Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Readying for winter

by

We are continuing to luck out with dry winter weather so far, but that doesn’t mean it’s warm. We have a wind chill in the low twenties today so the chimps have been going from nesting to grooming to playing like wild indoors for most of the day.

Burrito took a brief respite as he waited for a human friend to resume their rambunctious game of chase:

After building up to it all day, Jamie decided to take a run, I mean a RUN, around the hill and everyone except Foxie and Negra decided to join in! Everyone was running every which way in the cold, hair standing on end, and then quickly scurried back to the chimp house for some warm tea.

After tea service, Jamie requested the remaining tea and the entire jug. Naturally. It didn’t take her long to realize it was going to be too awkward to inch the jug up the caging to drink so she decided to use a plastic tube as a giant straw:

With a belly of warm tea, Foxie decided to curl up on the heated floor with her many dolls du jour for a nap:

The Queen also partook of the tea service and then returned to her nest wrapped up and cozy with a “Do Not Disturb Until Dinner” aura about her:

The chimps aren’t the only ones getting ready for winter. Walking the property earlier today I ran into several of our deer neighbors. They are so beautiful in all their winter finery and it’s really good to see them heading into winter in great shape. We are so fortunate to share this property with some of the same mamas year after year and get to see their children grow over the course of the seasons. Last spring I was able to capture one of our neighborhood mamas with one of her newborn twins:

And here they are today:

What Did the Chimps Do Today?

by

We had a lot of playful chimps today! When the humans arrived this morning we found Missy and Annie chasing each other, Burrito with a toy in his mouth ready to play chase, Foxie throwing dolls, Jody breathy panting, Negra giving kisses, and Jamie ready with a grooming tool for boots. Throughout the day there has been quite a bit of napping and nesting because it was really cold today. However, do not fret, the chimps have been very busy! Burrito has been running around with his scooter and Jamie has been reading books and stuffing trolls into paper bags. Check out the video to see a few more of today’s activities!

Boot related activities

by

Jamie’s boot interests are not restricted to just holding them or having her caregivers wear them for her. She also likes objects that look like boots and the idea of boots. Every night before we close up the chimp house, Jamie requires that caregivers find her current favorite pair of boots and then drop them in a food chute so she can incorporate them into her night nest. Last night was a little bit different though. Instead of gesturing in the direction of her boot collection, she wandered over to the newly decorated Christmas tree (we will give the tree to the chimps on Christmas day) and gestured emphatically. She insisted I remove several of the resin cowboy boot ornaments and give them to her. This morning as we were cleaning, I found them woven into her blankets up in the playroom loft.

If you read yesterday’s blog, you will know that we gave the chimps a little preview of Christmas, including a few of their gifts. One gift we included was a Cowboy Boot book for Jamie. Today she spent a lot of time thoroughly examining its contents and carrying it from one nest to another for safe keeping.

A Christmas Preview

by

This week has been filled with sunshine and no-snow, which is somewhat unusual for December in Central Washington. These lovely weather conditions, combined with the fact that the chimps have received a surplus stock of Christmas gifts, made us decide to do a Christmas preview for the chimpanzees out on Young’s Hill. The last couple of years we have given the chimps potted Christmas trees in December and then planted them on Young’s Hill when the ground thaws in the spring. There are currently 3 Christmas trees planted in their 2 acre outdoor enclosure. This afternoon we decorated them all for a holiday forage.

Bell peppers and apple slices make pretty festive ornaments!

Missy:

Burrito and Missy:

Jody:

Jamie:

Foxie:

She quickly found all her new gifts!

Annie:

Negra went out briefly onto the hill, but decided to eat her lunch in the toasty playroom.