Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee rescue

Life as Jamie’s assistant

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Jamie is the supervisor of all of us here at the sanctuary, chimps and humans alike, and today Jamie had many projects for me. Thank goodness I had her direction to structure my day. All of the chimpanzees are well aware of the daily routine and are amazing time keepers. And not just at mealtime. They typically know when it’s time for them to be given access to each area after we complete cleaning and if we are running behind, they start showing up to let us know. And as you can imagine, nothing gets by “the boss.”

Jamie followed me throughout the cleaning of the front rooms today, supervising my cleaning skills and making sure to request numerous drinks from the hose at each door. When it was time to give the chimpanzees access to the front rooms, I asked Jamie which door she wanted me to open first.  She immediately indicated her choice and we repeated this until all the appropriate doors were open.  With cleaning done, Jamie let me know it was time for a walk around the hill.  Immediately! Jamie typically has a specific boot in mind that she wants us to wear on our walks with her and sometimes it can take trying on several pairs in her collection before we find the one she wants. But you know have the right one when you put it on and she takes off running toward Young’s Hill!  Today, this was THE boot of choice:

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After taking several loops around Young’s Hill together, Jamie’s and my routine (per Jamie) is to sit together so she can groom the prized boot.  When she has groomed the boot (and me) sufficiently, she indicates she is ready to be given the boot by running into the front rooms where I drop it in a shoot for her. Once in her possession, she gazes adoringly at the boots, hugs it to her and kisses it:

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Jamie then let me know that she wanted to check out the chimpanzees’ garden (of course, with the boot in tow). Thanks to the hard work of volunteer, Denice, the chimps’ garden is in full bloom! Every day this week, Jamie and Missy (The Tomato Queen) have excitedly asked for cherry tomatoes which they can see growing outside the play room windows.  Here Jamie is watching me pick some for her:

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It’s hard to tell here, but I am serving her a few to try out:

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And while Jamie looks like she has a huge smile in this photo, she’s actually getting tomato seeds out of her teeth.  Nevertheless, I think she was still pretty pleased.

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Jamie is one of the toughest bosses I have ever had, but I can’t think of a more rewarding job, or anyone else I’d rather work for.

Play and laughter

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Everyone needs a good laugh… sometimes it takes friends to get a smile out of us, and other times we can make ourselves crack up.

Playing with Foxie

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If you’re playing with Foxie, chances are there’s a doll involved. She often initiates play with a caregiver by passing us one or more of her dolls. We’re then expected to entertain her by acting as silly as possible. Caregivers Diana and Debbie filmed one such play session yesterday.

Take Action Tuesday: Help save chimpanzees in Cameroon!

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EOA take action tuesday

A U.S. company called Herakles Farms is planning to begin a palm oil plantation in Cameroon near the border of Nigeria. Chimpanzees and gorillas live in these forests, and in fact the most endangered subspecies of each ape are living in that region. The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee population (a.k.a. Elliot’s chimpanzee) is estimated to be approximately 3,500 individuals remaining. The Cross River gorilla population is estimated to be fewer than 300 individuals.

Endangered chimpanzees, forest elephants, and monkeys all live within the Herakles Farms concession. These already diminishing populations need our help!

Chimpanzee, Nigeria

This form letter has been put together to make it very easy for us to lend our voice in support of the apes, courtesy of Greenpeace. Although it is very convenient to just fill in your name and email and hit “send”—it really helps to make your letter unique. Tell the CEO of Herakles Farms why it is important to you that their plans for a palm oil plantation in Cameroon be canceled immediately.

We know from the plight of orangutans in Southeast Asia that palm oil directly negatively affects their population, sometimes driving orangutans and other forest dwellers to starvation when their homes are slashed and burned to the ground to make room for the plantations. In your day-to-day life, try to be a conscious consumer and avoid palm oil where you can. You can help be an advocate for apes every day by taking this extra effort to check the ingredient list of products you buy!

After sending your letter, take a few minutes to watch the second installment of a video interview with Dr. Debra Durham, where she talks a little bit about her conservation efforts with wild chimpanzees. Her current project is called Compassion in Action Mushroom Project (it’s a really innovative plan to help protect wild chimpanzees—be sure to check it out!)

Boots

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Jamie isn’t the only chimp that loves boots here at the sanctuary! Every once in awhile, we notice someone else inspecting the boots when Jamie sets them down for a moment.

Jody:
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Negra:
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Missy: (and Diana)
missy and boot

The Rainy Day

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The weather has been volatile today as you can see by the clouds menacing the sanctuary with the promise of rain.

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What better way to spend a rainy, blustery Sunday than curled up in a nest with some of your favorite things? I certainly can’t argue with that!

Annie nesting in the greenhouse:
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Missy in a nest on the catwalk in the playroom:
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Jamie inside with her boots:
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Jody peeking out from a nest on the catwalk:
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Negra from underneath the blankets:
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And while I personally would prefer the nap, I have it on good authority that although rain is threatening, that’s no reason to cancel a perfectly good walk around Young’s Hill!