Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

best friends

Best Friends Playing Video

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A couple of weeks ago, I took a short video of Annie play-poking Missy in a really sweet and affectionate way and thought it would be great to put on Instagram (@ChimpSanctuary). The video got so much play, I then shared it on the sanctuary’s Facebook page and watched as the number of views and shares far surpassed any other videos we’ve made. (20.7k views and 4,275 shares as I type this).

So, I thought I’d put together the video properly with the full screen view!

A lot of people tagged friends, spouses, family members because Annie reminded them either of themselves or others.

Enjoy!

And feel free to share 🙂

taking care of each other

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Today Annie and Missy spent a good part of the hot afternoon grooming each other in the greenhouse.

Notice in the photo below that Missy is grooming her own arm with a twig while Annie grooms her head. Classic Missy.

Annie grooming Missy's head

 

Missy had a bit of an injury to her left eye (nothing serious), so Annie was very interested in that, but she took her time working her way around to grooming that spot:

Missy and Annie grooming close-up

 

Once she got there, she didn’t hold back:

Annie grooming Missy's eye

 

Annie grooming Missy's eye close-up

 

It turns out that Annie had a bit of an injury on the back of her left year, which I noticed because Missy noticed it. In this photo and in the one above when Annie starts grooming Missy’s eye, both chimpanzees have a relaxed face with slightly parted lips – a sign of concentration.

Missy grooming Annie's ear

 

Though injuries and even old scabs are really interesting, there’s always different areas to check out – here’s Annie removing something that was stuck to the hair on Missy’s arm:

Annie grooming Missy's arm

 

Who needs a spa when you have such fastidious friends?

Annie grooming Missy's head close-up

 

Annie

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Annie and Missy have been best friends for years.

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In fact, their friendship was evident during our very first visit to meet them in the laboratory. But the relationship wasn’t always equal. Missy has very clearly always loved Annie, but for Annie, it was more than love. For a time, she was completely dependent on Missy. She would become visibly anxious if Missy even started to play with another chimp. And when Young’s Hill was built, it made it possible for Missy to go off on her own and not even be within Annie’s sight. When that happened, Annie would sit at the bottom of the hill, rocking, and waiting for her friend to return safely.

Thankfully, Annie has grown more confident since then. These days, she seems totally content to sit on the hill by herself while Missy is off patrolling with Jamie.

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It seems that Annie has learned to navigate the world on her own, even if it’s only for ten minutes at a time.

Candy Cane Weekend Deals & Holding the Blog Hostage

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I need to hold the blog hostage. I have a great video of Burrito to share, but first, we need some more photos on the chimps’ Holiday Pal candy canes. We’re jumping on the Black Friday, Cyber Monday bandwagon (and don’t forget that Giving Tuesday is coming up!), and we’re offering two deals on the first ever “Candy Cane Weekend.”

Starting right now and only through the end of the day Monday, you can take advantage of the following deals:

#1 – Become an Alpha Pal to all seven chimpanzees at the reduced rate of $1500 (normally $1,680)! Be the first one – donate now!

#2 – For anyone who signs up for the Best Friends Pal level, in addition to the awesome best friends Annie and Missy necklaces (one for you and one for your best friend), we will send you a hot-off-the-press Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest 2014 calendar as a bonus gift! Donate now and celebrate the gift of friendship.

Help us fill up those candy canes so I can share the video of Burrito later today. Thanks so much for your support!

I know you want to see the video…

Burrito and the bed bug toy