Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee retirement

The Reason Why

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I have the most amazing job in the world. I know so many people who would love to be in my place and help run a sanctuary for chimpanzees. There are stressful times though; a lot of stressful times, if I’m being honest.

But then there are the moments that bring me back to the mission of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the reason that I’m here, and probably the reason you are reading this.

Today, it was a simple moment.

I was finishing up a walk with Jamie (wearing a mismatched pair of boots, at Jamie’s request).

Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Annie, Missy, and Negra all came outside while Jamie and I walked the perimeter of the outdoor habitat. By the time I came to the end of the walk, everyone but Negra had gone into the green house.

Negra remained sitting by the “cabin” that we named after her, in a field of green, sampling the fresh grass, as content as any chimpanzee I’ve ever seen.

 

Thank you, Negra, for this reminder today. It’s all about these moments.

 

8th Annual Love a Chimpanzee Day

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We love made-up holidays around here (holiday = party for the chimps). For the last 8 years, the chimps’ good friend Monica Best has sponsored April 23rd as Love a Chimpanzee Day. (It also happens to be Monica’s birthday!) Unless you’ve followed our blog for awhile, you probably haven’t heard of Love a Chimpanzee Day; that’s because it didn’t exist until Monica dreamed it up.

To celebrate CSNW’s 8th Annual Love a Chimpanzee Day, we decided to throw a luau party, because there’s never a bad time to throw a luau party for chimps you love. The chimps enjoyed a feast of bananas, oranges, fruit smoothie, and pineapple coconut water for breakfast in the greenhouse.

Missy:

Burrito:

(Burrito was especially happy to see former volunteer caregiver Stephanie, who stopped by for a visit!)

Negra:

Jamie:

Jody:

Annie:

(Annie really had lounging down to an art today…)

Thanks as always to Monica for conceiving of and sponsoring this delightful holiday (and happy birthday)!

Four Reasons to HOOT!

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Here are four reasons to join us at HOOT! on May 13th at Sodo Park in Seattle.

These photos were taken today as the chimpanzees explored and enjoyed their home. Take a moment on this Earth Day to appreciate their happiness.

Their sanctuary life is only possible with the support of so many people out there, and our annual gala plays a big role in raising funds for their care and our exciting plans for the future.

If you haven’t gotten your tickets to HOOT! yet, don’t delay – buy them now! If you are unable to attend, we’ll miss you, but you can still take part by making a donation. We’ll also have just a few items available for bidding online – details coming soon.

 

hoot logo

 

Annie eating fresh spring grass:

annie eating grass

 

Burrito taking a brief break from foraging for lunch:

handsome burrito

 

This is a very contented face on Jamie:

Jamie happily sitting

 

Jody has the best drooped lip face!

Jody with drooped lip

Happy Earth Day! Thank you for helping us grow!

 

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Easter 2017 Part II

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The day after the big celebration the chimpanzees have been napping, resting and eating light, recovering from yesterday’s all day party! As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, here are a few photos from the first Young’s Hill forage of the year (aka Easter Party #2):

Annie picking carrots we “buried” for the chimps to harvest:

Jody and Negra (Negra was ALL over the place! It was her day 🙂 ):

Jody finds a quiet spot to enjoy her spoils:

Missy scored on corn:

Foxie and Dora on the hunt for Easter eggs filled with nuts and berries:

Boss lady, Jamie, thrilled with her beloved leeks:

And a bonus video of Easter shenanigans from the breakfast forage:

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

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We have a lovely accompanying sponsorship for today’s day of sanctuary! This special gift is for Lisa Stuverud herself (sponsor of today’s earlier gift in memory of Linda Vizzare) from her husband, Rich, with this touching message:

“In honor of my wife on her birthday because I think this Chimpanzee Sanctuary has saved her heart and soul and that’s an amazing birthday gift for us all.”

Rich, what a sweet gift. We’re so happy to be celebrating with you all today and can’t thank you enough for including the chimpanzees in this day of family that means so much to you both.

Happy Birthday, Lisa! All of us here are wishing you a joyful day of celebrating life, family and loved ones. Thank you so much for all you do to make sure the chimpanzees are able to celebrate the same things. And here are some birthday hoots and smiles from your pals. Have a beautiful day, Lisa! We’re so grateful you both are part of our chimp family.

Burrito:

Foxie:

Jamie:

Missy (well, she’s smiling inside 😉 ):

Today’s happenings

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Hands down, today is the loveliest day we’ve seen in quite some time. The air is fresh and the with only a slight breeze. The chimps have been enjoying themselves with a variety of choices today, from roaming Young’s Hill throughout the day to nesting and grooming in the toasty sun-warmed greenhouse, to crazy games in the playroom.

Foxie began her day by tossing her new France Dora doll on her back (this is how chimp mamas carry their young) and heading up Young’s Hill for a morning stroll:

Missy has been asking for weeks to have the barn doors at the end of the playroom open so she can see if the garden popped up overnight yet. We usually give her a quick peek, but it’s still too cold to leave them open for more than a few minutes. But today was the first time it was actually warm enough to leave them open for about an hour so the chimps enjoyed sitting in the sun and watching Keri begin garden preparation!

Missy took a break from garden duty to head over for a game of ghost tug o’ war with me. You know that game, right? Put a blanket over your head and play tug o’ war? And then stand on your head, of course (Missy, not me!).

Of course, Jamie made sure to supervise Keri with all those tools (someone had to):

Jody enjoyed snoozing in a sun puddle:

And I think dear, sweet Annie summed up the day best for all of us as she closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun:

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Lunch Forage

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The chimps would like to wish an early happy birthday to a not-so-secret admirer. Dr. Elliott Sumers has a birthday coming up in a couple of days and his wife Anne made a generous donation in his honor.

We’ll have an “official” celebration on Sunday, but wanted to start by sharing some photos of the chimps enjoying lunch in the greenhouse from today. We had a bit of a break from the winter weather and the sun was strong midday. The chimpanzees, as you can see, definitely appreciated it.

Negra:

Annie:

Jody:

Missy:

Guess who?:

Jamie:

Burrito:

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