chimp

Take Action Tuesday: Tell Geico to stick to the gecko

February 16, 2016 by Diana

Go to the Geico Action Alert now.

We are faced with constant reminders that many chimpanzees out there do not have the happy life that the chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest currently have.

It took many years and many advocates fighting for the CSNW chimpanzees, and others like them, before they finally made it to a sanctuary. This is why it is so important that we continue to spread information when we know of other chimpanzees being exploited or in dire situations.

Though many strides have been made, the entertainment industry has been, surprisingly, slower to respond to public concern about the use of great apes than the biomedical industry. This clearly needs to change.

You have the opportunity today to help usher that change. A new ad is currently running on television by the insurance company Geico that contains a short clip of a chimpanzee. They have tried to deflect our concerns by saying that the American Humane Association asserted that no animals were harmed on set, but the letter they sent to us with this certification referred to the chimpanzee in the ad as a monkey!

Please take a moment to write to Geico about why chimpanzees do not belong in entertainment (you can personalize the email) and share this action alert far and wide.

It really does only take a minute, and it really does make a difference.

Go to the Geico Action Alert now.

A Nightly Treat

February 15, 2016 by Elizabeth

Each night after a dinner of fresh fruits and veggies, the chimpanzees are given a “night bag” consisting of a handful of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and other healthy treats. This tradition began on the chimps’ first night at the sanctuary, and they’ve enjoyed night bags every night since.

As soon as we pass out the night bags a hush falls over the group as everyone digs in. The chimps are masters at shelling the nuts and seeds with their mouths and then discarding the shells. Burrito demonstrates below.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Arlene!

February 14, 2016 by Katelyn

This beautiful Valentine’s Day was also sponsored by Michael in honor of his wife, Arlene! Michael and Arlene are also special friends of the chimpanzees who always have the chimpanzees in their hearts.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to Arlene who is a big fan of the chimpanzees and shares their love everyday.”

Michael, thank you so much for such a heartfelt gift for both Arlene and the chimps! We are so happy to have you both as part of our chimpanzee family and are grateful for all that you do to ensure the chimps’ lives are filled with love in all it’s many forms. Happy Valentine’s Day to you both!!

Best friends, Missy and Annie:

Foxie and her beloved troll:

Jamie and her cherished boot:

Burrito and his love of food:

Jody and her love for bamboo:

And Queen Negra and her love for a comfy nest in the sun:

Be Still My Heart

February 13, 2016 by Diana

It’s appropriate to get really mushy because it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, right?

I am going to share something I love about each of the chimpanzees below, but first I need to get mushy about you – Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest supporters.

First, a confession: fundraising has not been my life’s ambition. I’ve met people who I might call “born fundraisers,” and I can definitively say that they posses qualities that I simply do not.

However, the more I do this fundraising thing, the more I appreciate what a unique and special position I am in. I get to make dreams come true – dreams for the chimpanzees, and dreams for donors who support the chimpanzees. We are all very much in this together, with the same goals for the future, and I feel that connection when I talk to those who support the sanctuary.

Not many people have a job that is so fulfilling, and very few people have a job with so much positive feedback. Katelyn and I were talking about this in the office the other day – we regularly have people call or email to not only make a donation, but also to say that they love the work we are doing and appreciate us sharing stories of the chimpanzees, allowing them to feel connected to the chimps as the individuals who they are.

Thank you for being supportive and for sharing your love with the chimpanzees – and with the humans too!

Speaking of which… as I write this, we are just $1,797 away from reaching our $12,000 goal for the Share the Chimp Love fundraiser, which ends at the end of the day tomorrow. UPDATE: big thanks to Julie L. for donating exactly $1,797 after this post was published!

If you are feeling the love, but haven’t yet made a donation, you can share that love now on this page. You can choose to spread the love even further by donating in honor of someone else for Valentine’s Day, or just make a donation for the love of Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy, and Negra.

Below are just some of the things that I love about each of the chimpanzees at the sanctuary.

It would be so fun for me if you also shared what you love about Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy, and Negra in the comments!

I love ANNIE’s serenity:

and her bird noises!

I love when BURRITO’s “chimpanzeeness” really comes through (for the full explanation of the video below, see this blog post from 2013 when it was originally published):

I love FOXIE’S “happy toes” (video from 2010):

I love JAMIE’s brave leadership:

I love JODY’ nesting skills:

I love MISSY’s ability to entertain herself:

I love NEGRA’s playful moments (video from 2011):

Thank you again for being a part of Sharing the Chimp Love!

Messages from Annie, Burrito, and Foxie

February 11, 2016 by Diana

Thank you to everyone who has been Sharing the Chimp Love this week! I am so happy to be ordering donor-selected custom photos and sending out other Share the Love gifts to those who have donated at the different levels.

I am especially in love with these bookmarks and card that supporter and graphic designer Kathleen Corby designed just for this year’s Valentine’s Day.

Did you receive the e-newsletter yesterday? Have you shared the What happens when… video yet?

If you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you’ve probably seen these messages from Annie, Burrito, and (from this morning) Foxie:

How can you resist those three?!

We are over $7,000 towards our goal of raising $12,000 by the end of the day on Valentine’s Day.

If you haven’t already, please share the love by donating and sharing the above video and Share the Chimp Love images – help us reach the goal for this campaign and get us one step closer to the future of expanding the family!

Same boy, different toy

February 10, 2016 by Katelyn

Today’s blog is kind of a revisit of last Wednesday’s blog. Same boy, different toy.

As most of these games with Burrito go, this is just his warm-up. Eventually, he can stand it no longer and launches down off the bench (as he’s moving to do here) to advance into the tickle and chase portion of the game.

Of course, it’s incredibly fun to have the honor to play with any of the chimpanzees, but it’s hard to find words to express the heartfelt gratitude as we witness them living their lives with such joy after all they’ve been through. That they find within them such a capacity to enjoy each day out from under the shadow of their histories is the best gift of all.

The New Annie

February 8, 2016 by Elizabeth

Just a few years ago, Annie was glued to her best friend Missy’s side. Missy was Annie’s security blanket, and she followed her everywhere. Annie was afraid to be alone.

That’s not the case anymore. These days it’s not uncommon to see images like this one of Annie enjoying some solitude on Young’s Hill this morning: