Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee sanctuary

Today is for Foxie!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Tracy Headley, in honor of her pal, Foxie Chimpanzee’s, 38th birthday! Tracy is a long time supporter and friend of the chimpanzees and never misses an opportunity to make their lives better, or celebrate a special day.

Tracy, thank you so much for all that you do for the chimpanzees and for being the kind and compassionate soul you are. We are so very fortunate to have you as part of the CSNW family!

Happy Birthday, Foxie! We love you!!

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Preparations for Foxie’s birthday celebration are under way now so please be sure to check back later today and see the festivities!

Arm rest

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After the lunch forage the other day, Jamie brought in her haul and casually ate at her leisure. Pretty leisurely too, I might add, with her arm just resting on the ladder. I think we can all relate… I know I love to just sit back, relax, and enjoy a snack. Usually that snack isn’t raw onions, but Jamie’s palate must be more refined than mine 😉

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Night Bag Noises

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Nightbags, or night bags, are the post dinner treat for the chimpanzees here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Jamie, Jody, Missy, Annie, Negra, Foxie and Burrito all love these nut-filled bags and each has a preferred practice for how to get the most out of these small but delectable treats.

The sound of the chimpanzees crunching on nuts and seeds is, in my opinion, the sound of satisfaction and a job well done. No other noise is more evocative to me of hope, love, home, and sanctuary. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Listen for yourself and decide.

Jody and plants

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Jody loves plants, of all varieties. In the wild, chimpanzees are known as “frugivores” meaning the majority of their diet is made up of fruit. But they also supplement with leaves, bark, pith, seeds, nuts, honey, ants, termites, and in some communities they will even hunt small mammals. Though Jody loves the fresh produce we offer, she also likes to supplement throughout the day with plants.

Sometimes she forages for native plants that grow wild on Young’s Hill:
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or she also loves to munch on bamboo that we have planted in the greenhouse and on Young’s Hill:
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and other times she likes to collect plants we put out as a forage. The other day she collected some pea tendrils from our garden:
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Today she found a mouthful of cattails and took them inside to enjoy at her leisure:
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(and she even found some leftover pea tendrils from the other day, too!)
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Negra’s lips

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One of my favorite blog posts is one that J.B. posted about the stages of Negra’s lips drooping. I think her heavy lips are one of her more endearing qualities, wouldn’t you agree?

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