Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Allies

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Grooming is a very important part of chimpanzee culture and serves to form alliances and strengthen bonds. The other night, there was a minor fight and Jamie got a couple of wounds on her foot and on her head. Missy is usually our most diligent groomer and often follows folks around trying to groom their injuries, which is exactly what she did for Jamie today. I suppose she could just be a clean-freak, or she could be strengthening her allies for the next conflict– it’s pretty smart either way.

Chinese New Year

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Here at CSNW, we’re always looking for reasons to party. Volunteers Jeani and Julie thought it would be fun to throw a (belated) Chinese New Year party for the chimpanzees, so they went shopping for food and decorations, and then prepared a Chinese feast. The puffed rice bowls seemed to be a universal hit — you’ll see Annie and Negra enjoying them in the video below.

Valentine’s Day fun

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Parties are so much fun here at CSNW. On today’s party menu was strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apples, dried pears, bananas, beets, sunflower seeds and tons of mixed nuts. We received a plethora of decorations and new toys from our friends Dick and Robbi Brown, Felicity, Stephanie, and Kate. Food was hidden in all kinds of Valentine’s Day themed boxes, cups, and gift bags and the playroom was filled with awesome new toys, including at least 5 new Valentine’s Day troll dolls. Thanks so much everyone!

Step one= party:

Annie drinking pomegranate juice:

Jamie opening her “Valentine”:

Foxie checking out one of her new Valentine’s Day trolls:

Step 2= nap.

Negra in her festive Valentine’s Day nest:

Burrito getting in touch with his feminine side:

Needless to say, a good time was had by all! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Taking things apart

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One of the practical problems of running a chimpanzee sanctuary involves creating a space that the chimps can’t destroy. Their superhuman strength combined with intelligence, curiosity, and a penchant for destruction keeps us on our toes. We’re very careful to maintain a safe (and sturdy) environment for the chimps, but sometimes there’s not much you can do when Jamie decides she wants to remove one of the baseboards, as in this video.