Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Okay, it’s not summer (yet), but we have been having a heatwave in Cle Elum: temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s with lots of sun. As a result, the greenhouse is toasty warm. Here’s Annie enjoying the reprieve from winter and doing a little self-grooming.
Last week was the first time any of us had seen Foxie build a true nest. Today, I witnessed her doing it again and snapped a couple of photos. I’m so proud of how far she’s come.
Great news! We’ve found an easy way for our supporters to help us (and themselves) from afar!
CSNW has teamed up with a company called Planet Green, which is a company that recycles inkjet cartridges and old cell phones. For every inkjet cartridge and cell phone turned into them on our behalf, Planet Green sends us a donation (visit this link for a list of prices of what Planet Green gives us). I have a few volunteers from Seattle that have begun collecting for us. I sent in about 20 inkjet cartridges and 4 cell phones and we received a check for $37! (Considering it didn’t cost any of us a dime, not bad! Thanks so much guys!) Just think how much we could make if we all started collecting!? In addition, Planet Green is a remanufacturer, so you can purchase your inkjet cartridges through them and we receive 15% of every purchase. Visit this link to learn more: www.PlanetGreenRecycle.com/ChimpSanctuaryNW
If you would like to start up your own collection box for inkjet cartridges and cell phones, send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll set you up with flyers and shipping labels and get you started. It’s a really easy thing to do and a great way to help us (and the environment) out!
This program is not only good for us, you, our landfills, etc… but it’s also a great way to do your part on behalf of gorillas in Africa. Cell phones contain a mineral called coltan, which is a mineral extracted in the deep forests of Congo in central Africa- home to lowland gorillas. Mass production of cell phones has resulted in mass destruction of the forests and is resulting in a loss of habitat for gorillas. By opening up the forest, this practice also paves the way for the slaughter of gorillas for the bushmeat trade. Recycling old cell phones is a great way to reduce the need for coltan and protect the gorillas and their home.
And…as if I haven’t given you enough reasons, here’s Foxie’s adorable face: =)
Yesterday J.B. and volunteers Steve and Rick braved the cold to frame the climbing structures that will be on Young’s Hill. (To learn about our plans for Young’s Hill, a 2-acre outdoor habitat for the chimpanzees, watch this video.)
We love sharing stories with all of you about the chimpanzees’ daily experiences at the sanctuary. This pleasure is all the greater when we have something particularly exciting or momentous to share, as we do today.
Our frequent blog readers are familiar with the saga of Foxie’s nesting behavior. When Foxie came to CSNW, she wanted very little to do with any enrichment. Blankets, in particular, seemed almost offensive to her. If a blanket occupied the space where she wanted to rest, she would often flick it aside before sitting down. While some of the other chimps were making giant, cushy nests out of dozens of blankets, Foxie would build a “phantom nest”, showing ritualized nesting behaviors but using very little actual nesting material. She’s made slow and steady progress: she’ll incorporate the occasional toy or fire hose into her “nest”, and once or twice we’ve caught her with her head resting on the very edge of a blanket. But overall, she’s remained pretty steadfast in her distaste for blankets (or anything soft, it seems). Here’s a review of past blog posts that have highlighted Foxie’s nesting progress:
April 13, 2009
May 15, 2009
June 2, 2009
June 6, 2009
December 2, 2009
January 23, 2010
February 3, 2010
December 24, 2010
Considering all this, she surprised and delighted us all the other day when she went full steam ahead and built her first big, multi-blanket nest.
As explained in Elizabeth’s post a couple of weeks ago, Burrito doesn’t play with toys too often, but as you will see in the video below, he’s really been liking these popper toys these days! He played with this toy for at least an hour today. This video of Jamie and the popper toy comes to mind.
The chimpanzees all have different comfort levels when it comes to intensity of play. Jody and Negra, for example, engage in play less frequently and less boisterously than some of the other chimps. When Foxie and Jamie get together, though, they completely let loose. There’s lots of stomping, slapping, and (play) biting. This morning they spent about 20 minutes running around the playroom like maniacs.
