Yesterday we celebrated Dora’s 36th birthday! Caregiver Kelsi planned Dora’s party and made sure that we had all of her favorite miniature foods stocked for the occasion. Everyone enjoyed baby bananas, mini apples, baby lettuce, mini carrots and mini cucumbers in honor of ‘Lil Dora!
birthday
The Birthday Magazine
In today’s video, see Cy and Jamie enjoy Cy’s special edition, homemade magazine! We made this magazine for Cy as a present for his recent birthday and continued the festivities today by giving him (and Jamie) another copy. If you’ve been hoping to see this unique magazine, you are in luck today! Cy’s team of human caregivers sent in some pretty amazing pictures, and were graciously willing to share them with us all. Let’s dive right in!
This page requires some explanation. “The Beths” are a doll duo steeped in lore at the sanctuary. Mary Beth (in pink), was introduced to us when J.B. brought her for our white elephant gift exchange in 2022, and Kelsi was the “lucky” recipient. Kelsi somehow unknowingly picked Mary Beth in the gift exchange the next year as well, after having returned her to J.B. and Diana for safekeeping. Mary Beth is suspected to bring bad luck to whoever is housing her, as Kelsi’s car broke down when Mary Beth was riding with her, and Jenna hurt her back when Mary Beth was briefly with her. The doll in blue is Sarah Beth, who joined Mary Beth from an unknown source when she showed up in Kelsi’s clothing drawer at the sanctuary. Dusty got the duo at our latest white elephant exchange in January 2025, and has been updating us on all of their adventures together (Trader Joe’s trips, helping with cattle care, and even a trip to the Department of Corrections..?). Dusty is quite mischievous, so we don’t know where we might find “The Beths” next!
Cy’s Birthday Video!
Remembering Nutmeg
Nutmeg will always be remembered for his (usually) gentle and innocent nature. I hope you enjoy today’s remembrance video in advance of his birthday.
If you’ve been with us for some time, you may recall (or allow me to remind you) of the blog post Boyish Charm I wrote about the endearing qualities that Nutmeg seemed to share with Burrito as well as our big-headed-and-hearted dog Wilson, who has also since passed away.
I still don’t know what precisely it is about their “enchanting youthful demeanor” that fills me with such love, but I am eternally grateful for having experienced Nutmeg’s presence and big doughy personality, and to have been able to be with him on his last day last spring.
I hope you will eat an apple for Nutmeg tomorrow.
Happy 35th Birthday, Rayne!
Today we celebrated a special milestone – Rayne’s 35th birthday! Taking advantage of the perfect weather (cloudless skies and mild temperatures), we turned lunch into an forage out on the Bray. The birthday girl and her friends enjoyed warm soup made by caregiver Ellen and some extra-special smoothies while basking in the winter sunshine.
Anyone who knows Rayne knows that she’s the glue that holds our sanctuary family together. Her presence at CSNW is nothing short of a gift – she’s the kind of friend everyone wishes they had. When Cy needs a loyal companion, Rayne’s right there. When Willy B has one of his tough days and cant resist acting out, she responds with remarkable patience and understanding. And then there’s her food-trading ritual with Lucky, where they’ve worked out their own little system of swapping food items they don’t want during meals.
The sanctuary wouldn’t be the same without her steadfast, calm and confident presence. Here’s to you, Rayne – thirty-five years young and still making our days brighter!
I would also like to extend a special thank you to Paulette Wrisley for sponsoring the day for Rayne!
Lucky & Rayne on the hunt for snacks:
Rayne was a big fan of the soup that was specially made for her:
Rayne, enjoying her snacks:
Burrito Turns 42!
It’s hard to believe, but this young-at-heart chimpanzee is now 42 years old. Many thanks to Paulette for sponsoring this day in honor of her Pal!
Happy Birthday, Willy B!
Today is Willy B’s 34th birthday! We are so fortunate to be able to know, love, and care for this special chimpanzee. He certainly always keeps us on our toes, whether it be trying to understand the motivation behind some of his actions, or quite literally when he suddenly decides its time to play chase (never miss out on a game of chase with Willy B!)! There’s so much to love about Willy B from the silly faces he makes when he sees himself in a camera, the way he eats many crunchy foods (like fennel, with the side of his mouth munching on them like a rabbit), watching him crack open a coconut (see today’s video to enjoy this for yourself), his satisfied food grunts, his ever-growing bravery in conquering The Bray, witnessing all the small moments of friendship between him and the other chimps in his group, and so much more.
We celebrated Willy’s birthday with coconuts, pineapple juice cups, and banana chow cookies with a peanut butter frosting on top. In addition to the food festivities, we made sure Willy got to enjoy one of his favorite pastimes of watching videos of chimps. I think it is safe to say he had a great birthday! Happy birthday, Willy B!
