Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee retirement

Lilacs

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Last week, CSNW supporters Dick and Robbi Brown brought some beautiful purple lilac flowers for the chimps. I’ve known other chimps who really loved lilacs, most notably Washoe, but we just weren’t sure what the Cle Elum Seven would think. When we first gave the flowers to them, they were unsure (I tasted one the other day– bleh! they are pretty perfumey!), but today volunteer Seana and myself put out the rest of them in the outdoor area and they were a hit with everybody!

….well, almost everybody. Much like I would feel if I were them, Burrito and Foxie chose to remain indifferent toward the flower forage.

Missy:

Negra (with Annie in the background):

Jody:

Jamie enjoying her lilacs while wearing a stuffed monkey around her neck:

She put it on first thing this morning, and has been wearing it ever since:

Annie:

Thanks Robbi and Dick!

WAKE UP!

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I never really know what I’m in for when I arrive at the sanctuary in the mornings. Sometimes the chimps are all grumpy– maybe they had a fight the night before or just don’t feel like getting out of bed– and sometimes they are playful goofs. Othertimes, it’s a mixture of both. When I arrived the other day, I was happy to start the day off by witnessing this:

Foxie nest

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It was a rainy gloomy day today so I put a video on for the chimps to watch. Foxie, Negra, Annie, and Burrito were all watching at one point or another. I noticed that Foxie was “nesting” with her trolls so I thought I’d grab a few blankets to see if she wanted them. She took about 10 (which is rare for Foxie!). I didn’t catch it, but she sat in the nest and watched TV for a few minutes. When I came back with the camera she was sitting beside it (see below – still watching TV). It was a nice big cozy nest!

Foxie, up close

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Not only do we have an awesome camera (thanks to our awesome board of directors), but we also have some really photogenic chimps! Here’s an up close photo of Foxie, who was keeping a close eye on the boss, Jamie.

In addition to keeping her eye on her boss, she’s also been keeping her eye on this troll doll for the last two days:

Sweet Jody

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On a warm day, Jody loves having the barn doors open. She seems to love the fresh air and the view, and as soon as we open them up for the day, she usually starts going around the playroom collecting as many blankets as possible and makes a giant nest right next to them, either in the sun or where ever she can get the most breeze. Here are a few photos I took of her the other day doing just that in a nest of about 15 blankets.

These boots were made for walkin’

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Jamie loves her cowboy boots and will often do everything in her power to cram her extra-wide feet into them, no matter what sized boot it is (I’ve seen her try to squeeze her foot into a size 5 boot!). Therefore, supporter Chris Frutiger is Jamie’s new best friend. Chris made a connection with an Australian-based company called Vegan Wares, which sells top quality vegan footwear and accessories, and convinced them to make a pair of custom-sized boots for Jamie. Chris and her husband, Dave delivered them to the sanctuary yesterday– we were all so excited!

(**Please keep in mind that Jamie always has the choice to wear the boots or not. We neither encourage or discourage- see this blog post regarding our take on chimpanzees wearing clothes**)

Since they are wider than most, the boots were made with no sole, which made them easy to roll up and fit through the caging:

It was slightly unusual that Jamie didn’t try them on right away– perhaps she just wanted to thoroughly inspect them first:

She carried them around with her for the rest of the day- nesting with them, inspecting them, smelling them, putting her hand in and out of them, and carrying them around in her pelvic pocket.

But from the moment I arrived this morning until about noon, Jamie was wearing them… and seemed pretty happy about it.

Thanks so much to Vegan Wares for creating the perfect Jamie boot, and to Chris, who spearheaded the whole project! We are all so grateful!! CSNW has the best supporters– is it possible to say that too much? I don’t think so.

“Diane and Syd Marcus are awesome” Party

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Diane and Syd Marcus sent us some fabulous goodies for Jody’s Birthday Party, but unfortunately we didn’t get them until after the big day. As a compromise, today we held a “Diane and Syd are awesome” Party. Let me explain:

Diane and Syd frequently send the chimps goodies and each time there is one hand-picked and individually wrapped thing for each chimp, along with a note to whom it belongs to. Among the gifts this time– a stuffed animal for Jody, a popper toy for Burrito, a silky scarf for Annie, a toolbox for Jamie, socks and a beaded necklace for Missy, a troll doll for Foxie, and both Foxie and Negra got something extra special– several months ago, Diane and Syd sent a monogrammed Winnie the Pooh blanket for Negra. It was adorable and Negra actually seems to like it! This time, Diane and Syd had a king sized blanket monogrammed for her! They also sent a small monogrammed blanket for Foxie. Here’s their note to Foxie:

Darling Foxie,
We were overjoyed to see you reaching for blankets. You are not only a troll collectrice extraordinaire, but also a nest maker par excellence. And a beautiful peacekeeper. What a girl!!

We chose this blanket because it is a girlie girl blanket- which is what you are. Red and pink are your colors. Snuggle with it when you wish– you can do a few lovely flips.

Of course, we have also enclosed something else. No present to you would be complete without one.

You are a very special and lovely girl.

We are so fortunate to have such lovely supporters like Diane and Syd Marcus who light up the chimps’ day. The party was excellent, as always!

First, a video:

Negra was super happy about the rice cakes Diane and Syd sent:

They also sent some blueberry tea, which was a big hit. Here’s Missy enjoying a glass:

Jody checking out the beaded necklaces:

Jamie and her tools:

A super relaxed, post-party Burrito:

Thanks so much to Diane and Syd for the lovely gifts, and for all of you who send such wonderful enrichment for the chimps!