Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Fantastic B’s And Where To Find Them

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This week has started with a year brand new,

So here is the Eve of Burrito, Part II.

 

The day began as I walked through the gate,

Opening the Chimp House not a second late.

In this community lives magnificent beings,

When you meet them you’re overcome with feelings.

 

But this day in particular I’m looking one,

His name starts with a B and he likes to run.

I head through the door and who do I see?

Why, it’s one of my other friends, Mr Willy B.

“Hey you human! I am glad you are here!

There is a peanut out of reach, right over there!”

“Here you go friend,” I say with a smile,

“I wonder if you could help me all the while?”

“I might, but make it quick!

I have neighbors to rile up and doors to kick!”

Willy B is a big mighty man,

So without hesitation, I told him my plan.

“I’m looking for someone whose name starts with a B,

You’ve met him before, though it was not meant to be.”

He looked at me with a stern look on his face,

Then looked around to survey the entire place.

 

“Ah yes, I know such a person,

They are in the mezzanine, but they can be a diversion.”

Off I went, to the ladder I climbed,

I peeked my head over and who did I spy?

“My sweet Honey B, it’s great to see you,

Could you help me find another friend too?

He’s wild and crazy, and spies all day long,

And just loves Giant Kongs!”

 

“Oh that guy? Last I saw he was in the window,

But he seemed like he was on the go!

It was nice seeing you too, you bum,

Now if you please, I’m quite busy with this gum.”

I race to the Playroom to see my old friend,

But I’m met with a dead end.

The Party Police Enforcement is on patrol,

And she will not let me pass. She is in control.

“Please ma’am,” I beg her.

“I just want to see the fantastic B without causing a stir.”

“You may only pass if you do this one favor.

Let me groom your boots, and enjoy my labor.”

 

No matter who you seek, you have to appease the boss,

No matter the quest, no matter the cost.

She pays exquisite detail to her grooming,

To keep all boots clean. I’m assuming.

 

“The one you seek is in the Greenhouse,

He has not been quiet as a mouse.

Laughing and playing all day,

Sometimes it’s too much, so you will pay.”

 

I thank her for her service and head outside,

I just hope she hasn’t lied.

I open the door to the this indoor-outdoor space,

There was a flash of fur, seemingly in a race!

 

Bronx cheers, stomping and breathy panting,

His knack for fun is really uncanning!

He swings from the platform to the door.

Could I ever ask from more?

“Oh Bubba!” I exclaim.

“There’s something first I want to proclaim!

Tomorrow is your birthday, you’ll be 39!

At that age, you are looking just fine!

“There will be everything that you enjoy,

So please when you see it all, don’t be coy.

There will be slinkies, blocks, chase and spaghetti!

Things will be thrown around like confetti!”

 

“That’s nice and all,” he replied.

“I hope to wake tomorrow and not find out you lied.

But that is all for tomorrow, I’m just focused on now!

So get me some snow, before J.B. gets in the plow!”

I abide his request, and give him a snowball.

One is not enough. He wants it all!

After he savors every last bite of the snowy treat,

It’s off the the races, not one I can defeat.

 

So I hope you all are prepared for tomorrow!

Fun will be had by all, so be sure to follow!

 

Happy Burrito Eve, everybody!

 

Some bonus photos of Mave and Dora!

Mave
Dora

Chimp ID: Cy

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Today’s blog is all about how to ID our lovable friend, Cy! Out of all the chimpanzees I have worked with over the years, I have never met a chimp like Cy. Each chimp I have met has amazing and different qualities about them, but Cy is kind to his very core. Even when he is displaying, he has a play face, he just never seems mad.

Cy is a big guy with an even bigger heart!

Cy has the kindest eyes.

Cy has a prominent white beard. From the front he has very dark features, but from behind his hair is more grayish white. We joke that he reminds us of a gorilla from behind!

Cy is an good leader. He knows how to navigate social situations extremely well. He can recognize when to let things go and when to make a point.

Cy is a bibliophile

Cy resembles his sister Lucky quiet a bit!

Cy is the type of guy to become your instant friend. He will want you to play chase, sit while he tickles the back of your hand, or just hangout with him while he reads.

Cy is also stubborn! He and Lucky are often hold outs, like their half sister Honey B!

Beasts of the Northern Wild

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Our particularly wintry December has transitioned into an even colder and snowier January.

The team has been busy shoveling paths around the Chimp House, endlessly plowing the property’s driveway, and entertaining the chimps (who are unanimously choosing to lounge indoors during the current snowstorm).

Yet another daily chore has been making it out to the winter paddock to muck the barn and provision the sanctuary’s bovines with fodder. Earlier today, caregiver Sam could barely see where she was driving the John Deere as the wind sent snowflakes whipping past her face. On top of all this, her snow shovel went rogue, somehow came to rest on the Gator’s gas pedal, and almost sent the whole rig fish-tailing into a snowbank. While laughing about it afterward, Sam said the ordeal was worth it to see the cattle happily munching on their grain and alfalfa.

Even though their seasonal paddock is covered in a blanket of fluffy snow, the rescued Jersey cattle have been making their own paths across the frozen terrain, thus ensuring that they can reach all their preferred shelters. During one of yesterday’s brief moments of clear sunshine, I served some hay at the furthest barn to entice them to stretch their legs. Unsurprisingly, they had already blazed a trail up there and almost beat me to the far gate.

Here are some photos of the Moo Crew and their surroundings:

Meredith, Nutmeg and Betsy wait for hay at the paddock gate
Betsy munches on some grass hay
A dark-eyed junco perches on the old paddock fence
Meredith hesitantly follows me across the pasture with her usual skepticism
The bovines trudge up the hill
Honey, the herd’s matriarch, looks back to check on the others
Honey sniffs around for the grain bucket
Mule deer cut across the pasture right before sunset
The view from the upper limit of the property

Happy New Year To(es) You

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First, please pardon my attempt at a pun in the title of this blog post. I think it’s fair to blame some other staff for their pun-influence. I am not even sure it qualifies as a pun, but somehow I couldn’t help myself.

Second, today is the first day of 2022. You know that. I’m just still trying to digest that fact. 2021 was a huge year for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. We are forever grateful for all of the support that blog readers have shown. All of our matching funds were realized this month, and we are off to a great start for another big year that’s full of the promise of new habitats and new adventures for all of the animals in our care. Thank you.

Third, I hope this video gives you as much joy as it did me when J.B. showed the clips to me on his phone.

A very happy new year to all of you, from all of us, right down to our toes.

A wrench in the plans

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No day at the sanctuary is off to a good start when you have to call JB to do some emergency maintenance. His plate is full enough as it is and to top it off, we’re in the middle of a cold snap/snow globe situation in Central Washington which requires additional plowing work.

This morning I begrudgingly called for his help over the radio. “Anna to JB. Door G won’t close all the way. There is a 2 inch gap at the bottom and it refuses to go any lower.”  The remote controlled door simply ground to a halt with nothing visibly blocking its progress.

Any door issues we have, we take very seriously and get them fixed as soon as possible. JB would need to take a panel off the door to examine the inner workings of the hydraulics and if he couldn’t fix the door himself, we would need to call in an expert (in the middle of a blizzard, don’t forget).

JB agreed to come do some trouble shooting of the chimp door later in the morning after we finished cleaning the playrooms. Luckily, we had an alternate plan for shifting Honey B, Willy B and Mave and we didn’t need that particular door to be closed to protect staff and start our work.

About a half hour into our cleaning process, Kelsi came to find me. The broken door mystery had been solved.

Do you see what Kelsi spotted?
A small toy nail sitting in the groove of the door, neatly tucked just out of sight of the door operator.
Exhibit A: The blockage

Now only one question remains. Was this an accidental coincidence? Did this toy casually roll into the door’s track, creating an unforeseen holdup in the morning cleaning routine? Possibly… We will never really know for sure…

But my bet is this was no act of serendipity. And there is just one suspect I have on my list that is equal parts mischievous and stubborn enough to pull off such a prank.

Suspect #1: Honey B the obstinate. Seen here casually putting her arm in a doorway to prevent room 7 from being closed off.

 

The Bees Knees

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The thing about Honey B is that she really is the bees knees. I admire Honey B’s spontaneous nature, her silly demeanor, and when she sets her mind on something she won’t let anything get in the way. Honey B decided that yesterday front room 7 did not need to be cleaned. She was kind of right as it really just had toys and a lot of paper, just the way she likes it. However, today I really wanted to clean it for not just Honey B, but for Mave and Willy B too. It didn’t look promising at first, but eventually she shifted over for us.

Honey B in front room 7, just the way she likes it:

After all the front rooms were cleaned we handed Honey B and Mave extra rolls of wrapping paper from their Christmas party!

Mave was very pleased about this!

I will leave you with one last Honey Bees photos.

Cold Snap

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The Pacific Northwest is experiencing a cold snap this week. Today the high is 18ºF with a low of 5ºF tonight. With temperatures such as these, the chimpanzees have sought refuge in the upstairs areas of their respective playrooms where it is nice and warm. They are all napping as I write this.

With days like today, it can be difficult to get photos of the chimpanzees. The upstairs areas are notoriously difficult (read pretty much impossible) to take photos of. I was able to get a few opportunistically throughout the afternoon, mostly during lunch when they all came down.

Terry eating his carrot during lunch.
Willy B working up his display toward Cy’s group during lunch service.
Dora waiting for her turn to be served her lunch.
Rayne eating her primate chow on the highest leaf platform on the tree in her playroom.
Mave and Honey B grooming after lunch.
Mave!