Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Burrito

Feels like Sanctuary

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Today really felt like sanctuary, I mean everyday does, of course! But everyday is different, each chimps mood varies, what they feel like doing, or not doing. Today was full of patrol walks, laughter, exploring, displaying, excited breathy pants, and of course a few non shifters ;). The beauty of sanctuary is choice and with that choice gives them a sort of freedom, not the freedom they should have and very much deserve, but the closest freedom they can have. Some days I will catch moments that just make your heart want to burst with joy, like Jamie chasing Foxie on Young’s Hill. Because those moments are what sanctuary is all about!

We just updated our wish list for Wildlife Toybox. They have some really fun durable enrichment, we especially need the mirror cover for our “Looky Lou”!

Rayne says goodnight!

Boxes, BidWars and Blankets!

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Just like the title says this blog involves boxes, BidWars, and blankets! Gordo enjoyed his lunch while sitting in a box today. After lunch he found another box in the Greenhouse to soak up some sun.

The HOOT! online auction is still going strong! Bidding will end at 7:00pm Pacific tonight unless an item goes to BidWars. Even if you aren’t bidding, you might want to tune in to the auction site to see BidWars (explained on the FAQ page). If you missed the exciting live-streamed virtual event last night, you can still watch the recording on YouTube or Facebook.

Lastly, Jamie was spotted looking mighty comfy in a blanket nest today. The weather was a bit cooler, so big blanket nests seemed to be the theme of the day for a lot of the chimps. At one point Missy was so wrapped up in a blanket we couldn’t tell who it was until she poked her head out!

We can’t thank everyone enough who has participated in HOOT! this year. It’s so amazing to have so much support and help in expanding the home for these wonderful chimpanzees (and bovine!). You all are amazing!

Gordo looking fabulous in his box!
Honey B always watching.
Terry resting between a game of chase
Jamie in her blanket nest.
Burrito resting after a run around the hill with Chad. Katelyn and I were ahead of them racing Jamie in the gator!

Everybody Loves Dora

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Humans and chimps all really do love Dora, who wouldn’t! As I walked by the front rooms I found Rayne and Dora playing. Eventually, Lucky wanted to join the fun. Dora may be teeny tiny, but she can hold her own if she needs to! Dora may be small, but she sure is mighty!

After the play session Lucky needed to rest.

Cy guy <3. I think Cy has stolen everyone’s heart in this chimp house. I truly have never met a chimp sweeter than Cy.

Missy spying on the neighbors, while wearing a stylish grape sock.

Burrito being his perfect self!

And Jamie! She built this incredibly cozy, comfy, HUGE nest and then tucked herself in.

 

 

Photos from the day

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I don’t have a theme, but I have photos! Today was one of those days where I got some photos, but didn’t have a theme to tie them all together.

The seven enjoyed a cool morning on Young’s Hill, especially Burrito!

Burrito:

Jody:

Missy:

Cy, Rayne, and Lucky enjoying an after breakfast rest.

Here is how some of the chimps spent their afternoons.

Mave was enjoying the Greenhouse.

Jamie was keeping a close eye on Katelyn.

Terry was waiting for a game of chase!

 

All Season Burrito

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My phone has been angry at me the past week or so. The memory is near capacity and it sometimes refuses to run some apps. The culprit of the memory consumption? Photos and video. Though I upload them to a cloud drive, I still have them on my phone because you never know when you’re going to need one to send to some one. It’s (personally) tough to purge the photos and video from my phone. As I delete 100, I take 100 more the next day I arrive at work. But, as I try to better myself at deleting things off my phone and trust the cloud drive, I found several videos of Burrito and I running around Young’s Hill over the past year. Watching these over again, I realized something. Every season is running season for Burrito! Please enjoy this montage of him running around Young’s Hill in the various seasons of Washington State.

Here are some bonus photos I took today and yesterday:

Foxie watching the produce delivery this morning from Young’s Hill.

Negra in the Greenhouse while the others venture out on their first patrol of the morning.

Jody foraging for some pine branches and wild roses on Young’s Hill this afternoon.

Jamie with her sweet pepper haul yesterday during Missy’s birthday.

Annie with her sweet potato haul yesterday.

 

Burrito is the light in all of our lives

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You’ve probably seen a video just like this in the past if you’ve been following the blog for a bit, but playing with Burrito never gets old. Head nod along as you watch the video above!

 

Bonus photo of Mave:

 

Wildcards…plus a medical update

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We have a had a lot of things going on for the past weeks so here is a brief update from your friendly veterinary assistant regarding Bubba’s encounter with a rattlesnake. After Burrito’s sedation to infuse the antivenin, we had him apart from the group for almost a week to ensure he was recovering correctly. During this time he was getting medications to help with overall itchiness and discomfort after exposure, and we were also collecting fecal samples. The importance of these samples was to monitor his coagulation factors after being exposed to rattlesnake venom. Such bleeding abnormalities can show up days after the exposure, which made it crucial to monitor him for at least a week.  All of our caregivers were on poop duty and thankfully all of the samples came back negative for occult blood which meant that his clotting factors were not affected. This guy was the best patient, he took all his medications in food and wanted to engage in play at all times. Right now, he is doing awesome and has been keeping us all caught up with our daily cardio.

Caregiver Anthony took these photos of Bubba today and if they don’t reflect this guys goofiness and constant happiness, I don’t know what does

On the other side of the Sanctuary, one-on-one introductions continue. One of our wildcards is Gordo, he tends to be a little unpredictable when it comes to neighbors although he has been showing a lot of interest in Mave since their arrival. He first met Willy B, nothing super exciting, they had a brief positive interaction and parted ways. Next up was Gordito’s crush, Mave. This introduction was very lighthearted as both engaged in some very amusing grooming sessions. Because we had some extra time, we had Honey B meet Gordo through the mesh. She was a little amped up about the situation and we decided it was best to keep a barrier between the two individuals. Through all of this, Gordo seemed unfazed and behaved great. Next up was Cy meeting Honey B through the mesh. At this point, both Cy and Honey B had so much energy going on that after a few interactions through the mesh, both individuals returned to their groups for dinner.

Here is Mave and Gordo in one of their grooming sessions today

BONUS: Negra nesting this morning in the green house