Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Happy Birthday, Manuela!

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Manuela Santacreu sponsored a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees and shared this lovely message about her gift:

“Avoir cette jolie pensée pour les chimpanzés aujourd’hui illumine mon anniversaire! Je leur souhaite une longue et belle vie et souhaite à toute l’équipe une excellente année.” **Please pardon any inaccuracies in translation: (“Having this lovely thought for chimpanzees today lights up my birthday! I wish them a long and good life and wish the whole team a happy new year.”)

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and wishes, Manuela! We so appreciate you always sharing your own special day with the chimpanzees and the lasting difference you make in their lives through your generous heart. Wishing you the happiest of birthdays from all of us here! May your new year ahead be full of beauty.

Beautiful Miss Honey B:

Queen Neggie:

Sweet Jo:

Cheers to the New Year!

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Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a fun New Year’s Eve, filled with people you love. We had an exciting forage to celebrate the new year. As tradition, the chimps had black-eyed peas, sparkling cider, baked squash, and pomegranates. Willy B seemed to really like the black-eyed peas. I prepared a small video, but typical, the internet is being funky. I hope that tomorrow will be better! In the meantime, please enjoy these photos.

The sun came out and I think everyone including Honey B enjoyed a little bit of Vitamin D:

Jamie:

I really like this one of Missy:

Foxie cleaning her plate:

In honor of all primates

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Nathalie Garcia-Russell has started the chimpanzees’ New Year off with the gift of a day of sanctuary in honor of all primates!

Thank you so much, Nathalie! We so appreciate your generous heart and the difference your gift makes in the lives of the chimps and cattle here! All of us here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest wish you, and all our fellow primates, the happiest and most fulfilling of years ahead. Happy New Year!

Jamie:

Mave:

Negra:

New Year’s Eve Reflection

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Reflecting on 2019, this year has been a huge year and also a bit wild and crazy. We had so many highs and some lows too. I have been reflecting on this year a lot. The most amazing things have happened, like, the arrival of three new chimpanzees Mave, Willy B, and Honey B, we have a new building, we started introductions for the chimps, there was the most epic hug between Burrito and Mave, the potential for new relationships, and still so much more growth here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. CSNW has been waiting so long to bring more chimps home and we did it! I get emotional thinking about it. This alone is a massive accomplishment. So much good change has happened around here, even if it means it’s a tad bit more chaotic. 🙂

With those highs, sadly, came lows. I will say the big fight was one of the scariest moments in my career so far. I think back and I am so grateful for the staff I work with and the people I work for. Without this team of selfless and caring people this would have been an even more difficult process to go through. As you have read in previous blogs, any one of us would drop everything and run out the door for anyone for these chimps. Burrito’s recovery process has been long and incredibly exhausting. But Burrito is alive, he is getting back to his normal self, and that is all we care about! I so badly wanted new relationships for Burrito. And to see him almost have it was so amazing and devastating when it was all over. But, what I want most for Burrito is for his health and wellness. He may not get to make new friends, but we can all remember that hug. He has some very fierce lady friends to help keep him company.

So, I am excited for this new year. I think 2020 will have a lot in store for us! There will be growth, there will be fun, and mischief to be had. We are still getting to know the three and I hope with another year they will allow us to get to know them more and further our relationships with them. We hope to continue finding ways to make their lives better and find more choices for the ten chimpanzees’ future.

Cheers to the New Year!

Lounge into the New Year with Mave:

Honoring the past, present and future

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Long-time friends of the sanctuary, Kery Shaw and Terran Baylor, sponsored this New Year’s Eve day of sanctuary and shared this special message about their gift:

“As I write this, my partner and I pass by a transportation vehicle filled with cows. It’s hard to imagine living in a world where animals still endure so much suffering. I’m grateful for CSNW, a place that provides sanctuary for all beings, not just Chimpanzees and Bovines. I’m grateful for such an incredible organization that fights hard to advocate for animals. Here’s to the past, may we never forget where they came from. To the present, for the chimps, bovine and staff/care givers. To the future, the supporters/donors/ & animal lovers, let’s continue to working hard on making animal cruelty history!!! THANK YOU to all of you for your hard work, generosity & compassion.”

Kery and Terran, thank you so much for always holding the chimps, and all of us, in your hearts and for all you do to bring light to, and relieve the suffering of, all our fellow animals.

Burrito:

Nutmeg and his mama, Betsy:

Honey B:

Snippets and tidbits

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This guy greeted us bright and early this morning as his playful, ol’ Burrito self and we could not have been happier. He’s been taking it pretty easy the past couple of days dealing with an angry belly, most likely the result of his long stint on antibiotics which are, if that pesky foot injury continues to go in the same direction, finally complete! With a couple of days of special diet and rest, he’s feeling immensely better so far. After breakfast he climbed up to take a nap, but even with a full belly and sleepy head it took him a few minutes to stop playing:

Flailing about and laughing in one big Burrito blur:

Later in the afternoon I caught him flailing about again, this time in a Burrito-stuffed-monkey pretzel:

After a spin on Young’s Hill with Jamie and Jody, Burrito entertained Jody (and at varying times, Jamie, Foxie and Annie!) in his recovery pad today and seemed particularly delighted to spend some quality grooming time with sweet Jody:

We can’t figure out what it is about today, but although the temperature is much the same as it has been, it’s been freezing all day! The chimps opted to come inside early today and everyone has been building the coziest, plumpest of nests and taking turns in front of the space heater we have set up in front of one of Burrito’s rooms. Of course the chimp house is kept at about 70 degrees and the floors are heated, but on days like today I suspect the space heater feels rather like a fireplace. They’re getting ready for a dinner of roasted apples, squash and potatoes served in paper boats (trust me, anything served in paper boats takes it to the next level and is EXCITING!). I suspect they will be turning in early in preparation for New Year’s Eve tomorrow. 🙂

In other random, but nevertheless noteworthy news bits, I made tiny baked potatoes for everyone at lunch and after intently watching me blow on hers to cool it off more, Honey B moaned with delight and nearly hugged the potatoes to her once I handed them over. That was pretty cute. Also, Willy B was watching documentaries this morning and stopped dead in the middle of a game of chase to stare, mesmerized, at baby pandas who were on the screen. That was also pretty cute.