We all know Mave is a laid back chimp, but she has her playful side too. Her playful side might be more short lived than others!
Bonus!
A very handsome Gordo:
And the ever so beautiful and kind eyed Lucky:
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Sunny Tuesday
Sunny days are always great, specially after some days of non-stop rain. Today, the clouds scattered away and the rays of sunshine made an appearance. To say the least, everyone, including the caregivers were very happy to catch a break from the Pacific Northwest gloominess. If only there were away to turn OFF the wind!!! But regardless of the wind, the chimps in Jamie’s group went on countless walks around the hill and spent most of the day in their warm greenhouse. Cy and his friends also spent the day in their greenhouse and every so often you could walk by and someone would pop their heads off the edge of the platforms for a subtle “hello”. Willy B and his friends were very into the raisin boards they got for daytime enrichment, although it is very likely that Willy B got every single raisin.
Annie looking over at the neighbors before sprinting over to catch up with Jamie, who was going on a perimeter walk with caregiver Grace and her sweet new boots:
Honey B sitting on a wooden chair
A Cy close up
Dora was very interested in the mechanics of a phone camera
Jamie observing my every move while I squeegeed in the play room
A sequence of Foxie with a doll in her mouth making her way over to the greenhouse window to meet up with Jamie
Gordo in the platform of the greenhouse very much aware of the display Willy B had going on on the other greenhouse
Jody resting in the greenhouse
Willy B securing ALL the raisins in the raisin board enrichment that his group got today
Takin’ It Beezy
Caregivers are racing around completing chores on this rainy Monday afternoon, so today’s blog post is absurdly simple.
In honor of National Napping Day, here’s a portrait of Honey B lounging on the heated floor in one of the indoor enclosures.
Chad explained yesterday that the chimps have no concept of “daylight savings,” but they definitely know how to spend a gloomy, damp day like this one.
The Matter of Time
Today is Daylight Savings! Meaning for most of the United States (Arizona and Hawaii excluded) most of us lost an hour of sleep as our clocks were set an hour ahead. But for us here at the Chimp House, it was business as usual since the chimps don’t obey the concept of Daylight Savings. All this means is that the humans come in an hour later, though in reality it’s the same time had we not set our clocks forward.
When the chimpanzees were given access to Young’s Hill, Burrito zoomed out of his greenhouse and was off to the races.
Before we finished our morning run, he stopped for a bit and took in the morning sun.
For others, business as usual can mean something else.
For Mave, it meant a full day of lounging around.
Rayne spent the day fishing for raisins from raisin boards.
Honey B being mischievous.
Dora be inquisitive of the camera.
Cy being as handsome as ever.
Also being very inquisitive of the camera.
A closeup of Lucky’s eye.
And Terry watching the human caregivers walk by.
Hopefully the chimpanzees’ day helped you push through the hour that was lost. We hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Happy 32nd Birthday, Cy!
It’s Cy’s 32nd birthday!
His group arrived less than a year ago, so it’s the first birthday that he has celebrated at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.
Birthday Fairy Paulette Wrisley helped to make Cy’s celebration even more special by sponsoring a day of sanctuary in his honor. Thank you for remembering so many birthdays, Paulette!
Cy had a fabulous birthday today that included a library theme. Big thanks to Carpenter Memorial Library in Cle Elum for not only donating magazines and books to add to the celebration, but also for giving Cy an honorary library card!
Katelyn coined the term “magazineworm” to describe Cy, and he was certainly happy to have his passion recognized on his birthday:
Enjoy these close-up photos of Cy that Kelsi took during some quiet time today:
No celebration at the sanctuary is complete without a feast. On the lunch menu today were cherry tomatoes and lettuce as a forage and corn (a Cy favorite!) plus giant spring onions and passion fruit.
Jamie was the only chimpanzee out of the sixteen who demonstrated a passion for the passion fruit right away.
All of the other chimpanzees seemed pretty skeptical of this new fruit, but we did see Rayne and Dora collecting the discarded ones later.
Speaking of Rayne and Dora, Rayne really took to this Farmer’s Market book:
And here are some bonus photos of Dora close up, with different color tones:
First Look
One of my favorite parts of every morning is the “first look” the chimpanzees take before they journey into the wide expanse of Young’s Hill. It’s that special quiet moment where they determine which direction they want to head out and which quadrant of their outdoor space they want to explore first.
Bonus! Willy B empties his giant Kong.
The Progression of Sleep
The Riverview and Oakwood greenhouses provide an incredible amount of warmth, even on snowy days. The chimps also seem to really love the vertical space! We often find them up high in the greenhouses grooming or taking a nap in the cozy snug greenhouse.
The progression of Dora falling asleep:
Terry and Cy having their heads together before grooming.
Terry with his dream-eyes.
Rayne holding her feet and laying in a nest.
Bonus photo! A silhouette of Annie laying next to Foxie.
