Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee rescue

Thank you, Virginia!

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Today’s 4th of July day of sanctuary was sponsored by the chimpanzees’ good friend, Virginia Keulen! (You may have noticed that Virginia also generously sponsored yesterday in celebration of her birthday!)

Freedom and independence represent many things to many people. Virginia, thank you so much for sponsoring today for the chimpanzees so that they may continue to define and experience what these things mean to them.

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The chimpanzees have the best friends and we are profoundly grateful for all of our supporters and everything each of you do to make the chimpanzees’ lives better. Happy 4th of July everyone! And be sure to check out the chimps’ celebration later today!

Happy Birthday, Jenna!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Jenna Miles. Today is Jenna’s birthday and she chose to celebrate by giving the chimpanzees a special day! Jenna shared the following beautiful message:

“Chimpanzees have been my favourite animal for years, and I hope one day there will be no chimps in labs, as pets or in entertainment or being killed in Africa. July 2nd is my birthday, so I sponsor this day both as a birthday present for me, and to express my joy that at least these seven chimpanzees may live a better life than the one they once had.”

Jenna, this is such a lovely thing to do! Thank you so much for your compassion and for thinking of the chimpanzees on your special day. From all of us here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, we hope your days are filled with the joy, comfort and love that you help make possible for the chimpanzees. Happy Birthday!!

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I Spy

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Lisa got some pictures of Burrito spying on her from the greenhouse into where she was standing in the front room area, and again from behind the ladder in the greenhouse. It amazes me how anyone could be quite so charming just by shyly spying on you.

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Jamie – Keeping it Interesting

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If there is one thing that we have written about more frequently than anything else I think it must be Jamie’s multifaceted personality. Jamie is the boss but she’s also good friend. She takes things seriously but she can also be quite silly when the mood strikes. Sometimes she shares her things and other times she’ll take what she wants from others. She’s a complicated individual. She likes boots, enrichment projects that challenge the mind, and doing things her own way.

Being friends with Jamie Chimpanzee is an intense ride but there is never a dull moment. Jamie keeps everyone on their toes and keeps life at the sanctuary stimulating. I simply can’t imagine the diamond of her mind trapped in the confines of her previous environment and I take every chance I get to provide her with a project. Yesterday that meant that I found more challenging places to hide the playroom lettuce forage. I filled the square building blocks you see in the pictures with lettuce, closed them up tight, and hid them in the playroom. Rather than foraging for the lettuce easily available on the ground Jamie made a beeline for the greater challenge of the blocks.

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Today we gave her cleaning supplies so that she could participate in her version of the front room cleaning. I was pleased to see her complete that task with vigor. Although I was unable to get a picture of Jamie cleaning up after us today you can watch video of Jamie’s cleaning style here.

But it’s not always necessary to be on the move with Jamie. Sometimes she appreciates quiet down time with friends too! Grooming is a great social outlet for chimpanzees and, on occasion, the chimpanzees will ask to be groomed by their human caregivers. We are, of course, always happy to oblige a grooming request.

Serenity

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Annie has come a long way since arriving at the sanctuary six years ago. Early on, Annie was nervous and on edge almost all of the time. She lacked confidence and didn’t interact much with the other chimpanzees (except for BFF Missy, of course) or with her caregivers. Fast forward six years and we have a totally different Annie on our hands. She is secure, social, and happy. Even so, being at the bottom of the dominance hierarchy is a stressful situation for anyone, and Annie still has moments of anxiety. So it’s always a pleasure to see her completely relaxed and content, as she was this morning at breakfast.

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Perspective

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It’s hard to get photos of several chimps in one frame out on the hill. Typically they are foraging or exploring on their own or in pairs, but getting four, five, or six chimps in one frame is pretty rare. It seems this morning, JB was able to capture these rare moments when all but Negra were out on the hill checking out a helicopter flying overhead. They had a good perspective from where they were, I think. And since these aren’t close ups of the chimps, it gives you a new perspective as well.

Annie, Missy, Jody, and Foxie:

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Foxie, Jamie, Missy, Annie, Jody, and Burrito:

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I like this series a lot because both Jamie on ground and Missy (just above Jamie) are climbing up posts simultaneously. (Foxie is up top and Annie is on the bridge).

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