Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Burrito

Snowy and Groomy Weather

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Our apologies again! We are still having trouble loading the video from the chimpanzee’s New Year celebration the other day due to an internet outage. (I’m currently posting this blog via my personal hotspot from my phone.) I personally blame the current snowy weather.

In the meantime, please enjoy these photos taken around the sanctuary.

Burrito had a playdate with both Jamie and Jody on this snowy day. He decided to spend most of his time inside grooming with Jody:

Of course, that was only when he wasn’t busy asking his caregivers for snowy treats:

Jamie, on the other hand, decided this snowy weather was the perfect weather to wrap herself up in blankets with her current favorite cowboy boot:

On the other side of the Chimp House, Honey B and Mave found today’s snowy conditions to also be perfect for grooming:

Thank you all for being so patient as we try to find a way to share the New Year Celebration video! We hope that tomorrow is the day the internet will be a top strength to share it with all of you.

Cheers to the New Year!

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Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a fun New Year’s Eve, filled with people you love. We had an exciting forage to celebrate the new year. As tradition, the chimps had black-eyed peas, sparkling cider, baked squash, and pomegranates. Willy B seemed to really like the black-eyed peas. I prepared a small video, but typical, the internet is being funky. I hope that tomorrow will be better! In the meantime, please enjoy these photos.

The sun came out and I think everyone including Honey B enjoyed a little bit of Vitamin D:

Jamie:

I really like this one of Missy:

Foxie cleaning her plate:

New Year’s Eve Reflection

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Reflecting on 2019, this year has been a huge year and also a bit wild and crazy. We had so many highs and some lows too. I have been reflecting on this year a lot. The most amazing things have happened, like, the arrival of three new chimpanzees Mave, Willy B, and Honey B, we have a new building, we started introductions for the chimps, there was the most epic hug between Burrito and Mave, the potential for new relationships, and still so much more growth here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. CSNW has been waiting so long to bring more chimps home and we did it! I get emotional thinking about it. This alone is a massive accomplishment. So much good change has happened around here, even if it means it’s a tad bit more chaotic. 🙂

With those highs, sadly, came lows. I will say the big fight was one of the scariest moments in my career so far. I think back and I am so grateful for the staff I work with and the people I work for. Without this team of selfless and caring people this would have been an even more difficult process to go through. As you have read in previous blogs, any one of us would drop everything and run out the door for anyone for these chimps. Burrito’s recovery process has been long and incredibly exhausting. But Burrito is alive, he is getting back to his normal self, and that is all we care about! I so badly wanted new relationships for Burrito. And to see him almost have it was so amazing and devastating when it was all over. But, what I want most for Burrito is for his health and wellness. He may not get to make new friends, but we can all remember that hug. He has some very fierce lady friends to help keep him company.

So, I am excited for this new year. I think 2020 will have a lot in store for us! There will be growth, there will be fun, and mischief to be had. We are still getting to know the three and I hope with another year they will allow us to get to know them more and further our relationships with them. We hope to continue finding ways to make their lives better and find more choices for the ten chimpanzees’ future.

Cheers to the New Year!

Lounge into the New Year with Mave:

Honoring the past, present and future

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Long-time friends of the sanctuary, Kery Shaw and Terran Baylor, sponsored this New Year’s Eve day of sanctuary and shared this special message about their gift:

“As I write this, my partner and I pass by a transportation vehicle filled with cows. It’s hard to imagine living in a world where animals still endure so much suffering. I’m grateful for CSNW, a place that provides sanctuary for all beings, not just Chimpanzees and Bovines. I’m grateful for such an incredible organization that fights hard to advocate for animals. Here’s to the past, may we never forget where they came from. To the present, for the chimps, bovine and staff/care givers. To the future, the supporters/donors/ & animal lovers, let’s continue to working hard on making animal cruelty history!!! THANK YOU to all of you for your hard work, generosity & compassion.”

Kery and Terran, thank you so much for always holding the chimps, and all of us, in your hearts and for all you do to bring light to, and relieve the suffering of, all our fellow animals.

Burrito:

Nutmeg and his mama, Betsy:

Honey B:

Snippets and tidbits

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This guy greeted us bright and early this morning as his playful, ol’ Burrito self and we could not have been happier. He’s been taking it pretty easy the past couple of days dealing with an angry belly, most likely the result of his long stint on antibiotics which are, if that pesky foot injury continues to go in the same direction, finally complete! With a couple of days of special diet and rest, he’s feeling immensely better so far. After breakfast he climbed up to take a nap, but even with a full belly and sleepy head it took him a few minutes to stop playing:

Flailing about and laughing in one big Burrito blur:

Later in the afternoon I caught him flailing about again, this time in a Burrito-stuffed-monkey pretzel:

After a spin on Young’s Hill with Jamie and Jody, Burrito entertained Jody (and at varying times, Jamie, Foxie and Annie!) in his recovery pad today and seemed particularly delighted to spend some quality grooming time with sweet Jody:

We can’t figure out what it is about today, but although the temperature is much the same as it has been, it’s been freezing all day! The chimps opted to come inside early today and everyone has been building the coziest, plumpest of nests and taking turns in front of the space heater we have set up in front of one of Burrito’s rooms. Of course the chimp house is kept at about 70 degrees and the floors are heated, but on days like today I suspect the space heater feels rather like a fireplace. They’re getting ready for a dinner of roasted apples, squash and potatoes served in paper boats (trust me, anything served in paper boats takes it to the next level and is EXCITING!). I suspect they will be turning in early in preparation for New Year’s Eve tomorrow. 🙂

In other random, but nevertheless noteworthy news bits, I made tiny baked potatoes for everyone at lunch and after intently watching me blow on hers to cool it off more, Honey B moaned with delight and nearly hugged the potatoes to her once I handed them over. That was pretty cute. Also, Willy B was watching documentaries this morning and stopped dead in the middle of a game of chase to stare, mesmerized, at baby pandas who were on the screen. That was also pretty cute.

Merry Christmas!

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It was a crazy Christmas in the chimp house! We had two huge parties, one in the Mezzanine and one in the Playroom. Don’t worry, we had a party for Burrito too. Their parties were filled with cider, stuffed squash, green beans, and new toys. Honey B LOVED her new broom, Foxie was so excited for her new dolls, and Jamie could not wait to make a nest with her new boots and books! This was Honey B, Mave, and Willy B’s first Christmas at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. And I have to say I think they approved!

We have so many amazing donors and supporters. Thank you so much for helping make these 10 amazing chimpanzee’s Christmas feel so special. Happy Holidays everyone!

Jody:

Foxie:

Honey B:

Resilience + Playful Mave Video

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A few weeks ago, the staff received amazing personalized gift baskets from past and current volunteers as a gesture of support following the emotionally challenging times with the now-failed integration attempts of the two groups of chimpanzees. These surprise gifts were incredible and generous.

Along with the gift baskets was a jar filled with pieces of paper that had typed messages. Many were from interns and volunteers we haven’t seen in years. Some were particularly touching messages from blog readers that had been copied and included with the words from volunteers. Kelsi immediately dubbed it “The Feelings Jar.”

I was pretty overwhelmed by the gesture and could not keep my composure to read the messages that day, or the next day, or the day after that. My composure seemed to be rather elusive, truth be told.

This past weekend, after having the jar at home for over a week, I finally sat down by myself on my couch, tissues nearby, and read each message. My composure disappeared after reading the first words on the first piece of paper and didn’t return until I had finished all of them.

Chimpanzees are known for their resilience.

We see it every day at the sanctuary. It’s easy to forget what the ten chimpanzees at CSNW have been through in their pasts when watching them independently explore the outdoor habitat, wrestle with each other while sporting huge play-faces, or get out-of-their-minds excited about what would appear to be a run-of-the-mill meal. They have each been through a lot of negative experiences, but they carry on with the here-and-now with a determined focus on the good things they can get out of each day.

I can’t say that I always share this same quality with them. I am rather skilled at directing my attention either on all of my errors in the past or the doom that is sure to come in the future.

I’ve heard that one way to improve resilience is to have a support system. These last few months have been some of the most difficult, but I’ve also never felt so bolstered by others. Thank you.

I haven’t been very focused on my main job, fundraising, these last few months, and seeing year-end donations come in the mail and online also provides me with the knowledge that you believe in what the sanctuary is doing and you want to be a part of it’s future.

You know that there is much work to be done to help more chimpanzees. For them, I thank you for helping us humans feel like we can move forward while also focusing on the positives of today.

Which brings me to today!

It’s a bright, sunny day in Cle Elum, and we decided it was perfect timing for Burrito, who was with Jamie and Jody, to get outside on Young’s Hill for the first time since his surgery.

As though this were not enough of a positive to focus on, I found Mave inside this morning being very playful:

Happy Christmas Eve, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Tuesday. Whether you are celebrating or not, I hope you too found some positive things in your day today. Maybe it was this blog post!