Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Sometimes, Annie will sit out on Young’s Hill to just take in the view and feel the sun on her back, even if no one is sitting there with her. We used to say that Annie wouldn’t do much without Missy by her side, but that’s not how we describe Annie anymore. She is fine being on her own.
It’s only for a short while though, because of course her friend Missy will run out to play chase at full speed.
Burrito and Foxie had a nice, peaceful grooming session in the greenhouse this afternoon.
Soon Jamie approached and joined them. Burrito is pretty intimidated by Jamie, and on another day he might have bowed out when she approached, but today his strategy was to pretend she wasn’t there.
Jody sometimes showers her caregivers with a mouthful of water. She has this hobby in common with many other captive chimpanzees, who often find creative ways to express themselves.
Jody fills her mouth up with water at one of the wall-mounted water spigots in the chimps’ enclosure, and holds onto it for awhile, mouth bulging, apparently waiting for the perfect time to let it fly. But sometimes, we caregivers are spared when Jody seems to have second thoughts. Maybe she’s waited so long with the mouthful of water that she can’t remember why exactly she felt such an urgent need to spit it in the first place. Maybe she just decides we’re not worth the effort. In these instances, she dips her head down slightly and lets the water fall gently from her mouth in a perfect stream.
There were seven chimps of Cle Elum
Who were ready for breakfasts of melon.
The party was set
In the greenhouse the fete.
At foraging they were excelling!
And, yes, I apologize in advance for my less then ideal rhymes, it’s very difficult to come up with words that rhyme with Cle Elum. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!!
Annie forages for nuts in a sock:
Foxie forages for strawberries on the wooden platform:
(Jody’s drinking from a tiny cup in the background.)
Jamie takes up two chairs while she forages for treats:
Negra forages for chow with the bamboo behind her:
Missy forages for treats from the party bags:
Jody forages for fruit on the platform in the greenhouse:
Burrito also forages, but for chow, on the platform:
Jamie
Missy
Negra
Jody
Foxie
Burrito
Annie
Annie and Missy are quite well-known for their excited games of chase and wrestling throughout the chimp house. Negra, however, isn’t always the most likely play partner—and when she does play, she’s got her own speed (kinda slow). This time Negra was keeping up with the experts!
This video is a little longer than some of our others but I thought you wouldn’t want to miss a second of this fun play session. Thanks again to Patty W. for sponsoring today for us and for being Negra’s Pal!
)
We had a cold, snowy, gray February here in Cle Elum – not the kind of weather these chimpanzees appreciate. So we’re all thrilled that spring is imminent. The skies are blue again, the sun is out, and the temperatures are mild.
The weather was so beautiful as I was driving to the sanctuary this morning that I decided we’d try to set up a breakfast forage on Young’s Hill for the chimps. But soon a cool wind picked up, so we opted for the sunny and warm greenhouse instead. The chimps thought this was a great idea.
Burrito:
Annie:
Missy:
Foxie:
Negra:
Jody:
Spring is on its way and the snow is melting, but Missy is happy to get every last bit that is left.
