Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Neggie’s Great Adventure

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It may not quite look like Spring yet, but it’s definitely starting to feel like it! Something extraordinary happened today that needs to be shared!

When Jamie’s group went out onto Young’s Hill, Foxie and Burrito burst out chasing each other, Annie and Missy not far behind them, and Jody popped out for a second but walked back into the greenhouse shortly after. I was curious where she went, but when Jody came back out she had brought Negra and Jamie with her. Negra didn’t stop at her usual spots (like her cabin), she just kept following Jody up the hill.  Jody was always looking back to make sure Negra wasn’t far behind. I assumed that Negra would stop at one of the mounds in the middle of the Hill where she likes to forage for foliage and then usually turns back to go inside for a nap in the greenhouse, but to all of our surprise, Negra had other plans today! About 30 minutes after letting the chimps onto Young’s Hill, JB was going around the hill with Burrito for a walk. When they got to the top of the hill JB found Neggie sitting on Carlene’s tower eating pine needles like it was no big deal, like she always goes up to the top of the Hill and hangs out on structures. JB radioed to tell us Negra was on the tower, I dropped my scrub brush and came running up the Hill with the camera to capture the moment. If this story sounds familiar, it’s because Negra has only done this one other time 3 years ago! On top of Negra being on Carlene’s Tower, since our new expansion Negra has not ventured up to this new tree space. This rare sighting of Negra exploring is one of the best feelings of sanctuary. The feeling of comfort, safety, choice, and freedom.

JB took video, so maybe he will share that with us all soon, but for now, let us enjoy photos of Negra on Carlene’s Tower, where she has always belonged.

This morning Jody (left) making sure Negra (right) was going to join her on an adventure:

Negra making her way up:

I couldn’t pick just one photo of Negra!

The highly anticipated Negra on Carlene’s Tower:

Negra was also enjoying a pine needle snack:

Negra stayed out for more than an hour out on Young’s Hill. When she decided to go inside Jody was waiting for her :).

Bonus!

Burrito:

Missy Reassuring Jamie on Young’s Hill:

Little Foxie:

The Great Hose Heist

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What a day!

One of the enrichment items we pass out for the chimps in the evening before caregivers leave are treat buckets. For treat buckets, we fill buckets with a variety of soft enrichment items (socks, scarves, etc.) and put seeds, nuts, or fruit slices in the bottom. We place these on the outside of the caging and give the chimps bamboo sticks so they can get the goodies out of the buckets. Straight forward concept, right? Pretty fool proof, right? That’s what we thought, too.

We were wrong.

We came in this morning and discovered that there was some sneaky heist action last night after the caregivers went home! Check out the blog video to see who was involved and what happened.

Teaser Photo:

Two is Better than One!

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Today was absolutely beautiful! The sun was out, the chimps were enjoying their warm greenhouses, and the seven had another lunch Hill forage! I know I always talk about little moments in the chimp house: the moments that just kind of make your heart melt and remind you how grateful you are that these chimps are in sanctuary. Today was full of those little moments.

1. Negra was the first chimp out of the raceway for the lunch forage! She was going everywhere trying to find the potatoes and chow. It was very nice to watch.

2. Annie, as you may know, has already been spotted with her sweatbands! Today, she was either wearing them or carrying them in her pelvic pocket (a hot pink and green one).

3. Lucky was also spotted wearing a green sweatband (not pictured).

4. Foxie gave me her doll through the raceway so that we could go take a quiet walk around a little bit of Young’s Hill.

5. One of our interns gave us a pair of her Doc Martins that Jamie had been eyeing for awhile. We gave Jamie those boots today and she seemed elated to have them <3!

6. Cy’s group were out in the greenhouses for most of the day, all grooming each other.

Bonus photos!

Negra on the Hill foraging:

Missy foraging:

Jody:

Foxie:

Burrito in the warm green house:

I hope you enjoy these little moments and Annie’s video :)!

Ladies Who Groom

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It’s Wednesday and for many of us, we are busy with work, life, and all the in between. Personally, watching Dora and Honey B quietly groom and spend time with each other felt like some type of meditation. If you need a little zen or quiet time, this is the blog for you!

Sleepy Dora:

Bonus photo of Foxie this morning:

Man! I Feel like a Woman!

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Today is International Women’s Day! I feel so blessed to work in such a female dominated field, it is truly empowering. Not only is our field dominated by women, but so is our chimp house, sorry Chad and JB :).

In the wild, males are usually the most dominate, however in captivity you can find females leading a group or allowing a male to think he the one in control, when really the female(s) are really calling the shots ;).  Let’s meet the real individuals that run the show in this chimp house!

Obviously, Jamie rules this Sanctuary:

Negra, our true queen:

Jody, our forager:

The adventurer Missy:

Foxie, the prankster:

The ever so kind Annie:

Mora, besties for life:

Miss popular Mave:

The friend to everyone, Dora (but mostly Mave):

Rayne, the calming presence:

Lucky, the sweetest of sweet:

Honey B, the master of mischief:

The care staff ladies aren’t so bad either!

Book Club

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It’s no secret that quite a few of our residents here at CSNW enjoy looking through magazines and books. They all have their favorites, which got me thinking – let’s chat CSNW Book Club recommendations!

First up, we have recommendations from our O.G. chimp group, the Cle Elum 7. Jamie’s first recommendation would be I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo by Mathea Levine. This has been Jamie’s favorite for a while now, along with the sequels Bonobo Lucy Grows Up and Is Bonobo Lucy Singing? She has a knack for knowing where the current copy is at all times. Today, for example, we were cleaning the playroom on the seven’s side. We had just swept up the floor and taken the trash can out when Jamie started gesturing at the trash can. I looked behind it, beside it, and below it to try and figure out what she wanted. I couldn’t find anything, but she kept gesturing. Finally, I looked inside the trash can and there lay her current copy of I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo. Thankfully, it had stayed clean and I was able to grab it, wipe it off, and give it to her. She happily grabbed it and went off to nest with it in her hip pocket! Crisis averted.

I think Jamie would also recommend anything a la National Geographic, especially if it featured mummies. Extra points if it’s a cowboy boot book, too!!

On the other side of the chimp house, Cy would recommend something a little in the pop-culture scene. At the top of his list: People Magazine.

Often, when we take him a new magazine we will be met with excited grunts before Cy comes down to grab it and take it away for his own private reading session.

Some of the humans at CSNW are also very into reading. If you’re looking for a book to expand your knowledge of chimpanzees, we would recommend The New Chimpanzee by Craig Stanford. A few other favorites are Next of Kin by Roger Fouts, Through a Window by Jane Goodall, and In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall.

A few other staff recommendations, that are not chimpanzee related, are How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur (Diana’s pick), Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Grace’s pick), The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lax by Rebecca Skloot (Sabrina’s pick), and The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Chad’s pick). We’d love it if you would share your latest good reads with us in the comments! 🙂

And don’t forget- we are gearing up to celebrate Cy’s 33rd birthday on March 12th! We are planning a library themed birthday party for our book worm and have added the things we need to our Amazon wish list. Click here if you want to help us celebrate Cy’s birthday!

On a similar note, we are always looking for donations of magazines. If you have extras laying around, please consider sending them to us at PO Box 952 Cle Elum, WA 98922. Or, if you are local, drop them off at The Whole Pet Shop in Roslyn! Thanks in advance! 🙂

Bonus Photos:

Mave and Dora , hanging out, while Mave holds Dora’s foot

Burrito being handsome during a morning play session:

Foxie being her goofy self:

 

 

 

Willy B’s 33rd Unbirthday Party!

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As some of you might have read in Diana’s blog, we recently found out Willy B’s real birthday is in November. We felt like Willy B deserved one last hurrah for his former March celebration! The lucky guy will get two birthday parties this year! Personally, I love Willy B’s birthday because we always put out coconuts, which is a special treat for them. But truthfully I love watching Willy B with coconuts because he has his own special flare on how to crack a coconut. I look forward to it every year!

Our next celebration is Cy! It is coming up fast, we put some special items on the Amazon Wish List to celebrate his book club party!