Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chase

Up, Down, All Around

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A lot of the joys of working with chimpanzees are found in the little moments. Very often, these moments come when we are least expecting them (for example, going back to the chimp spaces to grab more laundry to be washed when suddenly Willy B wants to play, or doing checks to enter a space to clean and being invited to groom with Missy). Sometimes this slows our work down, but then again, it IS our work! How lucky are we?!

Today’s video shows an extra special few minutes I got to spend with Rayne last week, which came as a complete surprise to me! I had been finishing up some early morning tasks, preparing to meet with the team to determine our plan for the day and then serve breakfast, when there was Rayne! You’ll have to watch the video to see why this interaction was so special.

Here are some bonus photos from the day!

Close up of the ever so handsome Burrito

Upside down, goofy Burrito (part of my inspiration for the title of today’s blog!)

Another close-up of Bubs, feeling silly

Honey B

A close up of Beans!

Memento Vivere

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Lately I’ve been inundated with targeted ads on social media, which I’m sure those of you who are on social media know what I’m talking about. Now, I’m not saying the work or don’t work, but one in particular keeps grabbing my attention. It’s an ad of a coin with “Memento Mori” on one side, and “Momento Vivere” on the other. I have heard the expression “momento mori” countless times, but “momento vivere” was a new on to me.

“Momento mori” is a saying in Latin that roughly translates to “don’t forget to die.” Many have tried to understand the meaning behind it. The most consistent understanding is it is supposed to be a reminder that life is short and to live in the moment. I had to do some digging for “momento vivere.” What I found is that it roughly translates to “remember to live,” meaning to take time for yourself and make every moment count. Though both try to roughly make the same point about enjoying life because it is short, I will just focus on momento vivere since momento mori sounds more bleak if you don’t understand it.

Momento vivere came to mind the other day as I was spending some time with Burrito. I’m not a psychologist by any means, so I’m not sure why certain thoughts hit at certain times, but in that moment I thought about the last couple of years I have spent with him and his take on life. Burrito is kind of the living embodiment of those sayings. He doesn’t seem to dwell on the past, and is not too concerned with the future. He lives in the now, and every moment he has he doesn’t want to waste them.

My time with Burrito is always such an experience to me. Not only do I get to call him friend and spend probably too much time with him (though I don’t think he thinks the same on that one), but he always keeps me grounded. I am 100% that type of person who gets lost in their own mind; worrying about the future and regretting some of the past. But with Burrito, all that goes away and I am present in the moment with him. I’m not sure how to communicate to him so he understands, but I try to thank him every day for the reminder and keeping me in the now.

The larger message is that this is sanctuary life. Being able to just enjoying these moments of calm and tranquility. Yes. There are moments of anger, frustration, fighting, yelling, etc. But it’s those quiet moments (as seen in the video) outweigh the others for the most part.

He can’t/won’t read this, but thank you Burrito, my friend.

Some bonus photos

Negra working her way through a firehose cube
Annie enjoying a self-obtained snow treat

I couldn’t decide which one to post, so instead here are both of the photos I captured of Rayne with her “Bonobo Lucy and her Baby Yuli” during lunch. One where Rayne is a little out of focus, but you can tell it’s her Lucy book. The other you can’t tell what book it is but Rayne is in focus.

Skips Don’t Lie

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Wherever, whenever, Gordo’s ready to play chase together.

The playful “bunny hop” that Gordo performs during games of chase is perfection. The hop has been mentioned on the blog before (1, 2, 3), but I wanted to share some additional video clips so you all could see Gordo’s iconic moves up close.

Gordo has some “wallflower” tendencies; it’s not unusual for him to hang out at the group’s periphery when he wants some quiet time. Despite this aloof nature, we’ve discovered that Gordo can be coaxed into goofing around by his companions and caregivers. This gradual process begins with him sitting as stoically as possible, gazing back as we make playful gestures in his direction. Gordo’s poker face slowly begins to crack with anticipation; he often tips his hand by scratching his torso or letting out an anxious yawn. Suddenly, he bursts forward with a dramatic “bunny hop”, launching himself into a rowdy game of chase.

Instead of sprinting gracefully, however, Gordo tends to lackadaisically skip from one corner of the room to the other. He looks back at us, we pursue, and the dance goes on until one (or both) of us get winded.

Hop. Skip. Repeat.

 

National Burrito Day!

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Today is National Burrito day!!! I wanted to shower everyone today with Burrito photos but he had other ideas. I went on two walks around Youngs Hill with Burrito and Jamie before 11AM. Burrito was in from the get-go but Jamie had special requests. She required me to wear one size smaller boots, and also requested that I drive the Gator both times. During those walks Burrito took the opportunity to climb the Twister structure to try and get a better look at the construction happening outside the perimeter of the hill. Once he came back in, he spent most of the day asking caregivers to play chase with him and wanting to play through the mesh while actively running away from the camera. Totally understandable because it has been a beautiful day out, perfect to keep everyone very active and moving.

Burrito eating an avocado during lunch

Burrito climbing the Twister structure during one of our walks around the hill

A play and groom session between Burrito and Caregiver Chad

On the other side of the Chimp House, the chimps in both Honey B’s and Rayne’s group spent most of the day in their green houses enjoying the nice day.

Willy B

Honey B looking as flawless as always

Gordo

Lucky