Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee rescue

Showing us how it’s done

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Jamie always seems to want to be in the middle of the action- no matter what that action is. If you are friends with us on Facebook, you probably saw the post from a couple of weeks ago about Jamie and the staff meeting. Elizabeth and I were in the greenhouse brainstorming with a clipboard, pen, and paper. Jamie came over and asked us for the pen, so we gave her one. She then pulled up a chair, flattened her paper out on a flat surface, and joined us. We sat there for quite some time discussing various staff-only related topics.

And that’s very typical Jamie behavior. She often mimics us and wants to be involved in whatever we are doing– even if we are just cleaning.

Luau!

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Yesterday, we threw the chimps a Luau! Volunteer Steph and I have been planning it for a couple of months now and she went shopping and got so much cute stuff! There were 5 adorable pinatas (including a mermaid, a dolphin, a tiki man, a toucan, and a sun), a giant palm tree, fishing nets, leis, and tons of festive cups for tropical drinks. She went waaay over the top with this party– and it was perfect!

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been collecting all the Luau-like troll dolls and Doras too

Thankfully, the chimps were just as enriched as we were!

Jamie:

Burrito:

Negra:

Foxie:

Jody:

Missy:

Negra and Annie focused heavily on the peanuts in the pinatas:

Once the tropical juice was all gone, the Luau spilled out onto Young’s Hill. Jamie was so excited about the pineapple:

Foxie explored the hill and collected chow with her new Dora

Annie

Jamie

Steph also brought banana blossoms, which Jody thoroughly enjoyed but Annie found one on the hill. She looked pretty proud of herself!

Thanks so much for bringing Hawaii to the chimps, Steph!

Today’s goofy play

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Today, the chimpanzees were being pretty playful, especially Missy and Burrito. I wasn’t able to get the best video while trying to play tug-o-war with Missy, but I got a short clip. Burrito was playing a lot with Jackie at the barn doors. You’ll want to watch until the very end!

Happiness on the hill

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Missy was such a goof when I opened the door to Young’s Hill this morning! She ran right out (and lots of folks followed her) and went up to the new climbing structure in the bamboo.

After sitting there for a little while, she decided to get a better view of the hill:

And then goofiness with her best friend Annie ensued

Fostering Friendships

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Volunteer Katelyn is in training to be a caregiver. We like to think of training as not only a time to teach people about chimp behaviors and how to safely interact with the chimpanzees, but it’s also a time to foster new friendships. The process usually takes several months beginning with the trainee sticking close to the trainer until gradually the trainer gets further and further away and the trainee gains more independence. It’s a fun process to watch, especially when you watch the chimps become more and more comfortable with the person, and watching their friendship begin. That’s what I witnessed today with Katelyn. She hasn’t had many interactions with the chimpanzees, but today we spent a good deal of time interacting with almost everybody! We played tug of war with Missy and a sock, and Annie came over and tickled the back of Katelyn’s hand– a rare treat! Later, we spent some quality time with Foxie in the greenhouse. Foxie was so playful! She literally rolled the entire length of the deck during a chase game– a sure sign that Katelyn going to be a fun friend.

I feel I should point out that Katelyn and I are standing on different steps in the next couple of photos 😉