Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimpanzee sanctuary

Happy Birthday, Meg!

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Today was sponsored by long-time sanctuary friend, Meg Lunnum!

“It’s time for my birthday again!!! My wish is for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest to grow even larger in the future!”

Meg, thanks so much for allowing us all to celebrate with you! The more chimps (and cattle!), the merrier, right? 🙂 We hope you have a beautiful day and thank you for the difference you make in the lives of so many of our amazing fellow animals. Happiest of birthdays from all of us here!

Missy and Annie:

Burrito and Foxie:

Missy, Jody and Negra:

Jamie and Jody:

Mave and Honey B:

Betsy, Honey, Meredith, and Nutmeg:

Might As Well Play

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The goal of the caregivers and volunteers is to clean the chimpanzees’ enclosures quickly and thoroughly. We want to ensure they have as much space as soon as it becomes available. Though there are times the chimpanzees may try to hurry us along (Jamie usually gesturing, Negra clapping, Burrito blowing Bronx cheers, etc.), there are also times they keep themselves occupied until we are finished.

Today, as we were cleaning the Playroom, Negra was especially playful in the front rooms. First, we saw her playing with Burrito. Then we saw her playing with Foxie. These play sessions lasted as soon as we saw them. Then along came Jody and a pink blanket. This play session last for quiet awhile, until Jody pulled her new move to let Negra know she she has the upper hand is done playing.

Turning the Day Around

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I had a lot of hope for the weather after yesterday’s brief reprieve from the winter weather. As I began to drive to the sanctuary today, that hope began to dwindle. A fresh layer of snow had accumulated overnight and there were grey clouds as far as the eye could see. Earlier in the day, all my plans to shift the chimpanzees from one area to another so we could clean their enclosure was altered multiple times. The chimpanzees just refused to leave certain areas, making it harder for us to clean. I began to accept this day was just an outright bad day. Then our veterinarian Erin arrived. She came by and did a checkup on Burrito to see how his recovery was coming along. When she came back into the foyer area, she gave me the best news of the day. She determined Burrito was well enough to be reunited with his family once again!

It was at this point, the entire day turned around. The clouds had cleared up. The sun came out and melted some of the snow. And the chimpanzees began to cooperate and move into the areas we needed them to so we could clean. It sounds like I’m making this up, but believe me, it happened like this. Our incredible volunteer staff today rolled up their sleeves and really busted their bums to ensure the enclosures were cleaned quickly and thoroughly so we could reunite Burrito with the girls. When it came time, I opened the doors to reunite them and there was excitement. Foxie and Burrito almost immediately engaged in a game of chase, before settling down and starting a very long grooming session.

While Burrito and Foxie were grooming, Annie and Missy shared their excitement by engaging in a silly game of play wrestle.

When they were finished, Annie decided it was time to bask in the sun’s rays through window.

Jamie on the other hand found a new way to relax while watching her neighbors from the Playroom window.

While Jody foraged nearby.

Though today started out sort of rough, seeing Burrito back in the Playroom with the Girl Gang made every bit of today worth it.

Happy Birthday, Pam!

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Today was sponsored by Pam Powers who shared this lovely message about her kind gift:

“Celebrating my birthday, can’t think of a better way to celebrate the staff and chimps at the sanctuary than by sponsoring a day on my special day.”

Pam, thank you so much for choosing such an inspiring and compassionate gift for yourself and the chimpanzees! We so appreciate your generous heart! Happiest of birthdays from all of us at the sanctuary and we hope you have a beautiful day!

Honey B and Mave:

Mave

Annie and Missy:

Annie and Pretzels

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No, this post is not about Annie eating pretzels. It’s partially about Annie Chimpanzee, as seen in these photos, but it’s also about all the enormous pretzels, vegan bratwurst, and craft beer that our staff are going to consume during tonight’s visit to a magical place: Leavenworth.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the area, Leavenworth is a town located north of the sanctuary in the shadow of the Cascades. It boasts a Bavarian theme and is known for its charm, cuisine, and recreation. The CSNW crew typically makes a pilgrimage there every December, but we missed our opportunity this year since Burrito’s medications had to be administered each night. Consequently, tonight’s itinerary includes our annual group trip to the fabled mountain village. We are also celebrating the addition of Chad to the team, and this will be our first outing with him as a full-time staff member. We can only hope that he proves to be as valuable to our trivia team as he is to our care staff.

Therefore, I’ll withhold my summary of today’s events since the other caregivers are rushing me to finish writing the blog and closing down the Chimp House. Instead, I’ll leave you all with a few photos of Annie, who was the first chimpanzee to venture out onto the Hill today. It was unseasonably warm and the chimps were able to tiptoe on dry ground to avoid the remaining patches of snow.

I’d write more, but an evening of alpine fun awaits.

Transformations Then and Now

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There’s a memory I have of Foxie that comes to my mind frequently.

Foxie and her six friends arrived on June 13, 2008. Three days later, we put the finishing touches on the playroom and let the group into that large indoor space for the first time.

Here’s the memory, which I mentioned on the blog the day it occurred: Foxie spent a good 20 minutes walking all around the perimeter of the playroom, stomping. Foxie was born in a laboratory and the playroom was most likely the largest space she had ever been. She was 31 years old at the time.

Back then, I was eager, impatient even, to be able to give the chimpanzees more space and more freedom, but our budget dictated that we build the sanctuary around them as we slowly raised funds. It wasn’t until the end of August, a little more than two months after they arrived, that the seven got to go outside for the first time.

What we used to call the outdoor area we now refer to as the greenhouse, but this sunny, breezy, caged space served as their outdoors for three years, and was the only outdoor access some of them had ever experienced in their lives.

The construction of Young’s Hill, the open-top electric-fence enclosure that is now the outdoor habitat, took years of raising funds and planning followed by several months and many, many volunteer hands to construct. The chimpanzees had a front row seat to the construction.

Then, the day arrived. September 20, 2011, all seven chimpanzees poured out of the raceway and onto Young’s Hill, named after donors Karen and Don Young, for the first time.

Guess what Foxie did? She walked the entire perimeter (like she did with the playroom for the first time), then went back inside and didn’t go back out for over a week. Jamie, who was an old hand at exploring the hill by then, showed her and Jody some encouragement, which we captured with the point and shoot camera we were using at the time.

Fast forward more than eight years to today, and Foxie is often the lone chimpanzee on the hill, particularly when the habitat is covered in one of her favorite snacks – snow!

I took the opportunity to do a little shoveling today, and Foxie definitely appreciated my efforts that gave her access to unlimited snacking.

As I’m thinking back on what seemed to me at the time to be the sanctuary’s painstakingly slow transformation from “definitely far better than where they came from” to a sanctuary that is pretty darn impressive, along side Foxie’s gradual transformation from wary to intrepid explorer, I am also thinking about the new three chimpanzees who  joined the sanctuary last August.

Things haven’t gone to plan, exactly. We hoped that Jamie would be guiding Mave out onto the hill, Honey B would be running along with her mom Missy, and Willy B and Burrito would probably be palling around in the greenhouse. We saw moments of this when we were working on the integrations, but the fights that also accompanied these budding relationships and the subsequent injuries told us that we would have to go to Plan B.

Luckily, we have a Plan B! We knew we would need one because integrations are never guaranteed. So, right now Honey B, Mave, and Willy B have a space that’s definitely better than where they were before. Their first explorations outside were a little frightening, so when we open the door at the end of the chute now, they simply stare. But we’ve created a courtyard outdoor space for them and maybe, come warmer weather, they will gather up their courage to explore. It’s up to them.

Come spring, we will be building more sanctuary around them. We will be adding two more playrooms and two more greenhouses so that we can bring more chimpanzees here this fall and so the three can have much more space than what they have now in what we refer to as Phase 1.

We also have plans to expand and divide Young’s Hill so two groups can have separate electric-fenced enclosures. We have received a donation towards this specific work from Jennifer Douglas, and the new section of the hill will be named in memory of James Douglas, who was a long-standing board member and whom we miss very much.

Once we have the (considerable) funds, we will also build a large enclosed outdoor area (think the greenhouse without the panels, but much bigger) for variety and in case there are chimpanzees who come to CSNW who cannot or will not go into the electric fence enclosure.

A few years from now, I wonder what I’ll be reflecting back on in amazement.

I am looking forward to seeing big transformations again, but I am also glad I get to see the beginnings. And I’m glad I am able to witness the little things that happen each day that we are able to share with all of you.

In memory of Doreen

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This special day of sanctuary was sponsored by Donna Hughes in memory of her beloved twin sister, and our beloved friend, Doreen, in celebration of their shared birthday.

“In Memory of Our Birthday, Doreen. You are so missed by so many. I know how much you love Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our special day. You are with me still. Our wonderful visit to the Sanctuary is a cherished memory. I know how much you love Foxie and all of the residents (human and ape!) Until we meet again …xo Don & Samantha”

We couldn’t be more touched or thrilled to celebrate this special birthday! Donna and Doreen are two of the most delightfully enchanting, kind, loving, and effervescent humans you could ever hope to meet. They’re the kind of people who lift your heart in a world that doesn’t always and make you think, “Chalk two up for the humans!” Together, Donna and Doreen have made countless differences in the lives of so many of our fellow animals through their support of animal welfare.Though we were heartbroken at Doreen’s passing last year and miss her every day, I don’t think I’ve seen an instance of someone’s spirit and legacy being kept as strong as I do through the equally beautiful heart of her beloved sister, Donna. And there’s no doubt for me that Doreen is shining on all the lives she touched each and every day.

As long-time friends and supporters of the sanctuary, and Chimp Pals with Ms. Foxie through their shared admiration of troll dolls, they made a visit to the sanctuary a couple years ago all the way from their beloved home in New York City. I know they cherished this long awaited visit, but I hope they know that each one of us here did as well.

Don, thank you so much for allowing us to share in your special day with you. We are so very lucky to count you both as dear friends and members of our chimp family. I hope this day is filled with adventure, joy and comfort for you and beautiful Samantha Cat. I like to think Dor will be doing Foxie-style pirouettes and backflips right alongside you and you know she’d expect you to keep up! Happy Birthday, you two!!

Donna and Doreen and background (L to R): Missy, Foxie and Negra:

Jody, Foxie and Strawberry Shortcake: