Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee sanctuary

For Angela and the chimps!

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This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Brian Dixon in honor of his wife, Angela Demele, on her birthday! Brian shared that Angela inspired this gift and felt what better way to celebrate with her!

Brian, thanks so much for including the chimps in your celebration of Angela! We really appreciate you honoring her by making a difference in the chimps’ lives.

Happy Birthday from all of us here at CSNW, Angela! We’re so happy to celebrate your special day with you and hope it’s the best one yet! Thank you so much for caring about the chimps and including them in your life.

Burrito and Foxie always know how to celebrate:

Today is in honor of Robert Ruggeri

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It is a beautiful and peaceful day morning here at the sanctuary.  The chimps started their day, as they do most days this time of year, basking in the early morning sun coming into the greenhouse, and our neighborhood elk, Ellie, was still dozing in the shaded green grass when I arrived. Such a day couldn’t be more fitting as we celebrate a day of sanctuary sponsored in honor of Robert Ruggeri by his daughter, Rachel Ruggeri. Rachel shared this beautiful and touching message about her father:

“This day is in honor of my father, Robert Ruggeri, who would have celebrated his 81st birthday on June 6th. Though he passed away four years ago this July, his vital spirit continues to remain present in our minds and in our hearts. His love of animals was part of the fabric of his being – always with a dog by his side and happy to see all creatures enjoying their natural habit and the freedom that ensued. He would love nothing more than to see the chimps enjoying a sense of well-deserved peace and harmony among the acres of Eastern Washington, the place he himself fondly called home.”

Rachel, thank you so very much for your generous gift for the chimpanzees in memory of your father. We are honored to celebrate Robert and our hearts are with you and your family, hoping that the incredible memories you must have of him fill you with love and comfort. He sounds like such an amazing being and we’ll be holding thoughts of his special spirit here with us all.

Burrito, in all his courage, on top of the Twister:

Jamie and Foxie:

Annie (below) and Missy (top):

Annie and Missy top of Twister

Master Forager, Jody:

Jody with forage haul

Negra:

Sunset over the sanctuary:

All day forage

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The chimps have had an exciting day of forages! Breakfast in the sunlit greenhouse, lunch on the stunningly lush Young’s Hill, and dinner in the playroom.

In the wild chimpanzees spend the majority of their days traveling and looking for food. Here at CSNW we serve most of the chimps’ meals by hand to make sure that everyone gets their fair amount and it also gives us the opportunity to check out any wounds and see how everyone is doing. That said, we take every opportunity to present the chimps with choices and activities that encourage their natural behavior. Forages are a great way to get them active and engaged and I imagine they often appreciate the opportunity to do as they please and not wait around for the humans to serve them their portions.

A beautiful lunch forage with Foxie and Dora:

Missy in the treat rock:

Burrito in the hammock! (Annie to the right):

Annie standing, Burrito to the right:

Annie checking out the tire swing for sweet potatoes, Burrito foraging in the grass:

Sweet Annie:

Missy had to stop several times to keep putting food back in her mouth and picking up pieces she’d dropped. She was not going to leave one piece behind!

Whew! She made it back to the greenhouse with her corn stash!

Jamie:

Beautiful Jody:

After lunch Jamie asked me to put on her boots and sit with her near the open panels of the greenhouse that face Young’s Hill so she could groom the boots. She eventually made a nest and decided to lie down next to me and enjoy the cool breeze. So I decided I should also have a nest and got a blanket to lie on next to her, a safe distance from chimps and caging. Before I knew it Burrito came over and sprawled out in the corner next to us, and Annie and Foxie curled up on the top platform facing the hill and we all just enjoyed a few moments of rest together on a peaceful spring day. Some of us (chimps) got to rest longer than others (me), but it was lovely while it lasted. 🙂 Sanctuary for us all.

the privilege of being a caregiver

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I first started working with chimpanzees in 1998, and I have been with the Cle Elum Seven for the entirety of their life at the sanctuary, even meeting them before they arrived on June 13, 2008.

And I still can’t believe that I have the privilege of caring for these amazing, playful, temperamental, intelligent, sensitive, wild, unpredictable, joyful, unique people.

The Den Mother

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For as long as we’ve known Jody, she’s been incredibly confident and independent. Her happy place is lying alone in a big nest of soft blankets. But somewhere along the way, she has become very invested in taking care of her chimp family. She works hard to make sure the group stays together. This spring, as Negra has ventured farther out onto Young’s Hill than ever before, Jody has periodically gone to the top of the hill to “collect” Negra when she decides it’s time. If Negra isn’t ready to come inside yet, Jody nervously stays with her, hair standing on end. For a group of chimps who never got to know their mothers, they’re lucky to have a mom in Jody.

Happy Birthday, Jim!

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Thanks to Jim Thompson, we have a double day of sanctuary sponsored for the chimps today! Jim is amazingly celebrating his own birthday by contributing to the chimps’ lives and giving them a special day!

When someone chooses to celebrate and honor special moments or loved ones in their lives by sponsoring a day of sanctuary for the chimps it highlights everything that makes the chimps’ lives here possible. So many incredible people have come together to create a home and a community of care, support, commitment and love for these seven chimpanzees and it makes our hearts happy to see them a part of so many lives.

Jim, thank you so much for thinking of the chimps today! We’re so grateful for your long-time support and friendship of Burrito and the ladies and are so happy to be celebrating with you. All of us here at the sanctuary are wishing you a fantastic day and the best birthday yet!

Happy Birthday, Jim! Burrito says, Hoot!

Burrito lookout