Burrito

A busy day for Jamie

May 14, 2014 by Katelyn

The sanctuary is a hub of activity today! Well, at least for the humans and Jamie Chimpanzee. Keith and Nick are still working hard on the sprinkler system. Volunteer caregiver Denice came out to work in the chimpanzees’ garden and brought along her husband, Ken, who in turn brought his backhoe to help J.B. prepare to make way for some sidewalks!

It also happens to be on the warm side today with temperatures in the upper 80’s. None of the primates here at CSNW have quite adjusted to the sudden spike in temperatures and the chimpanzees have spent much of the day splayed out in the greenhouse. Judging by Burrito, one would think it was closer to 100 degrees:

Ssooooo hot:

Why is it SO hot?!

Well, all of the chimpanzees were splayed out except Jamie, that is. After all, she is the boss and had a lot of people and projects to supervise. A popular spot from which to keep an eye on everyone was one of the windows in the front rooms and here sat Jamie, with her trusty boot in hand:

Feeling revived from a refreshing treat of carrot juice ice cubes, Burrito decided to check out the activities from the cooler front rooms as well:

It never ceases to amaze me how people come together in such selfless ways to improve the lives of the chimpanzees. Keith, Nick, Denice and Ken, (and J.B.!) thank you so much for working so hard, in the heat of this day, to make the chimpanzees’ home even better! And thank you especially for enriching Jamie’s day! And thank you to everyone who helped make this work possible, we couldn’t do it without all of our amazing supporters.

Congratulations, Keri and Bob!

May 12, 2014 by Katelyn

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Diana Goodrich, Patti Sims, Lynn Williamson, and Connie Lamm in honor of the wedding of our dear friends, Keri Heniff and Bob Mark!

Diana, Patti, Lynn and Connie shared the following message for Keri and Bob:

“Congratulations on your wedding! May this be the start of a new chapter in a long and happy life together. Thanks for all you do for friends of all species!”

Keri is a volunteer caregiver here at CSNW and she and Bob are two of the kindest, most compassionate people we know. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have them as part of the CSNW family and we are so happy for them!

Keri and Bob, if you two love each other half as much as our guy, Burrito, loves his food you are going to have a great life together! Congratulations!!

Green Grass

May 8, 2014 by Elizabeth

Each year around this time, the grass on Young’s Hill turns from brown and brittle to soft and green seemingly overnight. The chimpanzees love it, and I love how at home they look out there.

Annie:

Jody:

Foxie and Dora…

…and Ellie the elk spying:

Negra:

Burrito, enjoying the spring grass for the delicacy it is:

Interrupted play

May 6, 2014 by Debbie

Today Burrito and Foxie were wrestling and chasing and just being super playful in the greenhouse. Their laughter got to be pretty loud, and I think it caught Jamie’s attention…

…She came out to see what was going on, and stepped right between Burrito and Foxie to interrupt their play.

This is a very boss-like thing to do in chimp society. We (lovingly) refer to Jamie as the “party police” because of instances like this.

But this time, she didn’t cease all playing—instead, she immediately started wrestling with Foxie and began to play “tug-o-troll” with her.

Old Friends

April 24, 2014 by Elizabeth

When former CSNW Executive Director Sarah Baeckler left the organization early last year for her new position as Director of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance, she couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye to the chimpanzees. So even though she and her family relocated to Portland, she stayed on as a volunteer caregiver and drives up to the sanctuary regularly to help clean enclosures and hang out with her chimpanzee friends. As you can see from these photos taken this morning, they’re always happy to see her.

Lots of love for the chimpanzees!

April 23, 2014 by Katelyn

As you may have read this morning, thanks to the compassion and generosity of our friend and supporter, Monica Best, today is our fifth annual Love a Chimpanzee Day! So of course, a party was in order! The chimpanzees had a lunch forage with pomegranate juice in fancy cups, cantaloupe, corn, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes and grapes in gift boxes, and whole heads of lettuce (the hit of the party!).

Annie did quite well for herself:

Missy was a little more elusive and chose to enjoy the celebration from the stairs:

Burrito was the charmer of the party, as usual:

Here is he watching his buddy, Foxie, stroll by:

Foxie continuing her forage:

And finding a mouthful of cantaloupe:

And of course the boss of the party, Jamie, made sure to enjoy herself with an armload of lettuce, food grunting the entire time:

Still food grunting with delight:

Jamie is serious in pretty much all she does. Even when there’s a party going on. Though she may have slipped into what we endearingly refer to as her “party police” role and suggested the paparazzi leave the event, I can assure you she was pretty happy with the Love a Chimpanzee Day happenings!

Negra and Jody both grabbed a couple heads of lettuce and made themselves scarce, preferring to celebrate in solitude. But I think it’s safe to say everyone had a great time. Thank you so much, Monica, for loving the chimpanzees and honoring them with such a special day!

Happy Easter!

April 20, 2014 by Elizabeth

I will admit that we went a little over the top for today’s Easter party, but it just kind of happened. A couple of days ago we got a delivery of three (large!) boxes of Easter party supplies and favors from supporter Jayne R. It was everything we needed to throw the chimpanzees an amazing Easter party. And then this morning volunteer caregivers Stephanie and Patti showed up for their shift in the chimp house with their arms weighed down with piñatas, veggies, and other goodies. The chimps really do have the best friends, near and far.

We started the morning with a party in the greenhouse. The piñatas, as always, were a hit.

Annie: