chimpanzee retirement

The Matter of Time

March 13, 2022 by Chad de Bree

Today is Daylight Savings! Meaning for most of the United States (Arizona and Hawaii excluded) most of us lost an hour of sleep as our clocks were set an hour ahead. But for us here at the Chimp House, it was business as usual since the chimps don’t obey the concept of Daylight Savings. All this means is that the humans come in an hour later, though in reality it’s the same time had we not set our clocks forward.

When the chimpanzees were given access to Young’s Hill, Burrito zoomed out of his greenhouse and was off to the races.

Before we finished our morning run, he stopped for a bit and took in the morning sun.

For others, business as usual can mean something else.

For Mave, it meant a full day of lounging around.

Rayne spent the day fishing for raisins from raisin boards.

Honey B being mischievous.

Even when she’s eating her lunch, she has her eye on you.

Dora be inquisitive of the camera.

Cy being as handsome as ever.

Also being very inquisitive of the camera.

A closeup of Lucky’s eye.

And Terry watching the human caregivers walk by.

Hopefully the chimpanzees’ day helped you push through the hour that was lost. We hope you have a wonderful week ahead!

Happy 32nd Birthday, Cy!

March 12, 2022 by Diana

It’s Cy’s 32nd birthday!

His group arrived less than a year ago, so it’s the first birthday that he has celebrated at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Birthday Fairy Paulette Wrisley helped to make Cy’s celebration even more special by sponsoring a day of sanctuary in his honor. Thank you for remembering so many birthdays, Paulette!

Cy had a fabulous birthday today that included a library theme. Big thanks to Carpenter Memorial Library in Cle Elum for not only donating magazines and books to add to the celebration, but also for giving Cy an honorary library card!

Katelyn coined the term “magazineworm” to describe Cy, and he was certainly happy to have his passion recognized on his birthday:

Enjoy these close-up photos of Cy that Kelsi took during some quiet time today:

No celebration at the sanctuary is complete without a feast. On the lunch menu today were cherry tomatoes and lettuce as a forage and corn (a Cy favorite!) plus giant spring onions and passion fruit.

Jamie was the only chimpanzee out of the sixteen who demonstrated a passion for the passion fruit right away.

All of the other chimpanzees seemed pretty skeptical of this new fruit, but we did see Rayne and Dora collecting the discarded ones later.

Speaking of Rayne and Dora, Rayne really took to this Farmer’s Market book:

And here are some bonus photos of Dora close up, with different color tones:

Days like Today

March 8, 2022 by Chad de Bree

After taking in several days of great weather, we are back to winter conditions. What started off as rain, quickly turned into snow, with it supposed to last throughout the afternoon and into the night. With a day like today, the chimpanzees are spending most of the day in their nests on the upper story, where it is nearly impossible to get any photos. But who can blame them. It’s the perfect day to just cozy up and nap.

I was able to get some sporadic photos here and there though.

Jody resting in the front rooms in her nest.

Mave came down for a few minutes before going back up to her nest.

Honey B! (That’s a tomato seed on her lip.)

Double Date With a Side of Bubbly

March 5, 2022 by Sofia Castro-Loza

Introductions with the hope of merging the two California groups continued today. Starring a double date scenario involving Willy B and Mave, and Cy and Dora. It went overall very well. What goes best with a Saturday night double date? Some bubbly. The chimpanzees got soapy buckets as day time enrichment and it was a HIT. Jody and Annie were the first ones to dig in into the soapy pool that caregivers prepared for them and their friends in the play room. Missy took her time coming down to join in the pool party but did not miss out either. In the green house, Burrito made sure to hog the water bucket and then grabbed a cup to facilitate the drinking.

Jody

Annie

Burrito

Dora getting groomed by Mave

Cy and Willy B grooming each other

Here for the Show

February 26, 2022 by Diana

Burrito spends a lot of his time spying on the neighbors, especially when said neighbors are in the Chute, which is close to his playroom’s windows. But he can even get glimpses of other chimps when they are in Lupine playroom.

What was catching his attention this afternoon was a lot of displaying from both of the other groups.

You probably know Cy by now as more of the quiet bookish type, but he’s also a large male chimpanzee who is more than capable of putting on an impressive display:

It’s not clear if Burrito wishes he were in the mix or is merely entertained/enriched by focusing on the goings-on of the other groups.

He’s certainly not the only one.

Missy was also keeping a close eye on things this afternoon, bounding up and down as a greeting when she glimpsed Terry in the Chute.

While we won’t be doing any introductions with Burrito’s group in the near future, it’s clear just having neighbors has added a very enriching element to their lives.

Twosday

February 22, 2022 by Sofia Castro-Loza

The weather over here went from full blown Winter, to false Spring, and then back to cold with a chance of snow very quickly. We did not get any snow today, but the day has been chilly, windy, and gloomy. The sun made a brief appearance during the morning and the greenhouses got packed with chimps enjoying their warm spaces. Between the Oakwood and Riverview greenhouses, Cy and Willy B displayed back to back through a viewpoint where both groups can see each other. The displays lasted a few minutes and then they both joined their groups for grooming sessions.

Once the sun hid behind the clouds, most of the chimps went inside to rest in cozy nests. Burrito, though, did not mind the weather and requested two non-stop runs around the hill with caregiver Chad. Jamie felt the same way and made me sprint the entire way around the hill. Cardio for the day: Done.

Last Friday our very own Barn Kitty AKA B.K. made his way back to the Sanctuary grounds! During the Winter he tends to leave for an unknown amount of time and it is always very exciting to see him come back to us. Here he is:

Dora high up in the platforms of Oakwood greenhouse

Mave soaking in the few rays of sunshine that made it through today

Willy B on the platform across from Mave in Riverview greenhouse

Cy going through some magazines

Rayne nesting while wrapped in a pride flag

Gordo mid-inspection of a magazine

A Lucky Combination

February 15, 2022 by Chad de Bree

We continued with introductions today with Cy, Lucky, Willy B, and Mave. In the beginning, Willy B and Cy had to get out some displays… a lot of displays. It took them about 20 minutes to calm down and start grooming between the mesh. We gave them a few minutes before we opened the door. Any combination that includes Lucky and Mave is one of my personal favorites. Mave and Lucky get along really well and genuinely seem to enjoy each other’s quiet company grooming each other. Even when the boys are displaying before the door opens, Lucky and Mave usually seeks reassurance from each other regardless of who else in a part of the introduction.

Willy B and Lucky aren’t the greatest of acquaintances. In fact, Willy B usually antagonizes Lucky during most of their meetings. But there are some windows of calm between the two.

Then the “bromance” between Willy B and Cy continues. After they got their displays out of their system, they spent the rest of the afternoon grooming and playing. We could hear their laughs through out the whole Chimp House.