Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee sanctuary

Happy Birthday, Billie Joe!

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This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Susan McKagan in honor of Billie Joe Armstrong for his birthday! Billie Joe and Adrienne Armstrong, Susan McKagan, and their family and friends, are such amazing friends to the chimpanzees and we’re thrilled to celebrate Billie Joe’s birthday here today!

The Armstrong family and their friends have been part of our chimp family for some time now and when they last visited in October, they worked hard to construct the chimps’ newest structure on Young’s Hill. The chimps love this structure and with the recent melted snow, this was one of the first lookouts they scaled to take in their surroundings after a long winter.

Susan, thank you so very much for thinking of the chimpanzees in your celebration of Billie Joe! What an awesome thing to do!

Billie Joe, from all of the primates here at CSNW, we hope you have the best birthday yet! Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for everything that you all do to make the chimpanzees’ lives better!

Jamie:

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And special birthday hoots to you from the main man, Burrito!:

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Celebrating Valentine’s Day Chimp Style

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How did the chimpanzees celebrate Valentine’s Day? Well, with a party of course!

Volunteer caregivers Patti and Debbie prepared today’s breakfast smoothie and enrichment along with the help of staff member Elizabeth.

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After we finished cleaning the Playroom (one of the chimps’ indoor enclosures), we laid out blankets in the shape of hearts on the floor and placed pomegranate seeds and organic red roses inside. We also hung three pink, heart-shaped pinatas with nuts inside and scattered the Valentine-themed cups and treat boxes (with nuts hidden inside) throughout the enclosure. Unfortunately, I accidentally erased all of the photos of the setup, so you’ll have to use your imagination for that or see if you can spot some of it in the following video taken today.

And here are a few photo highlights from today as well. Unfortunately, the setup photos weren’t the only ones I erased by accident; I also erased photos of Negra, Jody and Missy enjoying the party.

Jamie
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Burrito
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Annie
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Foxie
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Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! And if you haven’t already, it’s not too late to Share the Love for the Cle Elum Seven! This Share the Chimp Love fundraiser will provide funds for the direct care of the chimpanzees now and will help with our plans for the future.

Negra Share the Love pic

Happy Valentine’s Day Chimpanzees!

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We are so happy to have two Valentine Sponsor-a-Days today! Our first sponsors are Donna and Doreen Hughes, two of the chimpanzees dear friends in New York City who are sponsoring today in honor of the chimpanzees! Donna and Doreen have hearts full of love for all animals and do so much to help them. They shared this sweet message about today:

“Happy Valentine’s Day to the chimpanzees! For Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy and Negra – you guys are the Sweetest – you are all Valentine’s and we wish you a Very Happy Valentine’s Day! We love reading about your lives and love seeing your photos! We are so glad you are all safe and thriving at the Sanctuary! Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! Love, Donna & Doreen”

Donna and Doreen, we are so thrilled to have you both as part of our chimpanzee family! Thank you for always holding the chimpanzees in your hearts and for all you do to make the lives of so many animals better. You are such special souls. And we all hope your recent birthdays were the best ones yet!

As I’m sure you already know, your beloved Pal Foxie may be tiny, but she is a joyful soul who has an awfully big heart. She’s peacekeeper, protector, and friend to all in her chimp family and probably the only person who can get serious boss Jamie to cut loose and really laugh. Thank you for helping to provide a home in which her heart can bloom.

Foxie and Annie (and Troll):

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Foxie and Burrito:

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Foxie and Jamie:

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Foxie and Jody:

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Foxie and Missy (and Dora):

with Dora, sitting next to Missy

Foxie and Negra:

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Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Be sure to check out our next sponsor a day later this morning and of course, preparation for the chimps’ party is underway so there’s a lot more love headed your way!

And to all of you who so generously contributed to our Share the Chimp Love fundraiser, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! You’re not only helping to ensure these seven chimpanzees’ lives are filled with love and care, but you’re helping us prepare for the expansion of their family so that other chimps will get to live out their days with hope, love, home and sanctuary. And if you haven’t had the chance to participate yet, there’s still time to share in the love! Every day that they get to live the lives they deserve is because of you and we couldn’t be more grateful.

Same boy, different toy

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Today’s blog is kind of a revisit of last Wednesday’s blog. Same boy, different toy.

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As most of these games with Burrito go, this is just his warm-up. Eventually, he can stand it no longer and launches down off the bench (as he’s moving to do here) to advance into the tickle and chase portion of the game.

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Of course, it’s incredibly fun to have the honor to play with any of the chimpanzees, but it’s hard to find words to express the heartfelt gratitude as we witness them living their lives with such joy after all they’ve been through. That they find within them such a capacity to enjoy each day out from under the shadow of their histories is the best gift of all.

The New Annie

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Just a few years ago, Annie was glued to her best friend Missy’s side. Missy was Annie’s security blanket, and she followed her everywhere. Annie was afraid to be alone.

That’s not the case anymore. These days it’s not uncommon to see images like this one of Annie enjoying some solitude on Young’s Hill this morning:

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She sat there for several minutes until Missy, who had been doing her own thing further up the hill, came over to say hi.

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Missy sat down next to Annie and they hung out together for awhile, taking in the view.

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Eventually, Missy decided to head inside to the greenhouse. Old Annie would have followed.

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But new Annie is plenty confident in her own company.

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Stirring Up Trouble

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Jamie does not live in the moment. She is a thinker and a planner. Sometimes you can see her wheels turning and you have to wonder what she’s up to. As the leader of her group she performs frequent dominance displays, but with Jamie, they don’t always seem to be about dominance. Or at least not solely about dominance. Sometimes it seems that Jamie displays because she’s bored and wants to stir up a little excitement.

This happens a lot when all of the other chimpanzees are settled down, quiet and doing their own thing. Jamie struts around the room, assessing the situation and planning her strategy.

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Then her hair stands on end, she pant hoots, drums on her go-to plastic barrel, and ends by screaming and throwing the barrel across the room.

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She then quickly looks around to see if she got anyone riled up. If not, she tries again. And again. Eventually the other chimps can’t help but get caught up in the excitement. Pant hoots are like yawns to chimps – they’re contagious. Once the chimp house is a cacophony of noise, Jamie seems to feel like she’s done her job and she’s finally able to settle down.

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Thank you, Joanna!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Joanna Morris in honor of the chimpanzees! Joanna shared how much she loves the chimps’ different personalities and today she wants to celebrate each of these amazing beings.

Joanna, thank you so much for not only recognizing and honoring how special and unique each of the chimpanzees are, but for helping to give them the lives they deserve in their sanctuary. We are so grateful to you for your compassion and generosity!

Best friends, Missy and Annie playing chase on Young’s Hill:

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Courageous Foxie exploring with Dora:

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Burrito accompanying Jody on one of her foraging adventures:

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And of course, Boss Jamie and Queen Negra:

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What a perfect Sponsor-a-Day to be gifted with as we kick off our Share the Chimp Love fundraiser for Valentine’s Day! See how your support has not only changed the lives of Annie, Missy, Foxie, Burrito, Jody, Jamie and Negra, but has also made it possible for us to begin our Sanctuary Expansion Fund so that other chimpanzees in need may experience the hope, love, home and sanctuary they deserve.