Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee sanctuary

Happy Birthday, Karen!

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We’re so lucky to have a double day of sanctuary sponsorship today! To start the day off is a lovely gift from long-time friends of the chimpanzees, sisters, Julie and Karen Olson! Julie sponsored today for Karen with this message:

“I want to sponsor a day for the chimps in honor of my sister Karen Olson’s birthday. She is the biggest animal lover I know. She is the one who introduced me to the chimps. She never misses a day keeping up with their adventures. I never miss a day either! Happy birthday sis!”

Julie and Karen, we so appreciate the love and support you both bring to the chimpanzees’ lives! Karen, may you have the best birthday yet! Happiest of hoots to you!

This guy:

In memory of Robert Ruggeri

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Rachel Ruggeri sponsored today in memory of her father, Robert Ruggeri, and shared this beautiful note about her gift:

“Today would mark my father’s 83rd birthday. And though he passed away six years ago in July, he is ever present in our thoughts and a part of so many of our conversations. My father loved to laugh and he found so much joy in the everyday antics of animals, most especially primates. He would be comforted knowing that the gang of seven now joined by the bovine bunch had found a future filled with peace and independence at the sanctuary in the quiet hills of Eastern Washington. I like to think that my father has also found that sanctuary somewhere in the ether…high above the clouds, but still within a distance to see all the beauty in the world he left behind. We miss him each and every day, but know that “sanctuary” is where we all ultimately aspire to be…”

Rachel, thank you so much for remembering your father in this way and for the difference you make in the chimpanzees’ lives by doing so. We’re honored to celebrate Robert’s legacy and wish you and your family a day of comfort and joy-filled memories as you hold him in your hearts.

Negra:

Foxie and Missy:

Jamie:

Burrito:

(clockwise) Honey, Betsy, Nutmeg and Meredith (front):

Jody, Foxie and Annie:

Happy Birthday, Amy!

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Kristen Elliott sponsored today for Amy Webster and shared this lovely message about today:

“Amy (Webster) spends her life advocating for animals of all kinds. She works tirelessly to ensure animals are cared for, loved and respected. It is truly a breathtaking thing to watch Amy campaign and work for the animals. If there were more people like Amy in the world, everyone – plant, animal and human – would know they are worthy of love. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is close to Amy’s heart. In honor of the day she entered this world, we’re sponsoring June 5, 2019, for Amy.”

Kristen, thank you so much for sponsoring a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees in celebration of Amy! What a wonderful way to be honored.

Amy, we are so happy knowing there are humans like you in the world! May you have the best birthday yet!

The days are getting warmer…

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The chimpanzees were out and about early this morning, enjoying the cooler air and getting some foraging and exploration done before the day heated up. Negra was waiting at the door and led the group onto Young’s Hill before heading off into a shady spot on her own:

Jody made her way back to the greenhouse with a beautiful pine tree, goat’s beard dandelion bouquet:

Annie braved the tall, potentially snake-filled grass, picking dandelions to snack on along the way. Thankfully for Annie (and any snakes), it was a snake-free day:

Annie and Missy, besties:

It’s been a relaxing Sunday for everyone otherwise. As our weather inches closer to summertime temperatures the chimps have chosen to spend much of their day nesting in the cooler chimp house, grooming each other and generally lolling about trying to stay cool.

The chimps are all in their night nests and just let out nest grunts of goodnight with the exception of Jamie, who is in the greenhouse, anxious for the evening to cool off a bit so she can catch up on her walks for the day. So you know what that means…we’re donning cowboy boots for an evening stroll around the hill with the boss lady.

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

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Jenara Miller sponsored today for Carrie Miller in honor of her birthday!

Carrie and her family have been longtime friends of the chimpanzees and we are so grateful for all they help make possible for the chimpanzees!

Jenara, thank you for always thinking of the chimps when you think of Carrie and for celebrating her special day in this way. We so appreciate your compassionate and generous heart.

Carrie, we hope you have the best birthday yet! Many pant hoots for joy (and probably food) from your pal, Burrito!

The tapestry of sanctuary

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Many humans would probably feel differently, but for most us here, this human for sure, and the chimpanzees, it’s really a perfect Pacific Northwest kind of spring day.

Spring has been subdued this year, running about a month late. Things are lush and green, and though a few flowers are in a superbloom like we’ve not seen in past years, most blooms and birds and bumbles are arriving late and in smaller numbers, if at all. Spring here on this side of the Cascade Mountain foothills usually gifts us with a few weeks in April of charcoal skies, rainy, sometimes-cool-sometimes-balmy days and a world turned lush neon green. You almost feel like you’re in a different habitat, so to speak. And speaking for myself as someone who was born and raised along rivers and sea in the fog of the redwoods, and also the now PNW chimpanzees who live here, it’s pretty heavenly. Especially knowing that in a mere few weeks things will be dry and hot and brown. So for now, we all relish and revel in these beautiful days.

Missy led everyone (well, except Negra who was tucked under her sheet in the greenhouse finishing her breakfast) on a walk around the perimeter this morning!

Jody, Foxie and Annie following Missy:

Annie must have been feeling a little braver re: snakes, and walked part of the way with the group and then opted for higher ground on a structure. I saw her later as she sat watching her best friend, Missy, bounce along the perimeter, kicking her feet in anticipation of Missy’s return:

Surprisingly, it was Jamie bringing up the rear today and following Burrito:

She stopped on the log bridge as the rest of the group went on:

The grass is pretty tall know and the chimps can be hard to spot sometimes, which is really wonderful. All along the top of the hill I could only see Missy’s back with each spring as she bounced through the grass as full speed. But she was sticking close to Jody (while keeping it cool) because Jody had found a prized treat that Missy loves: goat’s beard dandelions. You might be wondering about all that gorgeous lupine. In very large amounts it does have a toxicity, but whether it’s that it doesn’t taste good to the chimps or that they have some inner knowing as to which plants are safe, they don’t eat it. (If we observed otherwise, we’d remove it of course).

Unfortunately for Missy, Jody wasn’t in a sharing her goat’s beard kinda mood, but I did go pick some for Missy. 🙂

There are entire meadows of lupine blooming around the sanctuary right now. It’s the most heavenly scent.

Foxie and friend:

Burrito still bringing up the rear:

We are often lucky to host several species of birds who either stop by briefly during migration or return to the sanctuary year after year to nest and raise their families before moving on. In the something like 8 1/2 years I’ve helped care for the chimps, I have never once seen an Oriole and this spring a pair of Bullock’s Orioles in all their fiery orange, yellow and black glory are paying us a visit. They are super elusive so far, but you can hear their exotic songs floating through the sanctuary all day. And we had this special one stop by, a Western Kingbird!

There are few places where I have seen such a variety of flora, fauna and habitat coming together in one place. Mountains, forest, shrub-steppe, meadow and wetland, all woven together at the edges to create a rich kaleidoscope of life. The more you know this land, the more you see how unique it is and if you travel very far in any direction from the sanctuary it is less varied. We have the honor of caring for this land, this refuge for so many, and watching it grow and become more vibrant with each passing year. While it’s certainly a gift for the humans to experience, the real gift is knowing all it provides for the chimpanzees, one tiny bovine family, and all those we hope will one day, too, call this their sanctuary, their home.

First Swallowtail of the season: