both physically and mentally, to rest and truly relax.

For everything these chimps have been through, they deserve a place they feel safe and secure in, a place where they can lie down and close their eyes, relax and just be.

Annie enjoying a quiet moment in the Greenhouse this afternoon.

In memory of Bill Blackburn

May 1, 2015 by Katelyn

Today’s day of sanctuary was generously sponsored by Darrell and Leissa Fode in memory of Bill Blackburn. They shared this message about Bill and their gift for the chimpanzees:

“We have chosen this day in memory of Bill Blackburn’s recent passing. He was the loving father of a dear friend, Natalie Oliphant. Who better to honour him than the adorable chimps at CSNW.”

Darrell and Leissa, thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees as you remember Bill and celebrate his life. All of us here at CSNW send our deepest sympathy to Natalie for the loss of her father, and to you both and all who loved him. We wish you all comfort and peace during this difficult time and are so happy to be able to honor Bill’s life here today.

A moment of serenity for Annie:

Fresh Picked Greens

April 27, 2015 by Keri

There has been a lot of talk these past few weeks regarding spring and the emergence of fresh green grass. Warm weather (minus the wind) and the appearance of the fresh grass signify the onset of spring here at the sanctuary. Most spring mornings the chimpanzees can be found lounging on the deck in the Greenhouse, where the morning sun shines on them.

This morning when staff member Katelyn and I walked up to the Greenhouse to greet the chimps, most of them lined up and gestured toward the grass growing just on the other side of the caging. We happily picked a few handfuls for them to enjoy as their morning snack.

After lunch, most of the chimps ventured out onto Young’s Hill, their 2-acre outdoor enclosure. Jamie and Missy set off on one (of many) walks around the hill, while Annie, Burrito, Foxie and Jody searched the ground for fresh grass and plants to eat.

Annie found a stash of fresh plants to forage on.