Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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3,802 Days of Sanctuary

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When I was watching Foxie this morning, I was thinking about when she first arrived with the rest of the Cle Elum Seven Chimpanzees. She showed some apprehension and perhaps suspicion those first weeks.

The first time she went into the larger space of what we call the playroom, she stomped all around the perimeter before venturing to the middle.

At first, she would push away the toys and blankets as though they might be contaminated.

And then came troll dolls…

Foxie was smitten:

and her imagination seemed to take off:

Today is day 3,802 of sanctuary for Foxie, Negra, Jamie, Burrito, Jody, Missy, and Annie.

Foxie is still suspicious of new things, or at least wants to verify for herself that we’ve built things well (see this video from earlier this year).

She’s more adventurous than ever, though. Each of the previous 3,801 days have been about her learning more about herself and the world of the sanctuary as it expanded and transformed around her.

This morning, Foxie (without a doll) climbed up on the newest structure on the hill that we call Esher and sat in the sun for a bit.

Then she was off to a new perch

Where she sampled some morning frost

After about 30 minutes, she came back to the greenhouse to groom with her friends and make the most of the rest of day 3,802.

The never-ending pumpkin

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The day after Jamieween I happened upon everyone but Jamie surrounding the remains of the great Jamieween pumpkin. (If you’re new to the blog, Jamieween is what we call Halloween here at the sanctuary as it’s also the day we celebrate boss lady, Jamie’s, honorary birthday). It’s amazing how far one ginormous pumpkin can go. And even more amazing that the chimpanzees crowded around said ginormous pumpkin giving each other turns at sticking their heads in for ginormous bites of it with relatively few kerfuffles. Though as you will see, a certain rather small chimpanzee woman seemed to be pulling every trick in the chimpanzee communication book to wind up with the pumpkin a lot more often than everyone else. Maybe the most amazing thing is “How much pumpkin can one tiny chimpanzee hold?”

And if you’re wondering where the boss was in all of this, she was actually sitting calmly and watching from afar. See, the ironic (and now much anticipated) thing about Jamieween is that Jamie isn’t always super interested in her Jamieween pumpkin because she seems to have deemed other treats a higher priority. But that makes Jody (who for the last three (?) years running has made it her mission to heist the pumpkin as fast as she can, and eventually six other chimpanzees, extremely happy.

Foxie wound up with it first and as you can see from her smile (note bottom teeth only!) she is over the moon about it:

Foxie did a lot of whimpering and asking permission from her good friend, Jody, to keep the pumpkin for awhile which seemed to pay off as Jody was extra patient waiting her turn:

as Foxie ate…

and ate…

and ate…

But Jody eventually could wait no longer and dove right in:

Notice Annie in the background waiting to make her move. She was getting pretty impatient, but finally saw her chance.

Once Annie got ahold of the pumpkin she climbed to the top of the greenhouse with it which Jody wasn’t entirely pleased about. Missy swung up to check things out and with much pleading from Annie (as Missy is more dominant than she is) she kindly allowed Annie to keep it. In the end, everyone got to share in the prize and Queen Negra wound up claiming the last chunk for herself.

Bonus photos of the day!

Negra enjoying breakfast in bed this morning:

Watching all those other foolish chimpanzees racing off onto the hill where it’s cold and there’s no breakfast:

Jamie supervising one of the gentleman painting her home and giving her nod of approval:

And dearest Foxie napping this afternoon:

A pot of gold

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When we arrived at the sanctuary this morning we had sun showers and a full rainbow over the sanctuary property. You know, those crazy sprinkles coming from a seemingly cloudless sky? And when volunteer, Ruth, arrived a few moments later, she said the chimp house appeared to literally be sitting at the bottom of the rainbow. It does so often feel that this special place is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The chimps have been soaking up every ounce of autumn sun as the rains are starting to make their way here. They all ran out with gusto this morning after breakfast, together, but then each spreading out in their own direction, their own ray of sun.

Jody watching over her family on Young’s Hill:

Burrito wearing his puffy coat in the cool morning air:

Missy:

Missy on the go:

Annie may have been avoiding snake territory:

Foxie, Dora and Strawberry Shortcake decided to join Annie:

Burrito:

Jody:

Negra was bundled up in the greenhouse enjoying the remainder of her breakfast. 🙂

Meanwhile, Jamie busied herself today building one of her beloved kitchenette forts for herself and her new pair of boots:

Seasonal flavors

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It’s pomegranate season at last! The chimpanzees love these ruby colored fruits so much, that many will eat them rinds and all!

Jody:

If you want to help keep the chimpanzees stocked with pomegranates and other delicious fresh produce options this season, the most convenient way to contribute is by sending us gift cards to our local Safeway grocery store. As an added time-saver, we can receive these gift cards straight from our Amazon Wish list, so you can skip that trip to the post office!
Annie:

Business and pleasure

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As those of you who have been following the chimps for awhile are well aware, Jamie takes her self-appointed duties as boss very seriously.

What we most love is how over the years Jamie also takes her pleasure more and more seriously:

And a bonus Burrito photo who has been wavering between tough guy and adorable man-child chimp all day. This is his you better get out of here with that camera look which was immediately followed by a laugh and foot stomp indicating we should play chase: