Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Annie and Missy are quite well-known for their excited games of chase and wrestling throughout the chimp house. Negra, however, isn’t always the most likely play partner—and when she does play, she’s got her own speed (kinda slow). This time Negra was keeping up with the experts!
This video is a little longer than some of our others but I thought you wouldn’t want to miss a second of this fun play session. Thanks again to Patty W. for sponsoring today for us and for being Negra’s Pal!
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We had a cold, snowy, gray February here in Cle Elum – not the kind of weather these chimpanzees appreciate. So we’re all thrilled that spring is imminent. The skies are blue again, the sun is out, and the temperatures are mild.
The weather was so beautiful as I was driving to the sanctuary this morning that I decided we’d try to set up a breakfast forage on Young’s Hill for the chimps. But soon a cool wind picked up, so we opted for the sunny and warm greenhouse instead. The chimps thought this was a great idea.
Burrito:
Annie:
Missy:
Foxie:
Negra:
Jody:
There is a look I am privileged to see on the faces of the chimpanzees living in sanctuary here and it is a look that gives me chills every time I see it. It is the look of satisfaction, which, to me, is even better than joy. Merriam Webster defines the word as follows:
sat·is·fac·tion \?sa-t?s-?fak-sh?n\
: a happy or pleased feeling because of something that you did or something that happened to you
: the act of providing what is needed or desired; the act of satisfying a need or desire
: a result that deals with a problem or complaint in an acceptable way
I can’t think of a more fitting description of the act of sanctuary. Knowing that we have provided the satisfaction of freedom of choice whether large or small is an incomparable gift. It can be an elusive look to try to capture on film though. Can you see it?
Jamie:
Negra:
Burrito:
Missy:
Foxie:
Jody:
Annie:
Spring is on its way and the snow is melting, but Missy is happy to get every last bit that is left.
In the tradition of Fat Tuesday we threw a Mardi Gras party for the chimpanzees today. However, I’m quite certain their spread was much healthier than tradition might generally dictate with apples, grapefruit, and fruit smoothies on the menu. We were even lucky enough to experience a break in the winter weather to accommodate the festivities in a sunny greenhouse this morning! I believe the chimpanzees found the conditions much improved from the past couple of days and were thoroughly excited to forage in a delightfully warm greenhouse for their breakfast.
Jody munching on an apple slice:
Negra foraging for fruit:
Missy enjoying some grapefruit:
Annie getting into the spirit of things with a colorful mouthful of crayons:
Burrito foraging for chow, one of his favorites:
And, enjoying it!
Foxie, also enjoying a chow moment:
Jamie thoroughly enjoyed her breakfast as well but was on the watch for the camera today. Here she is in her greenhouse hideout, checking to see if the coast is clear yet:
And, here is a little peek into Burrito’s good mood this morning:
The last couple of days we’ve been experiencing some extra snow fall, which means the chimps get to snack on some fresh snow, which they love! Elizabeth and I filled up the chimps’ sandbox with snow and added some troll dolls for some CSNW flair.
Everyone was snacking on the snow, including of course Jamie. Since she is the boss, the other chimps wanted to make sure they were okay to snack on the snow, too. That’s completely natural chimpanzee behavior, and something that is essential to their society. Jamie was fine with the other chimps enjoying the snow, there was plenty to go around, and she wasn’t feeling particularly territorial of it.
When Jody asked for Jamie’s permission, she displayed perfect reassurance behaviors. She approached with a drooped lip, making it clear that she was not being at all aggressive or threatening. Then she reached out toward Jamie as if to say “is it okay if I join?” Jamie didn’t disapprove, so Jody’s next move was to give Jamie a quick kiss on the mouth. Jamie reciprocated and gave Jody permission by giving Jody a kiss back on her brow ridge. Jody then knew it was fine with Jamie that she join in, and immediately started snacking.
One of the biggest challenges of this job is keeping Jamie enriched. The other chimps certainly need enrichment, too, but Jamie in particular requires a lot to keep her engaged. So I’m continually trying to find things that will be enriching for her. Kongs are a good food puzzle for the chimps because we can put nuts, peanut butter, or even mushed banana into the crevices making it tricky to get the treat out.
Recently I discovered these Kong “Genius” toys which connect together, and I thought it seemed perfect for Jamie! Thanks to Carrie M. who ordered a bunch of these Kongs for us off our Amazon wishlist recently, we were able to make several connected Kongs. Jamie of course hoarded many of them, but all the chimps were able to enjoy this puzzle. You’ll hear in the video just how happy Jamie is with all her food groans and grunts.
Speaking of Jamie and of the wishlist, we are in desperate need of a new boot dryer! Ours broke yesterday and as you can imagine we are constantly running the dryers to get Jamie’s boots quickly dry after we wash them. Dry boots makes for a happy Jamie! Both she and I would be forever grateful to anyone that is able to purchase a new one for us. If you do grab anything from the list now or anytime in the future, send me an email at [email protected] so we can be sure to send you a thank you! (UPDATE: Thank you Patrick and Carrie for purchasing the boot dryer for us! The boss will be happy).
