Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Leaning forward

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I have a tattoo on the inside of my wrist that says “lean forward to the next crazy venture.” It’s a quote I have always loved from On the Road and it has guided me well, through all kinds of crazy ventures like my undercover work early in my career, many loves and losses, and oh, you know, being a part of a fledgling chimpanzee sanctuary. Looking back, which I rarely allow myself to do, I couldn’t be prouder of the role I’ve been fortunate to play in Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.  We’ve gone from zero to 60 in a very short time. The chimps have certainly undergone spectacular changes in the last five years, and I feel like I’ve lived through those changes and that recovery as well.

I have nothing but excitement about what’s ahead for our chimpanzee friends. Tomorrow, the wonderful and amazing Jennifer Whitaker formally takes the helm as Executive Director here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (although she’s been quietly getting up to speed here for two weeks now). I am so confident that Jennifer will take CSNW to new heights and I can’t wait to cheer for each new victory and each little change.

Of course I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling a little emotional about my departure. But I’m not going far. The Seven (and their humans) will never leave my heart or my mind. They are a central part of my family, so after a few weeks off I’ll be returning in a new and improved role as a caregiving volunteer. Nice try, but you haven’t gotten rid of me.

I won’t be saying goodbye. There’s no need to. I’ll just be leaning forward with everyone else. I’ll never have words for how humbled I am by having had the opportunity to do this work. Thank you a hundred times over.

web Burrito laugh bite hand caregiver Sarah outdoor area DSC_0092

PS. If you simply can’t resist saying goodbye, here are my suggestions on where to fuel your energy:

  • if you’ve connected with me or the chimps over the past few years, make a donation today to wish me well and welcome Jennifer to the team
  • buy tickets to our Seattle auction now so that you can support our work and give me a hug (I’ll be there with bells on)
  • help us spread the word about our online auction by sharing the link on Facebook and to all your friends. Start leaning toward all those vacation spots!
  • watch the bidding war over VIP Green Day tickets and backstage access. So much fun.

Bubbles and Paper Towels

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As mentioned earlier, today was sponsored by Sweethome Teacup and the North Portland Yoga Community, with the hopes that the chimps would be “at ease, curious and content” all day. The chimps have definitely been at ease and content! They’ve been doing a lot of relaxing today, and I even witnessed Jody doing her happy baby pose in the greenhouse this morning, much like the one in the photo in the previous post! So, it really has been a very mellow, zen-like day. Thanks, Sweethome!

Yesterday was pretty mellow too. We put out buckets of plant-based, chimp belly-friendly soapy water and a whole roll of paper towels. This resulted in quite a few different “projects” that kept the chimps pretty enriched and content all day long. If Jamie wasn’t cleaning a toy or a wall off, she was busy wiping her hands and nose.

Thank you to North Portland Yoga Community!

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Today was sponsored by Sweethome Teacup. She shared this message: “This day is special because I am able to give to the chimps through collecting donations from the North Portland Yoga Community. I hope the chimps are at ease, curious, and content today.” Jody is our natural yoga expert:

 

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Thanks for always thinking of the chimps, Sweethome!

Easter egg hunt

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(Be sure to check out the earlier post with pictures of the party set-up).

Happy Easter! Today we had a big Easter egg hunt on the hill for the chimps. They seemed to really enjoy it. We kept the fun going and had another forage in the playroom, too! When you’re done looking at all the photos, watch the video at the end to see the chimps getting some Easter goodies.

Burrito with an Easter egg basket:

web burrito easter egg basket party forage enrichment YH IMG_5068

Negra drinking some water out of a watering can (while sitting in her cabin)

web negra cabin easter party enrichment watering can YH IMG_5064

Jamie also liked this watering can, and Jody is here peering on:

web jody jamie peer watering can cabin easter egg enrichment forage YH IMG_5143

Annie really liked a different watering can:

web annie drink watering can enrichment easter YH IMG_5113

Foxie and Annie:

web foxie annie dora easter egg enrichment party forage YH IMG_5193

Foxie walking with Negra:

web foxie negra dora easter egg forage party enrichment YH IMG_5094

Jamie in the cabin:

web jamie easter egg enrichment forage cabin YH IMG_5128

Jamie found all our good hiding spots!

web jamie easter egg forage party enrichment YH IMG_5076

Missy with an Easter egg in her mouth:

web missy bouncy bridge easter egg forage party YH IMG_5059

Negra, looking very happy with her Easter egg:

web negra content face easter egg forage party enrichment YH IMG_5088

 

New adventures for Negra and mouthfuls for everyone

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It’s been another beautiful day in Cle Elum today so I set out a huge lunch forage on Young’s Hill. Everyone went right out, which is always a treat, but not only that – Negra was first! I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as she marched right out and walked over to one of the climbing structures that is a bit further away than her usual spots close to the raceway.

web Negra walk fast mouthful of greens hammock YH IMG_1373

She grabbed a ton of greens along the way and found herself under the shaky bridge, which I am almost certain is an area she hasn’t explored yet.

web Negra forage under shaky bridge walk YH IMG_1386

web Negra walk through bamboo forage lettuce YH IMG_1385

Then, she just sat right down and enjoyed her lunch there.
web Negra smile forage hid behind post YH IMG_1387

web Negre eat lettuce forage sit in bamboo YH IMG_1389

web Negra eat lettuce forage sit in bamboo YH IMG_1393

This may not seem like a big deal, but Negra hasn’t adventured around the hill too much so we celebrate every step she takes in seeming more comfortable sitting in the grass with no bars overhead. And I’ve never seen her that confident out there! She didn’t ask for reassurance or seem concerned or nervous at all. That’s pretty amazing!

Oh and by the way, there were other chimps out enjoying the forage too. 😉

Foxie and Jody had a little picnic on one of the platforms today. That’s Foxie with the mouthful of lettuce – something she used to absolutely loath.
web Foxie and Jody lunch on platform climbing structure Foxie with mouthful of greens (!) YH IMG_1403

Missy loaded up on greens:
web Missy mouthful of greens forage YH IMG_1407

Annie with her mouthful:
web Annie tomato mouth forage YH IMG_1394

Jody and Burrito seemed pretty happy about all the limes!
web Jody mouthful of food forage limes greens tangerine Burrito in background YH IMG_1414

Burrito:
web Burrito mouthful of limes forage YH IMG_1416

Jamie grabbed a huge handful of lettuce, potatoes, avocados, and limes and happily took her loot to the raceway, so I wasn’t able to get a photo of her mouthful, but rest assured, she had one!

Everyone seemed really happy and foraged out there for a pretty long time. I was thrilled to see all seven chimps out there for so long! And I just couldn’t take my eyes off of beautiful and amazingly confident Negra. After she’d munched on all the good stuff she could find in the bamboo, she moved over to the hammock area.
web Negra mouthful of greens by hammock forage YH IMG_1419

and sat where she could watch what was happening over at the house, probably for the first time taking in all that she can see from that side of the hill.

web Negra sit mouthful of greens forage look toward house YH IMG_1420

It was certainly a big day for Ms. Negra.
web Negra sit by hammock forage greens YH IMG_1422

Foxie and Dora

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It’s very rare to see Foxie without at least one doll keeping her company. In fact, when new volunteers are first learning to tell the chimpanzees apart, they can always tell Foxie by the troll doll or Dora the Explorer she’s carrying. She carried this Dora doll in her mouth for much of the afternoon.

web Foxie dora in mouth look up greenhouse GH IMG_4443

web Foxie dora in mouth look up greenhouse GH IMG_4442

web Foxie dora in mouth look up greenhouse GH IMG_4440

web Foxie sit dora in mouth hold fire hose look at camera greenhouse GH IMG_4434