Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Scary, Spooky Stories [Cy’s Perspective]

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It is officially SPOOKY season!

Today, I am bringing you a video of Cy being very spooked… by the travel magazine he was reading.

While Cy LOVES to read, which we mention frequently, he occasionally finds things in his magazines that are very scary. You can watch him physically jump at the sight of cows in a blog video that Kelsi captured back in January, here.

I have created a list of things Cy is scared of with the help of my coworkers. As he reads many magazines every week, I’m sure this list will continue to grow.

Things Cy finds scary:

  • Flannel shirts
  • Elephants
  • Pink pigs
  • Cows
  • Hippos
  • Rhinos
  • Animated Scooby Doo
  • Panda Bears
  • Artichokes
  • Giraffes

Check out today’s video to see how we discovered that Cy is scared of giraffes.

Despite him finding scary things in the magazines from time to time, that doesn’t affect his love for reading.

Giving Day for Apes is only a few days away! Early giving is open now, but on Tuesday, October 11th, we will be competing with other accredited sanctuaries in North America for a variety of prizes. So much has happened at the sanctuary over the last few years and it’s all due to our generous supporters- keep helping us make our residents dreams come true by donating to CSNW! All donations will go directly to the care of our residents.
Donate to CSNW for Giving Day for Apes here: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Chimpsnw
Learn more about Giving Day for Apes here:

We also are prepping for Jamieween! We have added some special items we know Jamie would love for her birthday on our Amazon Wishlist!

Thank you!

Did you miss me?

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Last September 14th, Willy B sustained an injury to his face that required medical intervention. During all this time he has been in isolation to allow the site to heal properly but also to prevent over grooming on behalf of his friends. Due to the fact that this group is still considered to be newly integrated, putting him back with the group required planning. We had to make sure he would be accepted in the group after spending time away from them. A week and half or so our reintroduction efforts commenced. We started by arranging one on one play dates with Willy B in his isolation rooms, the front rooms. He had play dates with multiple individuals, and even if they were very eager to groom his face wound, Willy B was very good about setting boundaries to protect it. We were ready to move to the next stage.

With help from Jen Feuerstein, staff decided that the course of action was going to be reuniting Cy, Mave, Honey B, Rayne, and Terry with Willy B and see how that went. We did that yesterday and everyone was very happy to be back together. With no negative moments, we decided to move forward with having all nine individuals together today. That meant adding Gordo, Dora, and Lucky to the mix. The nine are back together and to our delight, it has been an overall mellow day and they have spent most of the day grooming in the sun filled green houses. We really love days like today.

Willy B

Gordo
Honey B – She could not be happier to have the front rooms again!
Lucky
Mave
Did you know that Giving Day for Apes is only a few days away? Early giving is open now, but on Tuesday, October 11th we will be competing with other accredited sanctuaries in North America for a variety of prizes. So much has happened at the sanctuary over the last few years and it’s all due to our generous supporters- keep helping us make our residents dreams come true by donating to CSNW! All donations will go directly to the care of our residents.
Donate to CSNW for Giving Day for Apes here: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Chimpsnw
Learn more about Giving Day for Apes here:

Foxie Doesn’t Care

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As caregiver Sofia and I were cleaning the Playroom I heard a knock on the share window by the Green House. When I looked over, it was Foxie with two dolls! I ran over to say hi through the window before going upstairs to squeegee, but then she knocked on the window one more time and erupted into a game of chase. I ran out telling Sofia I would be right back! Foxie did not care that we were cleaning, it was time to play. We chased for several minutes before she decided it was time to have her dolls back. However, before I could go back to help clean Jamie and Missy needed tomatoes from the garden, obviously!

On the other side of the building, Willy B has recovered very well! We have been starting the process of reintroducing Willy B back into his group. Because they are a relatively new group we need to slowly add Willy B back to ensure overall success and well-being. We have been doing play dates, but today we took the step of adding him into a small group overnight to make sure it goes okay. If all goes well he will be back with his group tomorrow!

Everyone has been so excited to see Willy B, his day has been full of grooming and playing chase :)!

It’s October, which means Jamieween is right around the corner! Make sure to keep checking on our Amazon Wish List for Jamie’s party!

Play Day Tuesday

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As caregiver Grace and I were cleaning Burrito’s playroom, I saw him and Missy engage in a fun play session. They were having such a fun time, the play session lasted a very long time. Every time I tried to pull away from recording to help Grace clean, they would engage in a different game that I had to record.

Here are some bonus photos as well!

Annie eating her breakfast chow biscuits while watching the construction crew work on Young’s Hill.

Gordo also watching the construction while sitting inside a Prima-Rocker in the Oakwood Greenhouse.

Then sitting in one of his favorite spots, the window ledge.

Mave waiting for lunch service to begin.

Negra still cozy in her nest as I said good morning to her when I got in.

Lucky being beautiful as always!

And this guy! I can only imagine what is going through his head.

Oh right! Playing! That’s what’s on his mind!

And don’t forget, Giving Day for Apes is right around the corner! Tuesday, October 11th to be exact! You can help us by donating on our page or by creating a fundraiser page of your own! Be sure to check out when the Power Hours are and other prizes on the 11th to try to make your contribution more impactful!

Eat, Drink and Be Terry

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We caregivers often talk about Terry’s kind and easygoing personality. He’s not without occasional bursts of machismo, but these emotional tempests quickly subside to reveal his true gentle nature. It’s always a pleasure to be in Terry’s warm presence, and he seems to hold us caregivers in equally high esteem.

Today, I sat near Terry while he industriously processed a paper braid stuffed with seeds and raisins. It’s always nice to see the chimpanzees engaged with their enrichment, and we value opportunities to share those moments with our readers and supporters. On that note, here’s a clip of Terry’s sweet face for you all to enjoy!

Lunchtime With the Cle Elum Seven

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Meals are always an exciting time of the day around here! The chimps get fresh fruits and vegetables for all three meals of the day, along with forages and food puzzles throughout the day and evening. Everyone has their favorites, of course, and today Caregiver Katelyn prepared tomatoes, mini sweet peppers, and avocados for lunch!

Join us for lunchtime with the Cle Elum Seven on this beautiful October day. 🙂

Terry, inspecting his own hand:

Terry, noticing me taking photos:

Negra during a meal last week:

Missy, watching Foxie play with Caregiver Katelyn:

Lucky hanging out with me earlier this morning:

A thread of Burrito photos, because he’s handsome and I couldn’t pick just one:

Versions of Annie

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It’s been a busy day. Rather than write a detailed blog post, I’m sharing a simple portrait of Annie that I took earlier this afternoon.

Annie was lounging on the elevated platform in her group’s greenhouse enclosure. The chimpanzees who live on that side of the building have been closely watching J.B. and the Sage Mechanical crew as they put in another full day renovating Young’s Hill. I thought her expression (or lack thereof) made for a good portrait. I also included some alternate versions of the image, each edited in a unique way. Let me know if you have a favorite edit!

My “preferred” version:

The original:

Black and white with red and yellow hues lifted:

Black and white with blue and green hues lifted:

Increased contrast with “cinematic” preset settings: