Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee sanctuary

Beasts of Burden

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It is really interesting watching the chimpanzees throughout the day. Whether it is onsite at the sanctuary, or checking in on the security cameras. After witnessing all the great moments such play and grooming, and even the bad moments like fights, there really is no other term to describe them other than “family.”

Families play. Families take care of each other. And families fight, whether with each other or side-by-side one another. Though there has been some instability in Cy’s group, which led to our reintegration plan, I still can’t help but to view them as a family unit. Though the fights can be a stress inducing event and seem like it dominates the day, that’s not necessarily the case. The good moments outweigh the bad by a landslide. 

As we moved forward with the reintegration process, we have seen some magnificent moments with the chimps. Though we wish this process would eliminate all the fighting, we are realistic that it won’t stop all of the fighting. Though the real underlying hope is for the fighting to be reduced from the level it was. Personally, I think it’s working. A good chunk of fights we have seen in the past few months have mostly been just screaming and hollering at each other. 

What initiated this train of thought? This photo I took a couple weeks ago:

Willy B (bottom) and Rayne (top) link fingers before lunch service.

One day, when lunch was brought out, Rayne reached toward Willy B for some reassurance, and this was the outcome. To me it looks a lot like the American Sign Language sign for “friends” if two people were to make the sign together. Here is a photo of a memorial of Washoe making that sign at Friendship Park in Ellensburg.

To me it’s kind of a reminder that there is always beauty in a chaotic world.

Here are some other old photos I found on my phone taken over the course of several months.

Willy B

Annie

Terry

Negra

Though these two photos look the same, they were actually taken months apart. The first photo is her perusing through a peanut butter magazine. The second was from Jamieween after she acquired her food.

Lucky

Cy

Mave

Honey B

Jamie’s Group watching TV

That is Foxie and Jamie on the floor, Burrito sitting on the firehose, and Annie waaaaay up top.

Firehose Cube

Yes… That is a firehose with it’s own nest in between Rayne and Lucky. This isn’t the first time either. I have another photo of a different firehose in a different nest on a different day, but couldn’t find it quickly. And the answer to your question, it was Rayne. Both times I seen this, Rayne was close by or it was in the nest with her.

Sanctuary Wildlife

There’s a frog in our pipes.
A baby gopher snake.
A yet to be identified lizard on the human entrance of the Riverview and Oakwood Greenhouses.

Barn Kitty in hunting mode

I know some of you are wondering where I have been for a while. There was always some sense of happiness anytime one of the other caregivers let me know people have been inquiring about my whereabouts. No, I didn’t quit or get fired. No, I wasn’t in a coma. No, I wasn’t off galavanting around the Cascades with Barn Kitty or any of the other wild conspiracies some of some of you had… Though I do wish one of those were the case, especially the BK scenario. 

The uneventful, boring reason is I got injured while working. It happens at any workplace and no matter the safety precaution, these’s always that small chance. Hello, I am that small chance. I have been recovering for a little bit and am starting to ease back into doing full Chimp House duties. It’s been one step at a time but I am ecstatic that the trend is swinging toward the right direction. I also want to emphasize this was NOT chimp related. It was on my own.

I do want to take this time to thank literally everyone. From my amazing fellow caregivers to the co-directors, and yes, even to you, our dedicated, loving blog readers. My fellow caregivers really rose up to continue our same level of care for the chimps and cattle being down one caregiver for such a prolonged time. Hence the title of this blog. They are my beasts of burden. Plus I had happen to be listening to The Rolling Stones when this was typed. I will be forever grateful to them for their strength and determination, as well as understanding that when I did come back, I would have to ease into everything at a slow pace. Or at least it has been slow to my liking. 

I am looking forward to continue caring for the chimpanzees and bovine side-by-side with my team at full capacity when it’s time. Hashtag New Year, New Me.

ONE LAST SUPER BONUS PHOTO

Remember that time Burrito first climbed the tree and nobody was able to get footage of it until later?

I got this when it was announced on the radio that he was in the tree and I was serving lunch to Negra. This is the only known footage of that day!

*Sorry if some of the images maybe repeats or similar to others in the past few months. I forgot who I gave photos to publish for the blog and what photos have been used.

To A Young Zoologist

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Thank you to Tobin, longtime supporter of the chimpanzees here at CSNW, for sponsoring today’s day of sanctuary in honor of a young zoologist.

“A few months ago, I had the good fortune of speaking to a zoologist named Luke. This scientist described the wildlife sanctuary that he has created and maintains in his grandmother’s yard. His refuge provides room and board and delicious refreshments for worms, ants, beetles, snails, and other migratory creatures. 

Given Luke’s attentiveness to the needs of those who reside at what he refers to as his “bugatory”, I thought that I should sponsor a day of sanctuary for him on December 13th. As of today, Luke has now completed a half dozen orbits around the sun and he is setting off on another year’s-long round trip. While I don’t thing that Luke is so old that he has grown a white beard like Gordo has, he is another year older. 

Luke is also interested in – and friends with- cats, dogs, and cattle. A few years ago, his grandmother introduced him to Burrito and his friends. As I understand it, he would prefer to see some gorillas at the sanctuary. I don’t think that request can be accommodated, but, given how Willy B, Terry, and Gordo can sometimes make themselves look bigger, perhaps they can be substitute gorillas, at least for today.”

Thank you, Tobin, for sponsoring this day of sanctuary. And cheers to you, Luke- for creating your own sanctuary in your grandmother’s backyard!

 

Foxie’s New Dolls!

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If you know Foxie, then you know of her love for troll dolls! It’s always exciting when she gets new ones and we’re so grateful to Ellen G. for her winning bid in our Comfort and Joy Online Auction on these new dolls for our sweet Foxie! I’m personally obsessed with the fashion style for the one on the right. The spot on hair match with the fuzzy outfit? Classic.

Before putting them out in the greenhouse, Katelyn went to show them to Foxie and Jenna snagged a few photos!

A blurry, but excited, Foxie!

I came back to check on them later and they had disappeared. 🙂

Bonus Photos: This morning, Negra stole the spoon that her meds were given to her on and carried it around with her a little bit. Which made for a fun photo shoot! (Don’t worry- we got the spoon back 🙂 ).

Willy B and Lucky Quality Time

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It’s not everyday that we see Lucky engaging in a long play session with one of her group mates, but yesterday was one of those days! We were wrapping up the first round of cleaning on that side and stumbled onto a very sweet play session between Lucky and Willy B, with Cy and Rayne close by.

Community Comforts

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A couple weeks ago, we put out an ask for your help to earn a Top-Rated Nonprofit badge for 2024. We received 16 wonderfully thoughtful reviews, bringing us up to 18 for the year. This has surpassed the number we needed to earn our ranking and we couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who took a moment out of their day to share their thoughts about CSNW. This helps CSNW in a multitude of ways- we receive the badge for our website, which helps us stand out in the nonprofit world, and it also increases our visibility to donors and supporters.

I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of your kind words and to say thank you to every person who wrote a review- and also to every person who follows this blog, who shares our stories, and who cares so deeply for CSNW. Connecting with you all in this community, over a shared love and responsibility to our deserving residents, is such a beautiful and special thing. If you are interested in reading the full reviews, you can see our page here.

“They present a realistic portrait of chimps as they really are which I think is sorely needed. CSNW is very transparent in all they do and why they do it.”

Lucky:

“Very impressive in many ways. The whole team, from leadership to caregivers are clearly very well informed and working diligently every moment to do the best for those they care for… CSNW is the “real McCoy”….they seem to attract like-minded supporters and connect them to their mission with success. Their Blog , authored by a different team member daily, connects us to their efforts, their challenges, their observations, and to their animals, human and non human, that they love, appreciate, and care for and about.”

Jamie:

“Saving these chimps and allowing these amazing souls to live out their retirement at an amazing facility, in such a dignified manner is absolutely heart warming… I would suggest that everyone get to know this facility by looking at their page and videos. What you will see is raw and real, and not the cleaned up version of things as to just generate support.”

Terry:

“This sanctuary is exemplary. The thought, care and creativity that goes into caring for the residents is top notch. CSNW is not only beautiful , it’s staffed with a great volunteer program and is a leader in the Chimpanzee Sanctuary community!”

Volunteers building Ryans Lookout on The Bray:

“…Some of these fellow creatures had never seen anything but the inside of a cage, while they were being tested on. Some had never felt grass under their feet. They can now, thanks to the caring staff at CSNW.”

Negra:

“The staff’s attention to each chimp and their individual needs and temperaments is commendable… I truly enjoy reading their blogs and viewing videos, it connects me to their purpose… There is no question where the priorities are in this organization, the staff are devoted to providing an amazing life experience and truly care about each chimp.”

“Out of all the non-profits I volunteered for chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has the most dedicated and professional staff I’ve ever witnessed. They all wear multiple hats for the mission of giving The Chimps their best life. Their donors are incredibly generous and engaged in the organization.”

Dora:

“The chimps are not just cared for here, they are loved.”

“You can feel the love the caretakers have by the blogs and videos they share. They make us feel a part of the sanctuary family.”

“They go above and beyond for the chimps and cattle in their care.”

Burrito:

“During the time I have been aware of CSNW, I have been very impressed with the level of care, respect and compassion the residents there receive. The leadership and caregivers there obviously care deeply about the chimps, and provide them with top-notch daily care, nutrition, enrichment and medical care… They have a daily blog where followers can learn about the daily happenings at the sanctuary and ask questions. All staff members take turns with the blog so you get different perspectives but it’s all interesting, educational, often humourous, sometimes sad, but always reflecting brilliant care. I feel like I know all the chimps and caregivers through these daily posts, pictures and videos. It’s very cool to see for yourself where any donation dollars are going, and to feel good that your donation, however small or large, is truly going to ensuring these magnificent creatures who are so deserving of sanctuary have the best possible life.”

Gordo:

“So much hard work, care, and love makes CSNW a truly special place.”

“They’re quite generous with the details and also intertwine advocacy for the species in general; so CSNW is an all encompassing support for animals and humans alike.”

“The rescued chimps are living their best lives possible there. The Veterinarian crew is top=notch.”

Don’t forget that today is the last full day of our Comfort & Joy Quid Pro Throw Online Auction! Bidding closes tomorrow, Wednesday November 20th, at 6:00pm PT. We still have some to go before we reach our goal and we need your help! If you’ve picked your item for you and an item for the chimps and are looking to support one of our specific funds, consider a donation to our Media and Enrichment Fund! If donations in this category reach $5,000 then the full amount will be MATCHED by our generous supporter Monica! Plus, if you donate $20 or more you will receive a Book Club bookmark. Donate $100 or more and you will receive a Book Club sticker!

A Moment with Lucky

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If you’ve been following the blog, you know that we are in the process of re-introductions for Cy’s group (you can read more about the re-intro process here: Rayne Joins the Men, Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself, and The Matchmaker). Cy, Willy B, and Rayne met the different benchmarks that we are looking for, so today Lucky joined them. They all seemed happy to have Lucky in their little group, especially Rayne!

The re-intro process means a change to our normal shifting schedule, as we shift the two groups on their side of the building around to clean the different spaces. The logistics are a bit different each day and this morning Lucky got to have some time by herself to allow for her caregivers to clean some spaces before she was reunited with Cy, Willy, and Rayne. She often hangs back from shifting to hang out by herself and today she seemed to really enjoy the time away. She made a comfortable nest and seemed to enjoy having some photos taken! 🙂 I couldn’t pick just one or two, so I thought I’d share many.

Don’t forget that our Comfort & Joy Quid Pro Throw Online Auction is in full-swing! Speaking of Lucky, she is featured in our auction on a Porcelain Ornament and also on a scarf for you and for the chimps! Be sure to check them out to see some amazing artwork from Thyra Rutter from Arte for Elephants and get in on the bidding action.

Countdown to Jamieween!

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October is one of the most exciting months here at CSNW. Between the respite of cool weather after a hot, dry summer and the excitement of Jamieween around the corner, it’s a month that everyone looks forward to. Speaking of Jamieween, we are only two sleeps away from the big party day!

As we countdown, I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane and look back at previous Jamieween celebrations. 🙂

Of course, our Great Pumpkin Thief herself a la Jamieween 2011:

Jamie, circa 2013, enjoying party festivities:

2013 Negra enjoying a chunk of the great pumpkin:

2013 Foxie & Great Pumpkin:

2015 Burrito enjoying a pumpkin bowl:

2021 Annie, A Scarecrow, & A Pumpkin:

Missy, last year, with her pomegranate loot:

We’re prepping and getting excited for this year’s Jamieween celebration! Let us know your favorite Jamieween party memories in the comments so we can re-live all those good memories, together.

Also! There’s two other exciting things happening on October 31st. First, our annual Comfort & Joy Quid Pro Throw online auction opens up! Register to bid on items for the chimps that we will give to them on your behalf and also bid on unique items for yourself or for a loved one! We will be adding new items regularly, so you’ll want to check back in throughout. Plus, registering means you will have the opportunity to join us for a live zoom on Lucky’s birthday (November 6th). Be sure to register and get your account set up today, so you’re ready for when it goes live!

Also, Jamieween is the last day to vote for our 2025 CSNW Calendar Cover Photo. You can vote once a day through October 31st, so be sure to vote for your favorite!