Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

blankets

Fort B Access Granted

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There are times I wish I was able to peek into the chimpanzees’ thoughts to see what they actually are thinking. For instance, I really wish I could peek into Honey B’s mind to see what that brain conjures up imaginatively.

For the six years I have known her, watching her has always been intriguing. If you were able to watch her almost every day, you too would understand that mind is running on all cylinders at all times. From the luring in of unsuspecting caregivers to spit in their face, to the placement of toys in places to mess with daily shifting, to her strategic placement of items when she is building her nests, and yes, to some how figuring out how to steal a hose while the caregivers were away.

I was spending time with her in the afternoon while she was in the mezzanine. She was specifically in the area commonly know as “the cubby.” If there is an spot in her areas that she without a shadow of a doubt love, it’s that little spot. She was in such a playful mood (with me at least), spinning around on her back, making her little grunts of happiness that serenades my ears. She reached outside her area, grabbed a purple blanket and drug it in. Draping it over her head, she grabbed two corners and held them up into the cage mesh.

It looked like a little tent or fort. Honey B then invited me to come closer. It was like we were both playing a little game of “fort,” which she seemed to think was fun.

It was really reminiscent of being a child again, playing fort and telling secrets. And as it happens somewhat frequently, I missed a grand opportunity. I was telling my friend about it, to which they asked if I had a blanket on hand to complete Fort B. Unfortunately, I did not since I had not anticipated this fun little game. Next time though! (Hopefully there is a next time.)

Side note: here is Honey B’s mother, Missy, utilizing a fort during “Blanket Fort Day.” Missy was enjoying her food puzzle and watching that young whippersnapper, George, as he was on the Bray earlier.

*Bonus Photos*

Terry munching on his dinner carrot
Willy B enjoying his night bag

My Favorite Subject

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On busy days, we often look through the photos on our phones to see if we can piece together a blog post worth sharing. As I was doing this today, it became apparent that I have a fondness for a certain subject.

The photos are all slight variations on the same theme: Negra, nesting atop the greenhouse climbing structure under a mountain of blankets. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall, when I arrive for work and walk through the chimp house to say good morning, this is where I know I will find her. And it seems I am compelled to snap a photo each time. How could I resist?

Cold November Rayne

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Okay. So the title is a little misleading. Besides it being cold and snowing outside, Rayne has stuck to being inside most of the day, nice and warm in a nest. I just had a certain song performed by an 80s rock group stuck in my head today.

Today is, however, our monthly staff training day. Since training takes up most of the afternoon, there wasn’t much time to capture photos for a blog. To compensate, here are some photos, old and new, of Rayne looking snug as a bug in a rug!

Foraging

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Now that it’s cooled off a bit, the chimps in Negra’s group are spending a little more time on the hill. We started the day with a breakfast forage, which lured Negra out of her nest and into the great outdoors.

After spending a considerable amount of time foraging, she decided to take the remainder of her breakfast to go and made her way back to the comfort of her greenhouse nest.

Burrito and Jamie also stuffed their mouths with fruit, including apples from our very own orchard that Diana picked the other night.

This is a good example of why we don’t forage all of the chimps’ meals – there’s just no controlling how much each will get! There’s a good chance Jamie’s got some food in her feet as well. I guess it takes a lot of calories to fuel all those walks around the hill.

Missy, who will turn 46 on Monday, set out to demonstrate that age has no bearing one’s athletic abilities.

Jody agreed, adding that she had never been very athletic, even when she was younger.

Nevertheless, she eventually made it to the top of Negra’s cabin to search for more treats.

Annie sought a bird’s eye view of the action.

Later, Jamie, Burrito, Missy, and I went for a walk around the hill, stopping momentarily to reenact the scene from the original Charlie’s Angels poster.

For a short while, Burrito led the way. Nothing keeps this guy down for long.

Jody caught up to us at the top of the hill, but broke away soon after to snack on a few wild rose hips.

We have a quick favor to ask: The chimps are once again running low on blankets, so we’d love it if you would consider donating a few from our wish list. Annie would be most grateful…and so would we! (Edit 8/21: The blankets have all been purchased off of our wish list – thank you all!)

Safe and sound

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We give out over 70 fleece blankets each day so that the chimps can sleep in clean, comfortable nests. Night nests are usually built up off the ground on the catwalks in the playroom or on benches in the smaller front rooms. Sometimes the chimps sleep near each other, other times they seek privacy.

Annie often gathers blankets from the playroom and front rooms to build her nest on a front room bench. Its takes a lot of work to get the nest just right.