Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee sanctuary

Today is in memory of Pat Betts

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by the chimpanzees’ dear friend, Joseph Garza, in memory of Pat Betts. Joseph and his late wife, Carlene, have embraced the chimpanzees, including them in their lives, and in turn making such a difference in the chimpanzees’ lives. Joseph shared this beautiful message about Pat:

“Pat was a daughter, sister, teacher to our young, a wife, a mother and grandmother. She raised her only daughter to become a successful lawyer in the Billings, MT area and was a strong influence in the raising of her two grandchildren. And she was the aunt of my late wife Carlene. Pat was a strong woman who loved life and lived it well. She was an active member of her church and community and loved helping those without a voice, our animal friends. To that end I wish to dedicate this day of sponsorship to her. Rest in peace Pat.”

Joseph, thank you so much for sponsoring this day in memory of Pat. We are touched that your mind comes to the chimps when honoring a loved one. Pat sounds like a very special person and we are happy to celebrate her life here today. Our thoughts are with you, and all of Pat’s family and friends.

Another strong woman, Negra:

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St. Patrick’s Day 2015

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! As Katelyn mentioned in the sponsor-a-day post this morning, we love to find any reason to throw a party for the chimpanzees. So today we filled little shamrock cups with almond milk which was dyed green with food coloring, as well as their usual fruit smoothie which we also dyed green. We picked green apples and kiwis for the breakfast forage—and threw in some oranges because the chimps love them! Add some streamers and St. Patty’s day decor, and you have the perfect recipe for a great party!

Everyone loved the drinks. We added little straws to the cups, and some chimps used them while others tossed them aside while they licked the cups clean! Foxie was especially great at getting every last drop:

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And Missy, too:

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Negra delicately drank from the little shamrock glasses:

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Burrito had filled his hands with chow so he had no choice but to lean over and use the straw for sipping:

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Annie also enjoyed every last drop of the drinks:

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Of course, the fruit was a big hit! Jody was so motivated to get some that she took on some unusual (for her) acrobatic moves to get to the high windows to get a snack.

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Negra:

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Burrito:

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Missy:

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We also hid some peanuts in little green boxes. Annie was the first to find them:

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Burrito:

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Missy:

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Jamie, quite uncharacteristically, was not the center of everything during this party! She grabbed a stash of food and drinks and stationed herself in a corner where we couldn’t get any photos of her. But she certainly enjoyed the forage, and we saw her still searching around for leftovers hours later!

Endearing Annie

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I don’t think there is anything about Annie that isn’t endearing. She is a beautiful and special chimpanzee woman. I love the way the chimp house is filled with “Annie bird song” throughout the day and just hearing her makes your heart swell because you know she is happy and content.

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I love times like this morning when we have to call her for breakfast because she is sitting on Young’s Hill by herself watching the sun come up over the hill. And it’s a joy to find her in the greenhouse so at peace as she soaks up the sun’s warmth. And I love Annie’s feet! The wonderful way she holds them, crosses them, claps them together when she’s particularly content, or just stretches them out in front of herself.

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I love how much she loves her best friend, Missy, and how much joy, curiosity, and courage she approaches each day of her life with.

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Annie is a gentle soul and even though she is a “chimp’s chimp,” meaning she prefers the company of her chimpanzee friends to that of humans, she only looks at us with kindness in her eyes. It takes a special person to be able to do that after all she has been through. And makes it all the more special when she decides to spend time with us, or run over and offer us the rare gift of a kiss.

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Annie brings so much joy to our lives. But most importantly, we couldn’t be more grateful that she gets to spend the rest of her life choosing how she will spend each day, with whom she will spend it, and being loved for exactly who she is.

Today is in honor of “Team Humphreys”

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Jennifer Humphreys in honor of her family, “Team Humphreys.” Jennifer is a former volunteer of ours and helped us and the chimpanzees out a lot while she was here attending Central Washington University. She shared that she wants to sponsor this day as a gift for both the chimps and her dad, Jan, her mother, Carol, and her siblings, Kelli, Elizabeth, Heather, Geoff, Greg, Brian, and Kyle. Today also happens to be her mother’s birthday!

Jennifer, thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees and continuing to make a difference in their lives in honoring your family today!

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And Carol, we hope you have the happiest of birthdays surrounded by loved ones and doing all the things you most enjoy!

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Time, Energy and Thought

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A lot of time, energy and thought go into building and maintaining friendships. Usually, there is an undeniable connection when first meeting one another; a sort of intrigue about what the other is all about. As time goes on and more energy is put into the relationship, more and more details of each individual are realized and a deeper connection forms. And the bond grows stronger, as one another figures out what makes the other tick. These lasting friendships help shape our lives.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be able to build friendships with the Cle Elum 7. Some of the friendships are low key, like with Annie, Jody, and Negra. Usually a morning greeting (consisting mostly of some head nodding and an arm extended toward the chimps) will suffice. One friendship demands more play time than the others, including chase and tug-of-war. This is often the case with Burrito. Foxie expects me to take care of her troll and dora dolls when she passes them through the cage to me. There is also the expectation that I will pass them back to her too. Quiet grooming sessions with Missy help maintain our friendship. Without a doubt, there is one friendship that takes the most time, effort and thought. Jamie demands me to be her friend; demands me to put on that boot (or boots) and take countless walks around Young’s Hill with her. She also demands that I sit with her afterwards with the boot so she can groom it.

As a caregiver, I want what is best for each of these chimpanzees. I don’t mind the expectations, demands or work that these friendships take. I truly love to see them happy and I want what is best for them, as I would for any friend. Just a few days ago, I couldn’t help but notice the sweet smell of violets in the air as I was working in my yard. Instantly, the chimpanzees popped into my head; flowers are great enrichment for them. These chimpanzees like to eat lilacs, nasturtiums, grape leaves and violets to name a few. So, I picked what violet flowers we had and put them out as part of a forage this morning along with lettuce and today’s enrichment, which was enrichment-in-boxes day. Thinking that the flowers are the first flowers of the season, I thought the chimps would be excited.

I guess I was right, if you count them eating all of the lettuce first, followed by going through all of the boxes of enrichment, then going out into the greenhouse and then spending time on Young’s Hill before coming back in to snack on a few flowers. At least they liked two out of the three!

Here’s a photo of the lettuce and violet forage.

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Negra was most interested in the lettuce, while Annie checked out the contents of the box.

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Missy was more interested in the contents of the boxes of enrichment than anything else.

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Can you spot the flying sock?

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And Jamie was most interested in the boxes themselves.

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Annie was content to sit on the floor and drink from the fountain after checking out a few of the boxes.

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I’m forever grateful to call these chimpanzees my friends.

Content Jamie

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Today is a gorgeous spring day with clear skies, the temperature is in the mid-60s, and everyone is in a great mood. It seemed like a great day for a picnic, so we set up a forage outside and everyone—including fair-weather gal Negra—ventured out for their lunch.

When they’re not outside, the chimps have been relaxing in the greenhouse mostly, but Jamie popped into the front rooms to get a good look out the window to see what JB and Diana’s dogs were up to (they’re enjoying the weather, too!)

I was able to take some photos of the boss in this calm moment. She was happy to let me do so, as long as I promised to show her the photos afterwards. She watched as I flipped through the photos on the camera screen—I took a couple dozen, at least! Once she was satisfied she returned to the greenhouse.

These are the best photos out of the bunch that I took:

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Happy Birthday, Vicki!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Vicki Hadley! Today happens to be Vicki’s birthday and as a gift to herself, she chose to make a difference in the chimpanzees’ lives.

We are profoundly grateful that the chimpanzees are surrounded by so much love. It is an immense gift for them to be happy, healthy, and safe in their sanctuary home. Vicki, thank you so much for celebrating your special day with so much compassion and generosity! From all of us at CSNW, we wish you the best birthday yet and hope it’s full of all the people and things you love most!

Missy getting to do one of the things she loves most:

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