Burrito

Rainy Day Adventures

October 30, 2022 by Grace

It’s a rainy, cool day here in Cle Elum today. Driving into work this morning through the mist I thought that the chimps would maybe be pretty relaxed and be content to spend the day in comfy nests listening to the rain.

I was wrong. 🙂

When I went to say good morning to Cy’s group, everyone was rearin’ to play chase, groom, or just stare at me for long periods of time without blinking (hi, Honey B). On the other side of the chimp house, everyone was off on their adventures as soon as I gave them access to Young’s Hill! I’m pretty sure Missy spent the whole morning after breakfast out under the trees and everyone else came and went as they pleased. I was cleaning Playroom 1 with one of our awesome volunteers, Patti, when Jamie decided it was time to go for a patrol around the hill. She had me wear one of her new favorite boots and when we made it to the top of the hill, she stopped and hung out for a while. It was a pretty exciting walk- be sure to check out today’s video to see why! 🙂 I might have cried a little bit, but that’s just me.

This afternoon, though, has been quiet as everyone nests in warm, fresh, cozy blankets. All in all, it’s been a pretty darn good rainy day.

Cy:

Gordo, holding his feet, because why not?

Sweet Lucky:

Terry, mid-chew:

Honey B, gazing into my soul… pretty sure she knows my social security number, what I got on my SAT’s in high school, and every other little secret about me:

Predictions

October 26, 2022 by Kelsi

During introductions it was hard tell who Honey B would become friends with. We knew Honey B enjoyed her alone time, but still appreciated the company of her chimp and human friends on her terms. When Honey B first re-met Dora they were both so excited to see each other! However, Terry and Honey B had to put the work into rebuilding a friendship. Recently, Honey B has been hot commodity with her new group. It seems like everyone wants to “mall walk,” groom, play, or just be around her. If we had to predict which chimps would bond with Honey B, Dora and Rayne would really be my only guesses. Lately, we find Honey B and Terry hanging out a lot. We have been seeing some play with her and Cy and even Gordo gets a little quick play session in from time to time.

Words can’t express the feelings I have when watching Honey B build connections with her group. It’s everything they worked so hard for and why a bigger social group is so important for chimps, especially one like Honey B.

Cy grooming Honey B:

Rayne grooming Honey B:

Honey B in the middle of a grooming train:

A series of different Honey B nests:

And one more picture for fun! Can you guess who was wearing this accessory as an anklet?

Look below for the answer!

If you said Burrito, you would be correct!

Sanctuary Actually

October 25, 2022 by Chad de Bree

There are many different stories that unfold throughout the day in the lives of the chimpanzees. Though caregivers aren’t always around to get footage of each and every story, they happen regardless. One thing that intertwines all these stories together is life in sanctuary.

Some bonus photos:

Negra eating a breakfast pomegranate.

Mave and Dora holding hands.

Burrito making his way up Young’s Hill on the first day after the renovations.

Some photos of Burrito with the rose bush!

Spotted on Young’s Hill: Negra

October 23, 2022 by Jenna

Today was a beautiful day for a lunch forage on Young’s Hill! While it is still quite cold, the sun was out which overall made the day more tolerable. The forage included red onions, mini sweet peppers, and tomatoes. Here are some photos from today’s forage! As you will see, Negra was too fast for my rookie camera skills. Enjoy!

Foxie:

Jamie:

Missy:

Burrito:

Here is evidence that Negra did go on the hill… hold the applause for these excellent photos (camera couldn’t focus in time).

Negra:

On Friday, I posted two photos of “Mystery Lips”. Many of you got #2 correct, but #1 appeared to be more difficult. How did you do?!

Mystery Lips #1:

Mystery Lips #1 belong to……. CY!

Mystery Lips #2:

Mystery Lips #2 belongs to…… HONEY B!

A few weeks ago, Jen Feuerstein made a comment suggesting we should have a game where we guess how many blankets are in the very popular hangout spot, aka Room 7. So instead of guessing how many candies are in the jar…

How many blankets do you think are in Room 7? We will post the answer tomorrow!

Brrrrrrrrrr, it’s cold out here!

October 21, 2022 by Jenna

Brrrrrrrrrrrr… it is cold today in central Washington! It is 47 degrees (according to my phone’s weather app) as I type this. Despite the sudden cooler temperatures, the chimpanzees have been enjoying their day outside. Jamie’s group has been on/off their new and improved Young’s Hill all day and Cy’s group has spent lots of time in their two greenhouses.

This morning during cleaning, I heard chimpanzee laughter coming from one of the front rooms. It’s normal for Burrito to be playing in the morning but it is always a guess as to who his play buddy is! Today, it was Negra. In my personal opinion, Negra play sessions are the best! So enjoy today’s video featuring a nice play session between Burrito and Negra, with Foxie in the background for moral support!

Now let’s play a game!

Here are two photos… can you guess whose lips these belong to?! Comment your guesses below and I will reveal the answers on Sunday’s blog!

Mystery Lips #1:

Mystery Lips #2:

Let Tree-dom Ring

October 19, 2022 by Kelsi

Well, we have some exciting news! I am not sure if anyone picked up on Anthony or Chad’s very subtle hints, but today Jamie’s group received access back to the new and improved Young’s Hill! For those who might be wondering about Cy’s group, the Bray Hill isn’t quite ready yet.

This afternoon, watching the seven go back out into their outdoor enclosure was a spectacular event to witness! I will share a few highlights of the day and tomorrow JB will have a video with more details to share!

Annie trying out new structures:

Burrito exploring:

Fearless little Foxie:

Missy and Annie inspecting:

Jody:

Jody and Foxie checking out their new structure:

Chad took this photo of Jamie. To me, this photo is the epitome of sanctuary:

Also this photo of Jamie, she looks so happy:

Maybe one of the best highlights of the day is Missy being the first to climb the trees! We humans and probably Jo were all holding our breath, but also so excited to watch Missy agilely climb a tree for the first time EVER!!!

Jody watching Missy climb a tree:

Jody and Annie monitoring Missy closely from the ground:

“Here I sit beneath a tree. Heartbeat calm. Soul hums free.”

– Angie Weiland-Crosby

Terms of Endearment

October 12, 2022 by Kelsi

Most of us grew up having a nickname or two. Here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, we have quite a few nicknames for the chimps! We have shared their nicknames over the years, but with new chimps comes new names! I have gathered what I think are most of the nicknames from staff that we call the chimps. Some names are cute while others are silly, I know I am missing a few, but here they are!

Terry: Terrance, Sir Terrance, Tare Bear, T, Terry the Tongue, Teeny Tiny Terry (it’s funny because he is not tiny, but is a gentle giant)

Honey B: Little Bean, Bean, Chickpea, Chicky, Chickabee, Honey Badger, B, BB, HB, Beezus.