chimpanzee sanctuary

Something in the Paper

July 31, 2024 by Kelsi

Let us give Ellen one more round of applause for her amazing Olympics inspired blog! It has given us ideas for many more!

Okay, I thought I might share a nice moment with our friend Gordo, I was lucky enough to have Ellen be able to capture the moment so I could share it with you all, otherwise you might not have believed me when I tell you all about it. Last weekend we put out a ton of paper, no like, a TON specifically in front room 7 for Cy’s side! Jerrol’s spoils us so much, not only do we have an amazing partnership with them but they have a lot of packaging paper, which they so kindly collect for us! We use paper for a lot of enrichment, but also we like to give it out as an option for nesting material as well. As I said we put most of the paper in front room 7, a place the chimps like to gather because they can see into the foyer and check up on what we are doing. However, one front room is a tight space for a group of 9. Sometimes if the space gets crowded it can make other individuals nervous. But something in the paper made everyone get the silly-es, including Gordo! It started off as Lucky and I grooming while caregiver Ellen interacted with Terry! I noticed Lucky’s nail was a little jagged, so I asked if she would wait until I got a nail file. Once I had multiple files in hand because, you know, you never know if you will need more with chimps. Lucky and I spent our time grooming each other and she enjoyed me filing her nails. Later, Lucky was getting silly and I start to play poke her with a nail file and then eventually a bamboo stick. Lucky thought this was so fun! But none of us could have guessed what happen next. Gordo came in to front room 7 on a mission, a mission to be poked! I spent 10 minutes playing with Gordo!

We often play chase with Gordo and can get him to play a silly game from time to time. But this play session was something I have not quite experienced! He wanted to be poked, shake his head, invite Dora to play while I play with him, he was laughing, and a little wild! Gordo is know for spitting while playing, while this may not be desired I like to think of it has a high honor because you are part of the play, especially with Gordo. It seems to bring him joy and that is what we are here for! You may see in the video that I do keep trying to play with Lucky because we got abruptly interrupted by Gordo, but I also couldn’t miss the opportunity! You may also see several other chimps join in the paper fun! Something was in the paper and it was something amazing to witness! So thank you Gordo for letting me be apart of that!

Don’t forget, today is the last day for Christmas in July! Thank you to everyone who has participated! Our chimp house is so full of supply the sanctuary needs such as: enrichment, medicines, and other necessities! So please, if you haven’t already check out our Christmas in July drive and help empty our wish lists!

‘Twas A Night Before Christmas… In July

July 29, 2024 by Grace

‘Twas a night before Christmas (in July),

When all through the Chimp House,

Not a creature was stirring,

Not even Burrito.

The stockings were washed for the chimps with care,

In hopes that more gifts soon would be there.

The chimps were nestled all snug in their nests,

While visions of new enrichment puzzles danced in their heads.

Ok that might have been a bit of a stretch (and thank you Kelsi for the idea from your blog a few Christmas’s ago), but it’s still fun nonetheless! If you haven’t heard, we are celebrating Christmas in July and are asking you to celebrate it with us by helping us to clear our wish-lists. It’s truly amazing how much support we’ve received and our wish-lists are looking amazingly sparse, but there are still a few items remaining- like Jamie’s favorite bonobo books, one of our important behavioral support medications, and every-day cleaning and office supplies! It’s hard to believe that there are just a few days left before August, but that means there’s just a few days left to help us reach our goal. From all of us (chimp, bovine, and human) here at CSNW, thank you for supporting the work that we do every day.

BONUS PHOTO:

It has been a gloriously cool, rainy day here in Cle Elum, WA and the chimps spent a lot of the morning nesting in their greenhouses where they could feel the breeze and hear the sound of the rain on the roof. A while later the rain stopped and Katelyn, who was on a walk (run? chase? sprint?) around Young’s Hill with Burrito called on the radio that Foxie was climbing on TOP of one of the new structures! Enjoy this mediocre photo of a really special moment from today. The word on the block is that Burrito also climbed one of the trees, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to snag any photo evidence. 🙂 Hopefully next time!

Foxie’s New Doll

July 21, 2024 by Grace

If you’ve followed us for a while, you know about Foxie and her love of dolls. She almost always has at least one doll with her- whether it be a troll doll, a Dora the Explorer doll, or one of her many others. She carries them in her hip pockets and on her back, she plays with them by herself and with caregivers, and she curls up with them when she’s relaxing. I love how much she loves them and today was especially sweet- Diana gave Foxie an American Girl doll that a generous donor sent us. It’s bigger than most all of Foxie’s other dolls, but as soon as she saw it she started moving away from Burrito and Jamie (who were also in the front rooms) so that Diana could give it to her away from the others. You’ll have to watch the video to see how she reacted, but I promise it’s worth it. 🙂

I think it’s important to recognize Foxie’s background when we share a video like this to provide context.

Foxie was born on August 8, 1976 (so she has her 48th birthday coming up!) at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. Before coming to CSNW, she was used in hepatitis vaccine research and as a breeder for the biomedical research industry.

Our sweet Foxie had four babies during her years in biomedical research- which means that they were all taken away from her when they were very young, sometimes even just days old. She had a set of twin boys (who both passed away in the labs), a daughter Angie (who lives at Save the Chimps), and Kelsey (who went to Chimp Haven in 2018). Foxie spent 32 years of her life in biomedical research before finally getting to experience sanctuary.

Within a month of arriving, Foxie adopted her first troll doll. We had no way of knowing that she would take so immediately to dolls or that her love for them would last so long. We will never know exactly what’s going on in her head when she loves on her dolls, but we do know that they provide her comfort. For that, I am endlessly grateful.

Speaking of the comfort Foxie gets from her collection of dolls, don’t forget about our Christmas in July celebration! Celebrate summer by helping us empty our three wish-lists(Jerrol’s, Chewy, and Amazon)! Many items have already been purchased and we are so grateful to everyone who’s helped to spread some joy in this super hot July.

A Budding Friendship

July 16, 2024 by Grace

We’ve said it many times, but it’s still just as true- watching the group of nine expand on and build new friendships since their integration in 2022 has been one of the most amazing things to witness. While they still have their tense moments, the little happy and peaceful moments we catch throughout the day between individuals who were originally in two separate groups are always exciting.

Last week I came in one morning and before breakfast was served I went over to say good morning to Cy’s side. I walked in and found Terry and Willy B grooming, quite intensely, in the front rooms. I went around to say hello and they were still grooming when I came back up, and they let me capture some of it on video. 🙂 Seeing these two big guys spend some quality time working on their relationship was a really nice way to start the day.

Front Room Shenanigans

July 7, 2024 by Grace

A few weeks ago, Krissy posted a blog titled ‘Wrestle Mania!‘ about a morning here in the chimp house where we had three different pairs of chimps in Jamie’s group playing in three different front rooms. Today, I wanted to share some more footage with you from that fun morning- plus a few more clips I’ve snagged since then! Despite both groups of chimps having access to multiple enclosures, indoor / outdoor spaces, and their big outdoor spaces, there’s just something about the front rooms that they all seem to love. 🙂

Bonus Photo:

Rayne sitting in her tub (in the front rooms, naturally)

A Walk with Friends

June 3, 2024 by Grace

Patrols around Young’s Hill with Jamie are pretty much a daily occurrence- even today, when the wind is winding, Jamie was off on a walk first thing this morning! She found me again later in the morning when I was rinsing some toys and gestured to a pair of boots that had been donated a few weeks ago that she loves. I gave her one, thinking that’s what she wanted, and when she took it out of the food chute I thought I had gotten it right on the first time. So, I was feeling pretty good about myself. 🙂 A few seconds later, though, I looked up to see Jamie squeezing the same boot out over the top of the playroom door before chucking it down at me. Feeling like I actually hadn’t gotten it right, I picked up the boot and put it on. Voila! Jamie took off and together we (and Missy!) went for a walk around Young’s Hill.

I recorded the whole walk to share with you today, because I find that I always feel re-centered after a walk with Jamie. Something about the calm pace she takes, the quiet, the view, and the moment that you’re sharing with her is grounding. I thought it might be for you, too, so please enjoy this ten-minute walk around Young’s Hill with Jamie (and Missy).

PNW Chimp Activities

May 26, 2024 by Grace

No two days are quite the same here in the chimp house and that’s part of the fun! At first, my plan for the blog today was to give you the above video I was lucky enough to catch of Jamie and Missy in a quiet grooming session after breakfast from the other day. Kelsi and I were cleaning the playroom and when I looked over to the window, I was excited to see them spending quality time together!

And then today happened. Today has been a bit busier and the chimps are off doing their own thing. We decided to do forages for both groups today since it was cool, cloudy, and not too windy. A light sprinkle of rain came not too long after when us humans were off eating lunch, so when I went over to check on Cy’s side after lunch I was surprised to see Lucky, Terry, Cy, and Gordo all out on the very top of the Bray! Lucky and Gordo spent a lot of time exploring the new structure that was put in last weekend. It was amazing to see them so confident in themselves as they climbed to the top and walked across the firehose!

There must have been something about today, because then I looked over and saw Burrito and Foxie meandering around Young’s Hill. These PNW chimps didn’t let a bit of rain get in the way of their afternoon adventures! 🙂 So today’s blog has become a video of two friends grooming + photos from today, because I couldn’t choose just one!

Negra wrapped up in her blanket after foraging on Young’s Hill.