Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Grooming

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Grooming, generally a very calm activity, is a really important part of chimpanzee culture. It establishes and strengthens friendships and alliances. Chimps part the hair and pick out any debris or dead skin. They also will groom scabs off of themselves and each other.

Left to right: Missy grooms Burrito’s head. Burrito grooms Foxie’s back. Foxie grooms Burrito’s arm.

Burrito, Foxie and Missy groom outside

Annie (right) grooms Missy’s face. Chimpanzees often use their lips as well as their fingers to groom themselves and others.Annie grooms Missy's face

Jody (left) and Missy (right) groom Jamie (center, wearing scarf of trolls). This photo was taken shortly after Jamie had been ill for a few days and had been separated briefly from the group (though they could all still see each other). Grooming is very common when chimpanzees are reunited after even a short separation.

Jody and Missy groom Jamie

Keep the pressure on – help 202 chimpanzees

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If you haven’t already, please call and write Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius today and urge her to halt the transfer of 202 chimpanzees from the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) to the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in Texas.

You can send an electronic letter through the Humane Society of the United States and you can call the office of Health and Human Services at these numbers: 301-435-0888 or 202-205-5445 or 877-696-6775 (option #6 on the 877 number may put you in touch with a live person).

These chimpanzees should be allowed to permanently retire, not be subjected to more research. Retiring the chimpanzees is not only the ethical thing to do, it will also save taxpayer money, something we all have a right to speak out about. Currently, the chimpanzees are being warehoused at APF and have not been used in research for at least nine years.

Read our July 16th blog post about this issue for more information and read New Mexico governor Bill Richardson’s press release supporting halting the transfer of the APF chimpanzees.

Also, please see the statement from Save the Chimps released two days ago. It includes a link to a pdf which summarizes the history of chimpanzees in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

The announcement about the plan to transfer the chimpanzees was made well after the decision had been made.  We must speak up now and keep the pressure on for the sake of the 202 individuals and their future.

Update on Alamogordo chimpanzees

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Please see our July 16th post, Chimpanzees to be moved for research, for the background information on this story.

Fifteen chimpanzees have already been moved from the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) to the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in Texas, but we cannot give up. The chimpanzees need us to speak out for them.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has issued a press release asking the NIH to permanently retire all of the APF chimpanzees, return the 15 chimpanzees that have already been sent to Texas and convert the Facility into a sanctuary.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has made it easy for everyone to contact the NIH about this urgent issue. Please see the HSUS action alert, take action and share with your friends today.

You can keep updated on the campaign to retire the APF chimpanzees by following Animal Protection of New Mexico on their website and their Facebook page.

Sponsor Out of the Box, the 2010 Auction!

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Out of the Box logoExciting news! Preparations for our Oct 1, 2010 auction – Out of the Box are in full swing and we have some amazing auction items!

The auction team has been working hard to get good deals and donations for all that it takes to put on this fabulous event. We still have to pay for some things, though, and this is where you can help!

We are seeking individual and business cash sponsors to offset the costs of the auction, and we’ll even give you stuff for your donation. Big thanks to Barbara Lauterbach, who made her Playface sponsorship donation months ago (I wish I could plan ahead as well as Barbara!)

See the main auction page for details and current sponsors, or just click to download the documents below and make a donation by check or online:

CSNW 2010 Individual Sponsor Benefits (pdf)

CSNW 2010 Business Sponsor Benefits (pdf)

Please feel free to reach out to businesses you frequent and to friends about sponsoring our auction, just let me know and I can send you more introductory information. Email me: [email protected]

Out of the Box is going to be a fantastic and fun night.  With your help, we’ll make even more money for an exciting new project for the chimpanzees…