Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

bravery

Willy B, Party of One

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Through the years, we have all watched as Willy B has become more and more comfortable exploring The Bray.

Today, without the reassurance of his friends, Willy B ventured all the way to the top of The Bray!  He traveled about as far away from the building as he could get, and climbed up and down the highest structures like he’s been doing it his whole life! While sitting atop the structures, he took in his surroundings, feeling the spring sunshine on his face and the breeze in his hair.

What a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

Man about Town

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Willy B used to be very avoidant of the grass and dirt outside. Remember? Watch this video from May 8, 2020.

And look at these photos of him today!

Mave is also getting more and more adventurous outside. Today, she followed Gordo out and convinced him to give her two of the three whole red peppers he had found in the forage.

I didn’t get good photos of it, but Willy B was actually the last one on the Bray. He was out there for so  long that Mave eventually came outside and waited for him to come back inside – it reminded me of Jody doing the same for her friends when she thought it was time for them to return.

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in gifts from out wish lists for Christmas in July. There are still items to purchase for the sanctuary, mostly on our Jerrols wish list, which you can find here. Buying from the Jerrol’s list also supports a family business that is local to the sanctuary!

We are very excited about all of the items we have received and you’re sure to see them popping up on the blog in the next few weeks. Thank you again!!

 

And the bravery award goes to…

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September 20, 2011 was a big day for the chimpanzees at the sanctuary. On that day, a physical door opened for the first time, but the door was also a symbol. The physical door allowed the chimpanzees onto the two-acre habitat that we call Young’s Hill, named after donors Karen and Don Young. It’s opening symbolized the greatest measure of freedom than the chimpanzees had possibly ever experienced.

Freedom, wide-open spaces, nothing overhead, and being out in the elements came with a palpable amount of fear, along with the incredible excitement that the chimpanzees and the humans watching them were all feeling.

All of the chimpanzees went onto the hill that day. But in the days and weeks following, some of them were hesitant to venture out again. Their fears and uncertainty got the best of them. Jody and Foxie, as you’ll see in the October, 2011 video below, needed a little encouragement from Jamie even two weeks after the hill was available to them on a daily basis.

 

 

Jody and Foxie have both found their courage and now often seem nonchalant on the hill these days. But it’s still a different space than the familiar safety of walls and bars. The hill is nature – it transforms on a daily basis with the weather and the cycles of life that are constantly in play. It’s less predictable. When there’s snow on the ground like there is now, it can present very real physical challenges getting from one place to another.

Today I watched Jody traverse the snow-covered hill with grace, following and sometimes even leading her friends. Jody is a different chimpanzee than the Jody I met in 2008 and even the Jody that I knew last year.

I happened by a quote attributed to Nelson Mandela that I believe speaks to Jody’s continually evolving bravery. I changed it slightly:

 

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave are not those who do not feel afraid, but those who conquer that fear.

 

Jody against the snow

 

Today’s bravery award goes to Jody.

Jody standing on metal pole

 

Jody with snow in her mouth