Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee sanctuary

Happy Birthday, Dan!

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This day of sanctuary for the chimps was sponsored by Cheryl Eklund in celebration of her husband, Dan Eklund, on his birthday with this special message:

“Happy Birthday to my wonderful animal loving husband. All Our Love, Cheri and Judee”

Cheryl thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees today as you all celebrate Dan’s birthday!

Happy Birthday, from all the primates here at the sanctuary, Dan! We hope it’s your best one yet! We so appreciate you making a difference in the chimps’ lives on your special day.

Missy is able to celebrate every single day to the fullest, thanks to people like you. May your heart be just as full.

The strawberry patch

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We harvested the first big bowl of strawberries from the chimps’ strawberry patch today! Spring this year has remained windy and on the cooler side so we’ve only removed the panels of the greenhouse that face Young’s Hill to avoid the wind whipping through their toasty space. So the chimps have to go into the raceway leading to Young’s Hill to see the strawberry patch, but without fail, the second I’m out there I can hear a crowd gathering behind me in anticipation.

Jamie – this face!

Jody anxiously awaiting her berries (even Dora looks excited in the background 🙂 ):

Mmmmhhh, sun-warmed strawberries…

Missy reaching for her handful:

Annie and her strawberry covered tongue got tired of waiting for more and decided to help me out by sitting with her mouth and hand ready so I could drop more in as quickly as possible:

Happy Birthday, Donna!

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Donna Dinsmore sponsors today for the chimpanzees each year and sent this sweet note:  “This is my birthday and I would love to have the chimps celebrate it with me!”

Donna, first of all, Happy Birthday!! It’s such heart-lifting and inspiring thing when people choose to make a difference in the lives of others as a way to celebrate their own lives. And the fact that you do this each year for the chimps is incredible. We so appreciate you wanting to share your own special day with the chimps and your generosity and compassion make a lasting difference for them. And you are in good company as we look to the week ahead. With hearts full of gratitude and excitement, we will be celebrating Negra’s 45th birthday AND the chimps’ 10th anniversary in their sanctuary home! Thank you for starting things off in such a lovely way, Donna!

We hope you have a beautiful day full of all that you love!

Jamie:

Besties, Annie and Missy:

Annie:

Foxie, Jody, and Burrito:

Queen Negra:

Happy Birthday, Karen!

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Julie Olson sponsored today’s day of sanctuary for the chimps and her sister, Karen Olson! She shared this message about her gift:

“I wanted to sponsor a day for the chimps in honor of my sister’s birthday. I know this is a gift that truly means a lot to her. She loves all creatures great and small!”

Julie, thank you so much for always thinking of the chimpanzees and including them in your family celebrations!

Karen, we hope this is the best birthday yet! We’re so happy to celebrate your special day with you and are so grateful to you and Julie for always holding the chimpanzees in your hearts and for the difference you make in their lives.

Happy Birthday from all of us here at the sanctuary! This guy is always up for a celebration (as long as it involves food, playing and food!):

New Views

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So many things have changed for the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees in the last ten years since they moved from a research lab to the sanctuary.

One of the most striking is their new view.

In memory of Robert Ruggeri

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Rachel Ruggeri sponsored a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees in honor of her father, Robert Ruggeri. Rachel shared this touching message:

“I saw on the blog today the word…independence. And no single word could better describe my father, Robert Ruggeri, who would have been 82 years old on this day. Though he passed away five years ago, we think of him each and every day and we are grateful for the independence he fostered in each of his children. He loved all animals, most especially chimpanzees, and he would be so happy to know the gang of seven was discovering their independence in the hills of the sanctuary amid the Eastern Washington skies. “Freedom over security” was among one of the many of my father’s favorite sayings. Like the gang, here’s to hoping that my father has found the freedom and independence he so desperately craved…”

Rachel, thank you for sharing such a loving and powerful tribute about your father. It seems beautifully apropos for the chimpanzees. We are so honored to celebrate Robert’s memory with you and your family.

Ten years in sanctuary, and the chimpanzees continue to explore and embrace freedom and independence in their own meaningful ways more and more with each passing day. And we couldn’t be more honored to bear witness to their daily self-discoveries of bravery, adventure, joy, love, and healing.

Foxie relishing the accomplishment of her first courageous climb to the top of Twister:

Negra bravely traversing the shaky bridge for possibly the first time:

Annie, first to the top of the new structure:

Jody, enjoying the freedom to rest:

A spring celebration, just because

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It’s watermelon season and since the chimpanzees haven’t had a party in days, we thought what better thing to do than have an impromptu watermelon bowl party! Just because! We halved personal size watermelons and filled them with blueberries, strawberries, purple cabbage, cucumber, mini-peppers, avocado, wild roses, and chives. And what chimp party is complete without sparkling cider?

Jody:

Annie:

Negra collecting bowls:

Missy:

This guy:

Jamie lingering over the wild roses, one of her favorite things to eat:

Everybody has their favorite parts and style of eating the bowls. Foxie was all about the bowls themselves, scraping as much off the rind as she could:

The chimps spent most of the afternoon in various locations of the chimp house deep in watermelon bowl-induced naps. I came upon Annie, sound asleep in the greenhouse with the breeze blowing on her hair. But at one point she managed to find a bit of rind leftover to chew on before drifting back to sleep. She didn’t even open her eyes!:

Spring has just been a kaleidoscope of birds swirling through the cacophony of their songs, yellow and purple wildflowers covering neon green fields, warm days and cool breezes, neighboring wildlife going about all their wild lives…I mean, it’s just amazing. An ode to life, and sometimes death, just watching it all. And the fact that the chimps and their home are at the center of all this is a celebration all it’s own. We hope you are all soaking in all the beauty of this season as much as the chimps. It’s because of you that all their days are ones to celebrate.