Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Burrito

Same boy, different toy

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Today’s blog is kind of a revisit of last Wednesday’s blog. Same boy, different toy.

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As most of these games with Burrito go, this is just his warm-up. Eventually, he can stand it no longer and launches down off the bench (as he’s moving to do here) to advance into the tickle and chase portion of the game.

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Of course, it’s incredibly fun to have the honor to play with any of the chimpanzees, but it’s hard to find words to express the heartfelt gratitude as we witness them living their lives with such joy after all they’ve been through. That they find within them such a capacity to enjoy each day out from under the shadow of their histories is the best gift of all.

Thank you, Joanna!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Joanna Morris in honor of the chimpanzees! Joanna shared how much she loves the chimps’ different personalities and today she wants to celebrate each of these amazing beings.

Joanna, thank you so much for not only recognizing and honoring how special and unique each of the chimpanzees are, but for helping to give them the lives they deserve in their sanctuary. We are so grateful to you for your compassion and generosity!

Best friends, Missy and Annie playing chase on Young’s Hill:

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Courageous Foxie exploring with Dora:

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Burrito accompanying Jody on one of her foraging adventures:

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And of course, Boss Jamie and Queen Negra:

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What a perfect Sponsor-a-Day to be gifted with as we kick off our Share the Chimp Love fundraiser for Valentine’s Day! See how your support has not only changed the lives of Annie, Missy, Foxie, Burrito, Jody, Jamie and Negra, but has also made it possible for us to begin our Sanctuary Expansion Fund so that other chimpanzees in need may experience the hope, love, home and sanctuary they deserve.

Burrito’s invisibility cloak

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Burrito is known for his ridiculously adorable shenanigans. And today was no different. (There are some blurry action shots that I just couldn’t leave out).

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Despite the blur of Burrito, I love his huge play face you can just make out under the veil. At this point, he jumped down to begin a raucous game of tug o’ war with the scarf. This guy.

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The ordinary is extraordinary

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Throughout the course of any given day here at CSNW, the chimpanzees are either eating, resting, playing, displaying, grooming, exploring, climbing, running, foraging, napping, inspecting enrichment, interacting with one another and/or human caregivers and a host of other activities. So, it’s always great when we are able to capture clear photos and video clips of them engaged in the myriad of activities listed above to share with blog followers. And it’s pretty special when we are able to capture any of the chimps doing something unexpected.

But sometimes it’s the ordinary things in the day that are extraordinary. The fact that these chimps are able to run, laugh, play, rest, explore and simply just be is what I consider to be pretty extraordinary (given their prior lives in biomedical research and in the entertainment industry). So, here are a few “ordinary” moments from today that I wanted to share with you.

Annie just being beautiful as she rested on the catwalk this morning.
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I love this photo of Jamie running out of the Playroom on her way to Young’s Hill.
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Missy often grooms herself with some sort of “tool” and today she brought it with her (in her mouth) when she went out onto Young’s Hill.
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Burrito’s pursed lips while eating snow.
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Jody gathered snow to go with her alfalfa cubes.
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Happy Birthday, Shelly!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Michael Horton in honor of his sister, Shelly Horton, on her birthday! Michael shared this wonderful message about today:

“My sister is the biggest chimpanzee fan in the world. In lieu of pursuing a career in Primatology, which is something she always wanted and still wants, she chose to become a teacher so 10-year-olds across our community will always be aware of the plight of the chimpanzee.”

In having the good fortune of getting to know Shelly as one of our incredible supporters, it’s been so wonderful to learn of her long-time love and respect for chimpanzees. Through her dedication and passion to help bring awareness to the issues chimpanzees face, she helps inspire her daughter and students so that they might feel empowered to make a difference in the world around them. What an incredible gift to give, not only for the chimpanzees, but for a young generation that the future of chimpanzees will depend upon.

Michael, thank you so much for celebrating Shelly by making the chimps’ lives better! We appreciate all that you and your family do for them and are thrilled to honor Shelly here today!

Shelly, thank you for all the support you, Lainey, and your students have shown the chimpanzees, we so appreciate all that you do! Never underestimate the ripple effect your compassion will have in the world. All of the primates here at CSNW wish you the best birthday yet surrounded by all that makes your heart happy!! And to start your day off, we’re sharing photos of people in your life who I know do just that:

Shelly’s adorable daughter, Lainey, with her impressive stuffed primate collection, begun by her mom:

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We recently shared copies of “A Chimpanzee Tale” by Karen Young with Shelly’s amazing 5th grade students in Texas. They made the chimpanzees a beautifully detailed Christmas tree and birthday cards for Burrito in celebration of his recent 33rd birthday! We so appreciate the care and interest these children show for the chimpanzees and are thrilled to see them making a difference in the chimps’ lives as they learn about the amazing beings we share the earth with.

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And of course, Shelly’s handsome pal, Burrito:

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PILO!

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Have you ever noticed a photo of the chimpanzees looking larger and “fluffier” than normal? Having hair that is pilo erect means that it involuntarily stands on end due to excitement, fear, or cold. Humans become pilo when we get goosebumps, and since we have less hair, it’s less obvious. Another example of piloerection is when a dog’s hackles go up. Looking to see if a chimpanzee is pilo or not helps caregivers gauge their arousal level. I perused through some of our old photos and videos to find some good examples of each chimpanzee demonstrating piloerection.

Foxie:
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Burrito spends a great deal of his time in a “fluffy” state, so it was very easy to find a pilo picture:
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Jody:
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Annie (possibly pilo because she is running through the cold):
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Jamie (about to display):
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Missy:
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I had a tough time finding a photo of Negra with pilo erect hair, but that’s because she’s usually in action during a fight. In the following video from a couple years ago, you can see Negra and others during a conflict. Watch for some good examples of piloerection: