Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimpanzee rescue

In honor of Sarah Baeckler

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored in honor of Sarah Baeckler by Patty Wilkerson! As Patty appropriately summed up when asked about sponsoring the day, “Who doesn’t love Sarah?!” And we couldn’t agree more! Sarah is the former Executive Director of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and recently moved out of state and into the next chapter of her life as Executive Director of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance. And though she works tirelessly to improve the lives of primates everywhere, she still manages to come back to volunteer her time at the sanctuary as a volunteer caregiver. (As a side note, Patty is a chimp house volunteer who also comes from out of state. We have the most dedicated volunteers!).

I suspect Foxie is going to be doing a lot of pirouettes and back flips when she sees her good friend, Sarah, today. We humans might as well, but that would just be awkward, so we’ll leave it to Foxie.

Foxie with a playface

Patty, thank you so much for honoring Sarah and the chimpanzees in such a thoughtful way!

The inimitable Jamie

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Just as humans do, each of the chimpanzees has their own unique personality. And Jamie’s is like a kaleidoscope. She surprises us every day with her strength, beauty, intelligence, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and sheer, well, Jamie-ness. Jamie was my first chimpanzee friend and as such she holds a special place in my heart. While she can be demanding and intense in her relationships with both humans and chimpanzees, she can also be joyful, caring, and so much fun to hang out with. But one thing that Jamie consistently is, is a privilege to know, and an honor to call my friend.

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As Diana mentioned earlier today, it takes a virtual village to care for these seven amazing beings and we are so thankful to all of you who help provide them with the sanctuary they deserve. While this next photo of Jamie was previously posted, it’s one of my favorites and I feel, catches that inimitable spirit of hers. It also reminds me, as does Jamie, of one of my favorite quotes by Federico Fellini, “You have to live spherically – in many directions. Never lose your childish enthusiasm – and things will come your way.” Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for enabling things to come Jamie’s (and all of the chimpanzees’) way.

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On Young’s Hill

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The chimpanzees’ relationship with Young’s Hill has certainly developed over the time they have had access to it. Sanctuary has provided them with the room to run physically as well as the room to expand psychologically. Not only have they grown as individuals as a result of the space provided but their relationships and sense of self appear to have evolved as well. Today, in honor of the gift that space provides, here is a visual exposition of the chimpanzees experiencing the splendor of Young’s Hill.

Annie foraging:
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Jamie walking through the grass:
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Burrito climbing over logs:
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Missy smiling while running:
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Foxie sitting up on one of the wooden climbing structures:
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Jody walking through the grass:
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Negra enjoying the sun (a repeat but one of my favorites!):
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The Chimp Whisperer

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If there’s one chimpanzee who plays the role of peacemaker in the group, it’s Foxie. It seems to be her personal ambition to make sure everyone is getting along. During conflicts, she often runs around and tries to calm everyone down. You could say she’s a bit of a chimp whisperer.

So it’s not surprising that she’s a preferred play partner for a lot of the chimps. If Jamie or Burrito are looking for some fun, it’s almost always Foxie who they’ll seek out. (Burrito has the problem of being a little intimidated by almost everyone else in the group, and Jamie has the problem of almost everyone else in the group being a little intimidated by her.)

Diana got some footage of Foxie working her magic with Burrito and Negra (who doesn’t play very much with anyone due to being somewhat of an old lady) this weekend while the chimps were waiting for the humans to finish cleaning the playroom.

On an unrelated note, thanks so much to everyone who came out for Sippin’ for the Seven last night. You can see photos from the event here. And bidding for our online auction is open until Tuesday, so be sure to check out the items and get your bids in!

The simple things

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This afternoon I went out to see who might be in the greenhouse and I found this good looking guy (Burrito, if you are new the the blog!) just hanging out:

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Burrito often becomes shy when the camera comes out but he remained pretty calm and nonchalant, until…

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I pointed out a lone potato that had been left over from lunch. The look on his face is as if to say, “WHAT?! A potato?!” (Notice that precision focus):

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After a quick scan of the greenhouse to make sure no one was watching, he silently swung down, grabbed the potato, and took it back to the top platform to gaze at adoringly and enjoy:

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The simple things in life. I am always thankful to the chimpanzees for reminding me to appreciate the little things.

Chimp ID: Negra

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Today we conclude our series of blog posts on chimpanzee identification with Negra. (If you missed the posts about Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, or Missy, click on their names.)

Negra is the oldest of the chimps at the sanctuary, and because of her wise and regal air, we call her our Queen. Negra has a mostly dark face with white freckles on her chin and in her ears:

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She is missing the top half of her left ear:

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She has more bottom lip than she knows what to do with:

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She’s a big lady with an ample belly:

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Here you can see how her girth compares with Jody’s:

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She loves to relax with a blanket draped over her head:

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And she worships the sun:

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Jamie Chimpanzee’s Hallowbirthday 2013

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At Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest we take parties pretty seriously, and on this day, we have two occasions to celebrate: Halloween and Jamie’s 36th birthday. Consequently, we went a little wild with the festivities today.

The chimpanzees are lucky to have some really great friends, and today we want to thank three of them in particular for making the day so special. Supporter Jayne Roepke mailed us several boxes full of the most fun and creative enrichment for today’s party (and treated the chimps to some delicious and festive party food!); Lisa Stuverud sponsored today in Jamie’s honor; and volunteer caregiver Stephanie brought some more party decorations, food, and enrichment, including this hand-carved birthday/Halloween pumpkin:

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The pumpkin was the star of the show, as you’ll see in the video below. But first, some photos of the party this morning.

Negra with a gift bag:

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and with a chunk of the giant pumpkin:

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Jody enjoying some cran-pomegranate juice:

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and deconstructing one of the cute ghost pinatas that Jayne sent:

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Jody also loved the giant pumpkin:

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Foxie with the giant pumpkin (are you sensing a theme?):

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Burrito taking a brief break from foraging:

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Annie drinking some juice:

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And if you’re wondering about Jamie, the birthday girl, she thoroughly enjoyed the festivities. Here she is looking cool with a party straw:

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foraging for berries:

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inspecting some new presents:

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and treating herself to a “martini”:

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One of the highlights of the day was watching the chimps dig into the pumpkin. They all eventually had their turns at it, but Negra was the first to enjoy the spoils.

If you’re signed up to receive our e-newsletter, you know that we’re holding a competition to see which chimpanzee can get the most Chimpanzee Pals by the end of the year. Wish Jamie a happy 36th birthday by signing up to be her Pal today!

Happy Jamieween, everyone!