Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimp rescue

Holiday ideas

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Need some holiday gift ideas for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest? Below are just a few ideas that would make the humans’ and the chimpanzees’ lives wonderful in 2010:

1. Check out our amazon.com wishlist. Think buying paper towels is boring? We love getting supplies! It saves us a bunch. If you can get them cheaper elsewhere, just let us know what’s coming our way and we’ll update the amazon list. Also, if you want to do your own shopping on amazon anytime, click through our wishlist first and we’ll get a referral bonus at no extra cost to you.

2. Gift cards, especially for Costco. We were so lucky to have received several of these last year from Anna – they came in so handy! We bought everything from postage stamps to bananas.

3. Cash Donations. Every little bit helps and we rely on end-of-the-year generosity!

4. Check out our recently updated full wish list.

The Cle Elum Seven are really lucky to have amazing friends, so we have a good supply of blankets, stuffed animals and clothing right now. Thank you so much for being so generous!

The most unique cc in your wallet

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Give the sanctuary $50 right now without spending a dime, and continue to help every time you use one of five just unveiled credit cards: http://www.cardpartner.com/app/csnwburrito card.ashx

Bonus for you – you’ll be earning accelerated points (up to 15 points per dollar) at hundreds of national merchants, which can be redeemed for merchandise, account credits and free tickets on over 175 airlines, with no blackout dates!

Choose and use the only card that supports Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and earns you valuable rewards at the same time. Go to http://www.cardpartner.com/app/csnw – request your card today.

I’m really excited thinking about everyone carrying around CSNW credit cards. Let me know which one you like best!

CSNW featured in Seattle Metropolitan Magazine

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Really great article: http://www.seattlemet.com/issues/archives/articles/chimpanzee-sanctuary-northwest-1209/

It’s hot off the presses (or at least recently uploaded to the world wide web) and the print version should be all over the Seattle area soon. Please share on your Facebook and Twitter pages and send to all of your contacts (you can do that by clicking “Email” or “Share This” at the top of the article when you go to the link). It not only tells the story of CSNW, but also the broader plight of chimpanzees in captivity.

I only wish Jamie knew how famous she is.

Displaying

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Given that we share around 99% of our DNA, it is not surprising that chimpanzees and humans have much in common. Both species, for example, are very territorial. We might not think of ourselves as territorial creatures, but imagine how you might feel if you looked out your living room window and saw a stranger standing in your front yard peering in at you. Free-living chimpanzee communities will defend their territories, sometimes violently, against intruders from neighboring communities. (Sound familiar?)

One of the ways chimpanzees express their territoriality is through a display. During a display, a chimpanzee stands bipedally (upright); swaggers back and forth; makes a lot of noise by banging or throwing objects; and exhibits pilo-erect hair (hair standing on end). All of these behaviors serve to make the individual appear much bigger and more intimidating than he or she really is.

Defending a territory isn’t the only reason a chimpanzee might display; displays can also be associated with dominance. Jamie, who is the most dominant member of the Cle Elum Seven, displays several times a day. (Although it is almost always male chimpanzees who display in free-living situations, it is not uncommon for females to display — and to be dominant — in captivity.) Jamie displays to defend her home, to exert her dominance, and even, it seems, to alleviate boredom.

Below is a video of one of Jamie’s displays. You’ll notice many of the behaviors I described above. Despite spending the last three decades in the most unnatural and impoverished situations, it seems Jamie has figured out just how to be a chimpanzee.

Negra and “night bags”

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Each night after dinner, we give the chimpanzees treats in the form of “night bags.” These are brown paper bags with a small amount of sugar-free cereal, dried fruit, salt-free nuts, seeds and sometimes dried pasta or other goodies. Our beloved volunteers make these bags up 21 or so at a time to ensure we have a supply for a few nights. Negra in particular likes this snack and sometimes asks for her night bag before dinner is even over. She asks by loudly clapping and sometimes extending an arm out. One night last week when J.B. was serving dinner, I snapped a few photos of Negra making her request, then enjoying her night bag.

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Happy Halloween-Birthday, Jamie!

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You can give both Jamie and her caregiver Elizabeth a birthday gift through Elizabeth’s birthday wish on Facebook!

Below are a few photos of Jamie (and her special pumpkin) from the morning/afternoon party. Jamie thanks Robbi, Stephanie P., Tamela, Margaret, Cari and Jeanie for the birthday goodies.

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Stephanie brought Jamie a pair of cowboy boots for her birthday and she loves them! She picked one up right away and has been carrying it around with her all day. You can see the sole of the boot in the photo above – it’s tucked into Jamie’s groin pocket. It’s very windy today, but Jamie and I just played chase outside for a couple of minutes – a sign that she is in a great mood! J.B. will post a video in just a bit showing more of the party. Happy Halloween everyone!

Wow

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The Celebrate the Seven auction last night was beyond incredible. I am overwhelmed by the support that people showed of the chimpanzees and the sanctuary. Beyond the financial success of the evening (which we’re still tallying), just seeing everyone in that room at the Abbey having a good time and learning more about the Cle Elum Seven was something I will never forget (and, of course, something I hope we can repeat!) I want to thank everyone who participated. It would take a novel to thank everyone individually, but here’s a start:

*Helen Payton of Blue Sky Productions for donating her valuable time, knowledge and expertise.

*Karen and Don Young, our Honorees, for kicking off the Fund-an-Item donations by starting off the greenhouse project with their generous at-a-distance donation of $20,000

*Pam Lahnert and Marc Warner for your incredible support. Pam was involved in every aspect from beginning to end and recruited an amazing crew of her friends to volunteer at the event. Then she and Marc gave so generously at the auction, including a matching gift of $2500 for the greenhouse. In case you were wondering – it was Pam, with the help of her crew and Booshoot Gardens, who transformed the Abbey into a green escape.

*Kathy Cochran of Cochran Productions who kicked off the fund-an-item with a $2500 gift. She also designed all of the blog-post and live-auction posters for the night, plus the Sanctuary: Year One book that we had available for people to order (look for it in the website store soon).

*Margaret Parkinson and Karen Creason who gave so generously at the auction on top of Margaret’s contribution of artwork, including the much-talked-about Negra in the Sun and her work on the Sanctuary: Year One book. Margaret and Karen – I hope you see 300 eagles on your float trip donated by the Bersches!

*Jack Butcher – congrats on winning the Foxie’s Lucky Troll ticket! And thanks for turning around your fortune to the chimps in the Fund-an-Item.

*Laura Michelak, auctioneer genius. No more needs to be said.

*Michelle Esteban was the greatest Master of Ceremonies. I’m so glad that the Cle Elum Seven brought her to us.

*People RAVED about the food, which was donated by Araya’s Place, Pizza Pi, The Essential Baking Company, Field Roast Grain Meat Co., Fredericks Catering, Healeo, Montlake Ale House, Two Tartes Cafe and Catering and Upper Crust Catering.

*The wine donated by Cedergreen Cellars, Naches Heights Vineyard, Chinook Winery and Northwest Totem Cellars was fantastic – and poured by great people!

*How about those “chimp-tinis”? Cascade Peak Spirits has something pretty incredible going with their Organic Nation vodka and gin.

*Ambience Jazz Quartet with vocalist Leah Natale and saxophonist Tobi Stone for literally providing the ambience for the evening.

*Our business and individual sponsors – thank you for offsetting some of the costs of the evening: Abbott’s Printing, Pom Wonderful, Theo Chocolate, Sterling Savings Bank, Alphagraphics, Bruce and Deb Wagman, an Anonymous friend of the Cle Elum Seven, Barbara Lauterbach, Michelle Coburn, Gregg and Tracy Baeckler, Jessica Martinson, Olive Kemp, Victoria Gwiasda, Nicole Shaw, Melissa Davis, Cara Wiseman, Rosanne Galak and Heather (Wynn) Kerr.

*All of the generous individuals and businesses who gave auction donations. You impressed and pleased a lot of people.

*The Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest Board of Directors for supporting the event both before and during. I’m so glad all of the local directors were able to attend.

*The volunteers and staff (i.e. Jackie and Elizabeth) who helped pull the whole thing off.

Now it’s time to build that greenhouse and allow the chimps full access of the outdoor area all winter long!