Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee sanctuary

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

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Paul and Jenara Miller sponsored today for Carrie Miller!

“Happy Birthday to Carrie, who introduced us to the Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW!”

Paul and Jenara, how kind of you to celebrate Carrie by including the chimpanzees and adding to their lives! Thank you so much!

Carrie, we hope you have the best of birthdays yet!! We are so grateful for all the love of Burrito and his family that you share not only with them, but with the humans of your world as well.

Your pal, Burrito, in all his much adored “Burrito-ness”:

Happy Birthday, Alisa!

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Today was sponsored by Ed Brooks in honor of Alisa Lemire Brooks! Ed shared this beautiful and touching message about this gift:

“Today is Alisa’s birthday. Her deep love for animals and especially those who need our help is a cornerstone of her life. The family of chimpanzees at the sanctuary have been a part of our lives for a very long time now. A visit to the sanctuary of few years back is a treasured memory. Giving a donation to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest so that all the beautiful work there continues to receive support is a present directly to Alisa’s soul. These have been hard times, we have lost three elderly dogs, all rescued, all living long happy lives, and filling ours with their presence. Maizey, Ruby and Lil are all part of this gift to the chimps as well. Love”

Ed and Alisa, this is such a beautiful tribute and gift in so many ways and we’re so touched by your compassion. We all send our heartfelt sympathy for the loss of your loved ones, Maizey, Ruby and Lil, and we’re so honored to celebrate them today along with you and the chimpanzees. The chimps are so fortunate to have you as part of their family.

Alisa we hope this day is filled with joy, comfort and love, just as you’ve brought to the lives of so many of our fellow animals. We’re so grateful to have hearts like yours in the world. Happy Birthday, from all of us at CSNW!

Joyous Missy and Burrito:

Comfy Jody and Jamie:

Foxie and Dora love:

Annie and her heart full of love:

And of course at the top, we have Negra, reveling in the peace all these amazing gifts bring.

Sunshine, flowers, and greens

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Today the chimps’ appeared to get a memo that a fresh crop of wildflowers had sprung up on Young’s Hill overnight. Or maybe Missy was the memo. As soon as everyone spotted her running down the hill with a bunch of flowers they suddenly spread out and started foraging for wild greens for themselves. At one point everyone was walking around bipedally through the tall grass picking flowers one by one to carry back to the greenhouse to enjoy.

The wild mustard is starting to grow as well which is a real summertime favorite:

Foxie, Annie and Jody:

Jody and Missy enjoying their dandelions:

Annie was a purist and chose to just eat sweet spring grass, enjoying her solitude in the sun:

It’s a hootin’ good time!

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Tonight’s the night! It’s our annual gala and auction, HOOT! While staff, volunteers and many of our fabulous supporters are in Seattle gearing up for an evening of merriment and celebration, the chimpanzees, meanwhile, have been having a hootin’ good time in Cle Elum.

Our dear friend (and former staff), Keri, arrived with fresh rhubarb, chives and lilacs from her garden which added to the amazing Hoot! party extravaganza. Also on the chimps’ party menu were strawberries, purple cabbage, sweet potatoes, snap peas, leeks, watermelon, sparkling cider, and one pineapple top!

Jody, among the flowers:

Jody, Annie and Foxie enjoying the treats in Jamie’s kitchenette while she was busy gathering ALL the grab bags for herself. Maybe this is something akin to their version of the Dessert Dash we hold at the gala each year?:

Annie enjoying coconut:

The entire beautiful forage was scattered with lilac flowers and Foxie took it upon herself to “hoover”all of them up. Notice her trademark rubbing her toes together as she does this – the ultimate sign of a happy Foxie:

(Toes!)

Conveniently, the flowers happen to be stuck in coconut water, hence the tongue!

My favorite, with the petals on her lip 🙂

To each of you supporting the chimps in all the varied and generous ways you do, be it supporting HOOT!, attending HOOT!, volunteering your time with us and the chimps, following the chimps’ lives on the blog, sharing their stories with others, sending gifts and donations, well, the list of compassion and generosity is endless really, and from our hearts to yours, we’re so grateful to you! It gives us hope for humankind. It not only ensures the chimpanzees continue to thrive in their lives here, and thrive they do, but gives us all hope for the chimpanzees still awaiting their time in sanctuary, something all of you are helping to make possible through celebrating with us tonight, be it near or from afar.

We couldn’t have come this far for the chimps without you. And just imagine what we can accomplish together for so many others. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being part of our chimp family!

The conifer connoisseur

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As you’ve probably seen previously on the blog, Jody is one of our most adventurous eaters. Wild greens, flowers, bamboo, she loves it all and seemingly the wilder the better!

Yesterday Anna wrote about Negra enjoying some Ponderosa pine tree browse that J.B. recently put out on Young’s Hill for the chimps to find. It took Jody mere moments to find it and haul huge branches back to the greenhouse to enjoy, in classic Jody style, while lying on her belly and taking in the view. It’s been a particularly big hit with a few of the chimps, but I think Jody has moved on to qualify as Honorary Conifer Connoisseur.

Apparently pine needles make for good wadging material:

I love the pine needle in her hair. 🙂

Happy Birthday, Kayla!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Bernice Schick in honor of Kayla on her birthday!

Bernice, thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees in celebration of Kayla! We are always touched when people so compassionately include the chimpanzees in their lives.

Kayla, all of us here at the sanctuary hope you have the best birthday yet filled with all that makes your heart happy!

Adventurous-hearted Annie:

An early heat wave

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The summer heat has arrived a little early this year (for at least the moment). We are supposed to spike into the mid 80’s this afternoon, which seems unusual for May in Central Washington! To keep cool, the chimps move to lower spots around the sanctuary, spread their limbs wide, and melt into relaxation poses. Jamie asked for frequent drinks from the hose during our morning cleaning routine, and even Negra took a few sips from the hose that Katelyn offered her. The chimps have constant access to water spigots, but seem to really enjoy that special hose drink. Purely coincidentally, tonight’s evening enrichment food puzzle involves ice!

Annie has been maintaining this horizontal lounge position all day long:

Conveniently, grooming with Missy can also be done without getting up!

Despite the heat, Katelyn caught Negra cuddling with this little stuffed toy this morning. We jokingly consider it her sponge to mop up brow sweat 🙂