On day 1 of Young’s Hill, we saw a lot of wrestling from Annie and Missy (shocking, I know!), but since then, we haven’t seen a whole lot of playing on the hill, most likely because there has been so much to do and explore out there that they just haven’t “had the time”. Over the last few days, however, I’ve been noticing them get more and more playful. Chase has been a favorite game lately (apparently, even Gators make good chase partners!). I’m sure after watching the construction all summer, the chimps (or Missy and Jamie at least) have just been waiting for the opportunity to get up to a full speed run! But with 2-acres to explore, even just walking around is such amazing exercise for them. I’m sure they are sleeping like babies at night!
chimpanzee retirement
Jamie chases Jacki-gator
Today I was watching the chimps running around on the hill. Jamie and Missy were way in the distance. Missy was sitting on the log bridge up top and I couldn’t even see Jamie! Jody was sitting under the hammock and Foxie was running out and then back in over and over. Jackie hopped into the Gator (our farm utility vehicle) to try and find Jamie, and Missy started to play chase with her. Missy gave up quickly but Jamie was way more excited about it.
Sometimes when we play chase with the chimps, they will fake us out—meaning they will run one direction and then abruptly turn and go the other direction, and we have to try and catch up to them. Well, this is a lot harder to do when you have to turn around a Gator on a steep hill! You’ll see Jamie playing this “fake out” game with Jackie in the beginning of the video.
See you tonight!
Tonight is the Out of the Box gala auction! This is going to be a phenomenal event with so many different things to bid on. There’s going to be a multitude of items in the silent auction, including impressive and beautiful handmade art pieces, great deals on local restaurants and other businesses, and amazing wine packages. The live auction features tons of fun getaways and even a private tour of the sanctuary. Buy a raffle ticket to get a chance to win a live auction item of your choice! You can also contribute by adopting a caregiver, and help sustain the sanctuary’s operating costs at the Do it Now board. I’m really excited and hope you are too!
This year’s Fund-a-Need item is probably our most important item yet. We want to open an on-site medical clinic, so that in case the chimps need medical care, they will get to wake up next to family. Do it for Negra!
And don’t forget about the online auction, which opened up for bidding this morning! It will just go until Sunday, so hurry up and place your bids quick! This is a great way for long-distance supporters to take part in the Out of the Box auction. (And for local attendees, too—there’s items available online that won’t be available tonight!)
An accomplishment
Jody’s adventures on/with the hill have been so exciting and fascinating to watch. After the initial excitement of the grand opening of Young’s Hill was over, Jody went back into the outdoor area and stayed there. She monitored the activities on the hill daily, often standing in the raceway tunnel waiting for everyone to come in, and closely inspecting folks upon their return. It took a long time, but once she gained the courage to go out- she went way out! She walked the entire perimeter, exploring every inch of the hill. It was spectacular to watch!
What really struck me while watching her out there was how much she looked back towards the building and the rest of the property. She really seemed fascinated to see parts of the property that she hadn’t seen before- including her home for the last 3+ years. I can’t imagine how strange it would be to live in a house for years and not know what the place looks like from the outside. And after all this time, it must be really satisfying to finally be able to see inside the barn or the garden in it’s entirety, the mountains in the distance, and even just further down the driveway…
I’m so inspired and in awe watching the chimps explore the great unknown and to see their amazing confidence and courage. It makes me not only proud of the chimps, but so proud of this sanctuary. The way I see it- it’s such a huge change from anything they’ve ever known that the chimps really have to trust us to feel comfortable out there. They have to believe that we are taking care of them and that we are still protecting them in this big open space. I feel so proud of our team when I see the chimps out there– and so grateful to our supporters! Just like Jody, it’s a huge accomplishment- we did it! It’s such an amazing thing and definitely something for all to be proud of.
Sometimes you need a little push
We know that some of the chimps seem completely comfortable with Young’s Hill, especially Missy, as well as Jamie. Annie has gotten more brave with help from Missy, and Burrito and Negra have ventured out for a little bit, too. Jody and Foxie are more hesitant and have only been a few feet past the raceway tunnel. Today, Jamie encouraged both of them to come out further and even hugged Foxie and guided her along.
Fearless Missy
I know we’ve said it before, but Missy has been quite a star on Young’s Hill. She’s been so confident and fearless out there! We knew she would love the Hill, but I don’t think any of us could have predicted the level of bravery she would have. I’m so proud of her! GO MISSY GO!
A Few of the Out of the Box Art Pieces
Only a few days left to get tickets to Out of the Box 2011!
We have some really tremendous art in the auction this year! Big thanks to Jessie Johnson who headed up the art procurement. She and all procurement volunteers really outdid themselves this year.
These are just a few pieces:
Cosca I is a signed and numbered limited edition serigraph (certification included) by Victor Varsarely, leader of the Op-Art movement. It will be in “Negra’s Favorite Things” section of the silent auction. You can download a full list of silent auction items and preview live auction items on our auction preview page.
We have a few quilts in the auction this year – each one unique. One, made by Jodi Davila, is in the online auction. See her blue and yellow quilt and browse all online auction items (still more to add).
Here’s a gorgeous quilt that will be in the the “Annie & Missy: Girls Just Want to Have Fun” section of the silent auction in Seattle. The quilt was lovingly handmade by blog reader Annie Nordmark and is called Squares ²:
Tamela has made some gorgeous necklaces this year. Two of them, Mr. B and In the Wild are in the online auction and two are in the Seattle auction.
Below is Tamela’s Miss Missy, which is also in the “Annie & Missy: Girls Just Want to Have Fun” section of the silent auction in Seattle:
We have some amazingly talented supporters and volunteers! Here is a photo of a mirror with a beautiful hand-painted frame made by Volunteer Stephanie Perciful. You’ll find it in the “Burrito’s Corner” section of the silent auction (Burrito LOVES Stephanie):
Volunteer Seana Blake has created one-of-a-kind three-dimensional collages using enrichment well-loved by the chimpanzees (and one piece she created from discarded fence construction bits and other pieces of found metal objects).
There are five pieces by Seana total. I can’t decide what my favorite is, but it might be the one below called “Trolls are Delicious.” This will be up for bid, where else but the “Trollin’ with Foxe” section of the silent auction:
Margaret Parkinson has donated several prints of her artwork this year, including one print of her now famous Negra in the Sun (the original painting sold at the 2009 auction). You’ll find this in the “Trollin’ with Foxie” section of the silent auction too. And you can find a couple of other prints by Margaret in the online auction.
And speaking of this image, just added to the CSNW store is the greatest sweatshirt ever made. It’s a unisex hoodie made by Alternative Earth and is super-soft, mega-comfortable and has an image taken from the same photograph that inspired Margaret’s painting above. It’s not as gorgeously colorful as Margaret’s, but it’s pretty cool. The company that makes the blank sweatshirts, Alternative Apparel, retails them for $50, so getting the sweatshirt with Negra’s image for the same price is a bargain! Buy one now – you don’t want to go through the fall months without one of these hoodies – trust me. Here’s a photo of Sarah wearing a size medium: