Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimp sanctuary

The Morning After Jubilee

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After yesterdays festivities, today has been pretty low-key for everyone. I think both chimps and humans are exhausted from such an awesome day of nonstop partying! If you didn’t see yesterdays blog, STOP EVERYTHING you are doing and look now! And if you missed Diana talking about Negra’s story, be sure to check that out too! Don’t forget that until the end of June all donations will be doubled until we reach $30,000. Follow this link to learn more about how you can help us reach our goal!

Cy on the Bray:

Lucky hanging out by the hammock:

Gordo heading back from exploring:

Willy B:

Guess who!

It’s Rayne!

How did we get so lucky to have such a sweet and kind soul like Terry?! It has been so fun to watch Terry grow in just the few years he has been at CSNW and watch him make new friends. I am not sure if we share this often, but he is quietly good friends with Honey B (maybe don’t tell Honey B). I often will see them on the cameras grooming or hanging out in the same area together. She even grooms with him from time to time! And I don’t know if I have ever met a gentler chimp than him. What I am trying to say is that Terry is just such a nice guy with a really good heart <3.

Girl Time and Happy Birthday, Carrie!

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For today’s blog, I wanted to share a peaceful little moment while everyone else was out exploring The Bray. Though Mave, Honey B, and Dora may not be quite comfortable enough to go outside yet, at least they are spending some quality time together! Sometimes our days get hectic and busy, this video was a great reminder to slow down and enjoy the company of good friends. I hope this video brings you as much peace as it brought me.

We also want to give many thanks to Jenara Miller for sponsoring a day of sanctuary today in celebration of long-time friend of the chimps and bovines, Carrie Miller, on her birthday! From everyone at the sanctuary, we hope you have an amazing birthday Carrie!

Honey B:

Bubba:

Honey cow:

 

 

 

Jody’s Family Legacy

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Since I started working at CSNW in February I, unfortunately, did not get a chance to know Jody very well. I did get put through some hazing by her when I first was learning to serve meals to the group, she would occasionally try to poke me or she would have to spit some of her smoothie on me if I put too much in her mouth at one time. I always found her reprimands to be very gentle in contrast to another chimp I worked with in the past, Jody’s son Levi!

Like Jody, and a lot of chimps when they first arrive to sanctuary, when Levi arrived he was a little more rough around the edges. It was tough to even get a good look at him in person because he was well known for his penchant for throwing feces and he has impeccable aim. When I began working with him, a few years after he first arrived, I discovered how much Levi really loves to play chase and tickle with people and I convinced a coworker who worked with him in his early days at the sanctuary, to come along. When we arrived at Levi’s play yard he immediately came out to greet us and my coworker said to me “that’s him?” because she had never really been able to sit with him or have any positive interaction with him but now they have a relationship with a lot of positive interaction.

In the last couple weeks I have heard so many stories about Jody and how she used to haze people and would spit relentlessly on her caregivers but that she really came to accept and trust the people who cared for her. This really speaks to the difference sanctuary makes in the lives of the chimpanzees we care for and the capacity they really have to forgive humans for the things they’ve experienced in the past.

While Jody is no longer here with us physically anymore, she will never be truly gone. She lives on through her chimp family at CSNW, in our memories of her and in stories shared by those who knew and love her. But she also lives on in her children, like Levi, who not only carrys on her genes but remind us of her quirks and personality, and like Jody are getting to live out their lives in their chimp families in sanctuary.

A Day to Forage

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It shouldn’t come as a surprise that no two days here at CSNW are the same. Especially in spring time, when there are an abundance of projects to be done, you never really know what your day will hold.

Today is an absolutely perfect spring (early summer?! maybe?!) day here in Cle Elum, WA. The sky is that precious blue bird blue with only a few clouds floating by, the temperature is warm with a nice breeze that keeps you comfy, and the sunshine is bright. Most of the chimp house doors and windows are open, so it’s hard not to feel that happy feeling that comes with having a soft breeze and fresh air throughout the chimp house after winter.

In season appropriate fashion, this week has been dubbed spring cleaning week and today our team is tackling the kitchen. It’s quite the task, believe me. One of the items on the list was to de-frost the freezer, which meant an exciting forage of “All-The-Frozen-Things” this morning! We put out a daily morning forage when we are done with the first round of cleaning on each side of the building. It’s different every day, but the frozen treats were pretty unique and it had everyone excited!

Negra and Jody were both particularly excited when they saw the icy treats. 🙂

While we enjoy spring cleaning with the windows open, the chimps are leaning into the season with all their might! Cy’s group has access to their outdoor chute and this morning I arrived to find most of them out enjoying the early sunshine. Can you count (and identify) the chimps in this photo?!

To continue the excitement, we did a lunch forage for Jamie’s group on Young’s Hill. J.B. recently wrote about how construction has resumed on The Bray for Cy’s group, which meant that Jamie’s group had to be off the hill for a few days too since some of the tasks involved both sides of the hill. Today we were able to give them access just in time for a lunch forage and a more perfect day could not be had!

Foxie took her doll with her to forage, of course.

On a lovely day like today it’s hard not to think about how grateful I am for our supporters who have made sanctuary life possible for our 16 chimp and 4 bovine friends. As someone who got involved at CSNW as an intern in grad school, left for a few years, and then had the opportunity to return full time – it’s amazing how many things have changed in just a few years. Taking a bigger step back and looking at the then-and-now between fifteen years ago and the present day, it’s truly inspiring. That’s what all of you, every person reading this blog, have helped to create- years full of hope and love in a forever home for individuals who deserve it so much.

As we reflect back we also have to look forward, which means reaching out a hand to you. Right now, early giving is open for GiveBIG. Every donation matters – no matter how big or small – and, right now, donations are being matched by our amazing supporter, Donna T! Please consider helping us reach our goal– every donation will go to support our incredible residents.

Like beautiful and amazingly cool, Jamie.

We’re also super excited to announce our next Virtual Visit! We will be hosting a virtual Lunch with Cy’s Group on Sunday, May 21st from 1:00 – 2:00pm PT! If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to serve a meal to the nine chimps in Cy’s group, then this is the event for you. Be sure to register today to save your seat and submit any questions you have so we can answer them during the virtual visit!

Cy can’t wait!

BONUS PHOTOS:

A drama, in three photos, caught by Caregiver Chad’s photography skills.

Gordo and Dora enjoying the chute:

Sweet Foxie in a peaceful moment.

Two is Better than One!

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Today was absolutely beautiful! The sun was out, the chimps were enjoying their warm greenhouses, and the seven had another lunch Hill forage! I know I always talk about little moments in the chimp house: the moments that just kind of make your heart melt and remind you how grateful you are that these chimps are in sanctuary. Today was full of those little moments.

1. Negra was the first chimp out of the raceway for the lunch forage! She was going everywhere trying to find the potatoes and chow. It was very nice to watch.

2. Annie, as you may know, has already been spotted with her sweatbands! Today, she was either wearing them or carrying them in her pelvic pocket (a hot pink and green one).

3. Lucky was also spotted wearing a green sweatband (not pictured).

4. Foxie gave me her doll through the raceway so that we could go take a quiet walk around a little bit of Young’s Hill.

5. One of our interns gave us a pair of her Doc Martins that Jamie had been eyeing for awhile. We gave Jamie those boots today and she seemed elated to have them <3!

6. Cy’s group were out in the greenhouses for most of the day, all grooming each other.

Bonus photos!

Negra on the Hill foraging:

Missy foraging:

Jody:

Foxie:

Burrito in the warm green house:

I hope you enjoy these little moments and Annie’s video :)!

Ladies Who Groom

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It’s Wednesday and for many of us, we are busy with work, life, and all the in between. Personally, watching Dora and Honey B quietly groom and spend time with each other felt like some type of meditation. If you need a little zen or quiet time, this is the blog for you!

Sleepy Dora:

Bonus photo of Foxie this morning:

Keep the Love Going: Fall in Love with Dora!

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Today, we are continuing on with our Fall in Love videos and highlighting the small but mighty, Dora! I think I can speak for everyone when I say, we fall in love with Dora a little bit more everyday. I think for chimps and humans, Dora has something about her that makes you want to spend all your time with her. To learn more about Dora and why she has stolen everyone’s hearts at CSNW, check out the video above!

If you’re interested in sponsoring Dora, you can become her Chimpanzee Pal today!

Do you have any spare magazines laying around? Cy would love to take them off your hands!