Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Jamie’s group was SO happy this morning! We had 3 different groups of wrestlers in 3 different front rooms! Today, enjoy Negra and Burrito mixing it up in front room 1.
And, don’t forget! The Sweet 16 Online Auction goes live tomorrow, June 10th, and ends the 16th. Check out Spring Rayne by our very own Caregiver Ellen. Although, I might fight you for it!
The thing about Burrito is… everyone loves him, chimps and humans alike. Burrito’s light-hearted nature and playful energy is hard not to be contagious. Though at times his group does need him to settle down, they all love to play and interact with him. I mean who wouldn’t, just look at him!
A bonus photo of Jamie the fashionista:
Last month, caregiver Sabrina wrote the first in a series of blogs titled ‘Lessons the Chimps Have Taught Us‘. Today, I would like to add to it. 🙂
We mention it quite often, but our days here are buuuusssyyy. We have a lot to do and time tends to slip away from us, or maybe time really does just go faster when you’re in the chimp house. Either way, we have to make conscious decisions throughout the day about how we spend our time to make sure we get everything done and also spend time with the chimps.
This morning, Sabrina and I went and did our perimeter check of Young’s Hill and the Bray. I was standing by the raceway (the connecting enclosure from the Greenhouse to Young’s Hill) while giving caregiver Jenna my safety report over the radio and Burrito was already being his wild self! Wanting to play a game of chase, he would run over to me, stomp his back foot, and go running off- with me following, of course. I thought that I would need to take a few minutes to play chase with him before doing the rest of the lead caregiver’s morning responsibilities, but he had other things in mind.
As soon as I opened the door, he was running! And, not just running, but looking back at me, clapping, breathy panting, and stomping his feet. Not only was he going for a morning jog around the hill, but I was about to go with him.
I always get really happy when a chimp asks me to spend time with them- whether it be a walk outside, a quiet grooming session, or a game of chase. It’s just, well, special. And it never gets old.
While I was happy to spend time with Burrito, my mind was definitely on everything that I had to get done today. A few steps around the hill, though, Burrito paused our race to sit down while looking back at the chimp house. The winter chill could definitely be felt this morning and there was a layer of fog around the foothills, but the blue winter-y morning light made everything extra breath-taking.
I grew up in Ohio and while the Midwest has it’s own charm and beauty, I don’t think there’s anything like the mountains on a cold winter morning.
So, all this to say that today I was reminded of one of the things that the chimps have taught me.
Your to-do list will always be there and it will always be just as important. But- taking the time to spend quality, fully present moments with people you love is a pretty good reason to put it on hold. It can wait… Burrito can’t. 🙂
I hope you enjoy this mornings walk as much as I did.
Photos from My Vault
Gordo, enjoying a sunny lunch forage:
Terry, looking out to the Bray:
Don’t forget to participate in our Comfort & Joy Online Auction– be sure to get your bids & donations in before the event ends this Saturday, November 18th. 🙂
Personally, I am in deep denial about summer being over. Negra, on the other hand, seems to be enjoying the weather change. Today was a cool, overcast day that turned into a light misty rain from time to time. Negra has perfected rainy day comfort. She finds a cozy nest in the green house, finds a blanket to cover over her whole body including her head, and if she needs to get up- say, for breakfast- she grabs what she needs and goes back up to enjoy breakfast in bed. However, blanket must come back up over head.
Please enjoy this photo series of Negra on a rainy day, as much as she did :).
Snoozy Negra:
Breakfast in bed:
It has been quite a busy day here in the chimp house, so I’ve decided to keep my written blog brief and hope the video speaks for itself! 🙂
Back in January I wrote a blog titled ‘Cheers to The Goofy Moments‘- the first instillation of our own version of America’s Funniest Home Videos. We’ve been continuing to collect blooper moments throughout our work days here in the chimp house when we can. I hope you get a chuckle out of watching them just like we do!
Enjoy!
Bonus Photos:
Annie, gazing lovingly at the Frisbee Puzzle Enrichment they received today:
Terry enjoying the cool, cloudy afternoon by taking some time for himself out on The Bray:
Negra, as we all know, is our awe-inspiring queen here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. This morning in particular, Negra was looking more regal than normal, if that can even be possible.
Often when I look at Negra, I find myself reflecting on just how resilient and amazing she really is. There are some parts of her life I will never understand how she endured and still found a way to persevere. It is a true honor when Negra graces us with her presence, whether it be a kiss, a laugh, a head nod, ordering us to dance for her, or simply just a glance.
Over the years Negra has taught me so much in life: never settle, be unapologetically yourself, always appreciate a sunny day, speak up when you are dissatisfied, life is short- take your sweet time, and to only spend time doing the things you love. I have many things to be thankful for in my career, but one of the greatest privileges is to have built a relationship with a true queen, Negra.
Please enjoy the photo series of Neggie:
Negra yawning:
Negra food grunting before breakfast:
Bonus photos!
This morning at breakfast Burrito took his sweet potatoes to the bench in Front Room 2 and relaxed:
After cleaning we found a grooming train!
Jamie (not seen Missy grooming Jamie), Jody, Foxie, Burrito:
To start, if you haven’t read Anthony’s final blog from Monday, I would stop here and go read his blog first. He very beautifully wrote about his experiences in sanctuary and the new journey he is about to start, but he also described the life of a caregiver. To be a caregiver is a true honor, but it also comes with many challenges. There are moments like the one I am going to write about today that make everything worth the hard parts, but then you have days of watching your friends fight and there is nothing you can do to help (which might just be the hardest part of the job). I digress though, I encourage you to read his blog!
For me personally, watching chimps who struggle socially develop strong relationships with other chimps is one of the most extraordinary parts of the job. Facilitating chimp introductions may have been one of the most stressful points in my career, but it was also one of the most rewarding as well. Now that they are a fully integrated group, I catch amazing moments every day between Honey B and Dora in particular, both with other individuals in their group and with each other. I feel so immensely proud of them. With their own quirks, they each left us unsure of how they would integrate in the very beginning of the introduction stage. This is not a new story I am telling; many of you who follow the blog know that we had a few individuals that we referred to as “wild cards.” What I didn’t expect was for Dora to become Miss Popular or for Honey B to sometimes be the cool, calm and collected one in the group. One might even go as far as saying that she may occasionally be a peace-keeper, and has developed strong relationships with multiple people in her group! This is just proof that chimps really do belong in larger groups with more social stimulation. I am not exactly sure what I am getting at today, but I am just really, really happy for them!
It is not so surprising that Honey B let the sweet, tiny, but also mighty Dora into her social circle. They did live with each other at Wildlife Waystation at some point, so they were not wholly unfamiliar. As Terry knows, however, it doesn’t always matter if you have history; you still have to put the work in for a friendship! (Fortunately, Honey B and Terry are good friends now.) While Terry had to work hard for Honey B’s affection, Dora did not. What a wild experience it must be to think that you won’t ever see or live with someone again and then end up back together. I hope you enjoy this video of Honey B and Dora, the two most likely friends :).
Bonus photo of Foxie:
