This afternoon Burrito was hanging out in the “photo studio” (one of the chimpanzees’ front rooms named for its perfect lighting for pictures), so I decided to snap a few portraits!
chimp
It’s hard to believe…
… that Burrito, Missy, Jamie, Jody, Annie, Foxie, and Negra were ever thought of as a means to an end in biomedical testing.
Thanks to everyone who has supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and allowed these seven chimpanzees to learn how to be chimpanzees, to learn who they are, and to be able to live in a home full of love and freedom. This video, as always, is for you!
Extra Helpings
After we serve a meal to the chimpanzees, there’s usually a few pieces of food on the ground that have dropped on the human side of the caging. The meal server typically leaves the food where it is, and the chimps will go find tools to use to pull it closer, or they’ll grab the attention of a caregiver and “ask” for the food by pointing to it.
Today Anna served the chimps a lunch of broccoli, kale, and bell peppers in the greenhouse. I went out shortly after the meal to see what everyone was up to, and Burrito immediately swung down from the platform where he was finishing his chow, and pointed out some kale and broccoli that had fallen on my side of the caging. After a quick scan for boss Jamie (she’ll occasionally pull rank when we try to offer food to the other chimps), I picked up the dropped food and gave it to a very grateful Burrito.
Negra Falling Asleep
Sometimes a nap under a soft blanket in front of a sunny window is all you need.
Video: the drama of Jamieween!
The video below shows just some of the highlights of Jamieween (turn up the volume if you want the addition of music to add to the drama).
In addition to the fun adventures in the video, Jamie received not one, not two, not even three, but four pairs of new cowboy boots from her fan club of supporters.
One of Jamie’s top favorite foods is pears, so I decided to hide a whole pear in one of her new boots – sort of both a trick and a treat.
She immediately took that pair of boots, inspected, and nested with them:
She even tried one on:
But, apparently it wasn’t the one with the pear, because the pear was still in the boot when I went into the playroom later that day to spot clean. I was shocked!
It took another couple of hours, but Jamie did finally find her birthday treat.
Thank you to everyone who made this a special day for boss Jamie and us humans who had the privilege of celebrating with her!
Special Visitors and New Stuff for the Chimps
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has held several online auctions over the last few years, filled with fun items to bid on. Some of the coolest and most popular items have been donated by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day (this year he gave a personally-signed guitar to the Summer Biddin’ online auction).
The Armstrong family has been following the lives of the Cle Elum Seven for a while (proving something that doesn’t need proof: Burrito is irresistible), and Billie Joe’s wife Adrienne, who also owns Atomic Garden in Oakland, and her sister-in-law Jessy have visited the sanctuary a few times – always wanting to directly help out while they are here!
This past weekend, Adrienne, Jessy, Billie Joe, and Jessy’s husband / Adrienne’s brother Steve, owner of Familia Skateshop in Minnesota, all came out for a visit and to lend a hand. Susan Holmes McKagan, Billie Joe and Adrienne’s friend and model, fashion designer, and wife to bassist Duff McKagan also came out for the afternoon on Saturday.
We learned a few things over the two days they were here, including the fact that chimpanzees love Billie Joe. Jamie was extremely excited when he was willing to run with her around the hill, and invited him to do so several times. She didn’t even insist on him wearing cowboy boots:
And a few of the chimps listened while he played an acoustic guitar. Here’s Negra lending an ear:
Adrienne brought some rare brown-haired troll dolls, which Foxie immediately adopted
and brought on a walk around the hill with Adrienne and Susan:
The main task for the weekend was putting up a new structure on the hill that consisted of two tall log posts and a few metal bars that were to be installed between them for the chimps to climb on and swing from.
Not surprisingly, Jamie and Missy were the first to inspect and play on the structure after a forage was put out for everyone to enjoy:
The chimps didn’t have all the fun, though. The humans did a little “chimping around” during their breaks from manual labor:
The new bar structure is really neat, and there’s no doubt that the chimpanzees are going to enjoy it, but I was equally excited that Adrienne and Jessy got the holiday tree from last year planted on the hill:
The tree has been living in a pot in the greenhouse since last December, and the chimps, especially Jody, have been periodically snacking on it:
I’m really curious how that little bedraggled tree will do on the hill – I have high hopes!
As a well-deserved thank you for all the Armstrongs have done for the chimpanzees, both this weekend and in the past with their donations, they got to watch the chimpanzees enjoy the fruits of their labor from the observation deck looking out onto Young’s Hill:
What an awesome weekend for everyone!
A Chilly Fall Morning
It is a beautiful, chilly fall day here at the sanctuary, and the chimpanzees spent some time on Young’s Hill enjoying the crisp air. We have a lot of help with cleaning this morning, which means Jamie has many walking companions to choose from!
Here is Jamie on her second walk of the morning:
Jody also ventured out:
Missy and Annie spent a lot of time climbing on the hill, and then settled in the greenhouse to groom. Missy:
Annie (with Missy behind her):
I wonder if this view may be part of the reason why Jamie goes on so many walks:
Ah, fall!
