Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee sanctuary

More on the new Annie

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The other night, J.B. gave a talk at Central Washington University about the changes we have seen in the Cle Elum Seven since they arrived from the lab in Pennsylvania almost 3 years ago. It’s amazing to think about how far the ghostly beings that arrived here have come since the start of their sanctuary life. J.B.’s talk focused mostly on Burrito, Negra, and Foxie, however, Annie is another great example of how sanctuary can pull someone out of their shell. As J.B. mentioned back in January, Annie used to never play with anyone other than Missy, but lately she’s been playing with other folks more frequently, including her human friends. Connie, who is training to be a volunteer caregiver, got her very first hand tickle the other day– and guess who it was from- Annie! Every time I think about Negra being playful and more extroverted than usual, or Burrito hanging out in the greenhouse, or Foxie nesting with blankets, or Annie playing with new friends, I just have to smile from ear to ear at the testimony that is to sanctuary life. It’s such a joy to watch these chimps change- and to think about what’s to come!

Missy and Negra, part deux

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I know I’ve said it, and other folks have said it, but I just don’t think it can be said enough- we love to watch Negra play. Missy seems to have a way with Negra that makes her almost always successful in getting Negra to play… and when she does, it brightens my day. As Diana so eloquently put it, “Neggie rules.”

April Fools’ Day!

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So, I’m pretty sure this may one of my favorite “holidays” to celebrate at CSNW. We are always trying to mix things up for the chimps, and April Fools’ is just a blast! Last year, we decided to “fool” the chimps and play out the day backwards by serving dinner at breakfast time and breakfast at dinner time. Last year was so successful, we decided to make that a tradition- one day a year we do everything backwards. So, we started the morning by saying “Good Night!”, followed by night bags. Then, we served a “dinner” of barley with coconut, lettuce, and a pear. Negra was completely beside herself when Diana brought out night bags with “breakfast”! She was squeaking louder than ever!

After we cleaned the playroom, we decided to mix things up a bit further and we set up a “kitchen” in the playroom. We had several older bowls, utensils, cookie sheets, and kitchen canisters to complete the look of a kitchen. We filled large bowls with soapy water for the kitchen sink, which you will see was a hit in the video. Jamie immediately picked up the cookie sheet and started licking it. The chimps were thoroughly enriched by our kitchen in the playroom.


Here are a few photos of the aftermath:

Volunteer Stephanie just served “breakfast” for dinner, which consisted of smoothie and fruit. Once again, everyone was super excited! However, unlike last year we didn’t fool Negra on the night bags– she was still asking for it at the end of the day, but it was a fabulous day for everyone involved.

Good Morning!