Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimp enrichment

Missy in her element

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There is no doubt that Missy is the athlete of the Cle Elum Seven. Her strength, agility, and playfulness amaze and amuse us everyday. Young’s Hill is her playground. Whether she’s climbing the tall bamboo, sprinting up and down the hill, or walking “tightrope” on the fire hose, she’s always on the move.

Most of yesterday’s snow has melted, allowing the chimps to venture out onto the hill without having to walk in the cold stuff. There are still plenty of patches to eat, though, so there’s been lots of activity outside today despite the chilly temperatures. Missy has been having a great time.

She did quite a lot of tightrope walking:

She also did some sprints.

Missy is happy to play by herself, but sometimes she comes to a dead stop mid-sprint:

and looks behind her to see if anyone is chasing her.

Today she was on her own, but you can see by her playface below that she was okay with that.

Foxie mid-yawn

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I guess yesterday’s Jamie-ween party was just so exhausting, Foxie couldn’t help but take a big yawn. Here she is holding the Dora doll donated by Bailey as mentioned in yesterday’s blog.

Happy Jamie-ween!

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It is no accident that the boss’s birthday is our biggest party of the year! Jamie’s (honorary) 35th birthday party has been pretty epic! In addition to caregivers being decked out in goofy Halloween get-ups, we had tons of mini pumpkins, pomegranates (a favorite), pinatas, several new pairs of boots from friends (1 from Linda Gere, 1 from Dick and Robbi Brown, and 1 from Tamela Burgess), and a giant pumpkin carved by the super artistic volunteer Stephanie.

It may have been the boss’s day, but that doesn’t mean she’s the only one that gets presents! Foxie’s new friend Bailey Ford sent her a brand new Dora the Explorer doll, which she wrapped in a cute box covered in stickers. Jamie opened it first:

but everyone knew it was for Foxie! She quickly took her Dora out to the hill for some exploring:

Stephanie is amazing at finding pinatas and decorations, and given that it’s her (and my) favorite holiday, Jamie-ween is always over the top!

Annie with the skull pinata:

and Jamie’s birthday decor would not be complete without a boot pinata!

Juice seems to be an all-time favorite party treat around here. Burrito was a squeaking machine!

Jamie with one of her new pairs of boots

For some reason Missy didn’t end up in a lot of our photos, but we did manage to get this one close up of her munching on a pomegranate.

We put out several mini pumpkins on Young’s Hill. They were filled with a mixture of pears and blackberries. Negra was the first to rush out the door when I opened it this morning. She was so excited about the mini pumpkins!

She would grab as many as she could in her hands and mouth and carry them inside to enjoy in the greenhouse. But as soon as she was done, she was back out for more! This went on all morning long (even hours later). She may not spend a lot of time on the hill, but I think it’s safe to say that she is feeling more and more comfortable, especially with the right kind of motivator!

Jody enjoyed them too

Once their palates were set on pumpkins, there was no stopping Jody and Negra from diving into the big one! Jody munched on it for a while but once Negra was finished collecting mini pumpkins from the hill, she happily took over.

The large pumpkin has been passed around to everyone today, though. Burrito had his head in it earlier and then shared a little with Annie. I think we all know who is going to be sleeping good tonight!

Thanks so much to Robbi, Dick, Tamela, Linda, Bailey, Wanda and Stephanie for making today such an awesome celebration! Here’s to the boss!

Negra approaches her cabin

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As J.B. mentioned in yesterday’s blog, Jackie and I caught Negra approaching her new cabin. Unfortunately I didn’t have our camera on me and didn’t want to miss the shot—so this was taken on my phone. I apologize that it is not the best quality and the chimps are pretty small. But, it is super awesome to see Negra sizing up her cabin and getting reassurance from Foxie and Jody. At one point all seven chimps were in the shot. I thought that was also super awesome so I took a screen shot and labeled all the chimps so you can see them all at once.

I can’t wait until Negra makes it all the way inside the cabin!

 

“Oh no!” Laundry basket keep away

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Normally we don’t give the chimps laundry baskets, not because they are unsafe (because they aren’t) but because we need them to do all the laundry, to dry all the washed toys, and to have a spot for the day’s enrichment. So, we reserve them for human use only, and the chimps understand that. If they ever get their hands on something they “aren’t supposed to have,” they think it’s pretty funny. Especially Foxie:

 

Autumn on Young’s Hill

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I’m not sure when it happened, but autumn is here. The green summer grass on Young’s Hill has turned yellow and the temperatures have cooled a little. It’s hard to believe we’re approaching our second winter on the hill. As of now, though, the days are still warm, so the chimpanzees are enjoying lots of time outside. This morning we scattered chow (protein biscuits) on the hill to encourage some outdoor activity.

Annie:

Foxie brought a couple of troll dolls with her, including a blue-haired one that volunteer caregiver Katelyn gave her yesterday:

Missy:

Jody:

It really doesn’t get old seeing the chimps explore Young’s Hill as a group. For the most part, they seem comfortable enough out there now to split up, but occasionally they travel together. Here’s Jamie in the foreground, and Foxie and Burrito in the background approaching each other for a greeting:

In this photo Jamie is kissing Foxie’s back in greeting. This is a common greeting for Jamie and is often accompanied by a pant grunt vocalization. (Jamie often greets Burrito this way, much to Burrito’s horror – he’s still pretty intimidated by her.)

But he doesn’t let that get in the way of having a good time:

For Lori Clemente

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Barbara Ludt has sponsored today in honor of Lori Clemente’s birthday.  Lori is no stranger to animal causes; she is president of ARRF Animal Rescue here in Cle Elum and does a lot of good work on behalf of homeless cats and dogs in our community.  Happy Birthday, Lori, and thanks so much for being a tireless animal advocate! And thank you, Barbara, for your thoughtful gift.

Jody loves (stuffed) dogs, too: