Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Sharon Saknit! Sharon shared this lovely message about her gift:
“It’s my birthday and I’d like to celebrate by giving back to CSNW!”
Sharon, what a generous gift to share your special day with the chimpanzees and the cattle! We truly appreciate getting to celebrate with you and the difference you’ve made in the lives of those who call the sanctuary home. Happy Birthday from all of us! Especially your handsome Pal, Willy B! 😉
Willy B!!
Today was unseasonably warm. The girls took off shortly after breakfast for the first of many patrols.
Burrito, on the other hand, cursed the mild weather and set out to eat every last patch of snow before it was too late.
Recently, the Washington State Department of Transportation released an image from their camera on Sherman Pass that some say looks like Sasquatch. If I didn’t know any better, I might think it was Burrito in search of more snow.
One of highlights of each day for the chimps is the moment the two groups are “reunited” at a distance. During the colder months, the outdoor enclosures are closed off at night so they can only call back and forth to each other through the walls. But each morning they meet again, and the displaying and flirting can be intense.
Here, you can see Mave and Willy B entering the chute while the Cle Elum Seven emerge from the greenhouse onto Young’s Hill with the remains of their lunch.
Burrito, Jody, Jamie, and Missy:
Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Jamie, and Missy:
Foxie and Jamie (look how gray Foxie is getting!):
Negra and Foxie:
Eventually both groups begin to resume their normal activities, checking on each other from time to time until they eventually go to bed for the night. Tomorrow, we’ll go through the whole routine again.
Today was sponsored by long-time sanctuary friend, Meg Lunnum!
“It’s time for my birthday again!!! My wish is for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest to grow even larger in the future!”
Meg, thanks so much for allowing us all to celebrate with you! The more chimps (and cattle!), the merrier, right? 🙂 We hope you have a beautiful day and thank you for the difference you make in the lives of so many of our amazing fellow animals. Happiest of birthdays from all of us here!
Missy and Annie:
Burrito and Foxie:
Missy, Jody and Negra:
Jamie and Jody:
Mave and Honey B:
Betsy, Honey, Meredith, and Nutmeg:
The goal of the caregivers and volunteers is to clean the chimpanzees’ enclosures quickly and thoroughly. We want to ensure they have as much space as soon as it becomes available. Though there are times the chimpanzees may try to hurry us along (Jamie usually gesturing, Negra clapping, Burrito blowing Bronx cheers, etc.), there are also times they keep themselves occupied until we are finished.
Today, as we were cleaning the Playroom, Negra was especially playful in the front rooms. First, we saw her playing with Burrito. Then we saw her playing with Foxie. These play sessions lasted as soon as we saw them. Then along came Jody and a pink blanket. This play session last for quiet awhile, until Jody pulled her new move to let Negra know she she has the upper hand is done playing.
I had a lot of hope for the weather after yesterday’s brief reprieve from the winter weather. As I began to drive to the sanctuary today, that hope began to dwindle. A fresh layer of snow had accumulated overnight and there were grey clouds as far as the eye could see. Earlier in the day, all my plans to shift the chimpanzees from one area to another so we could clean their enclosure was altered multiple times. The chimpanzees just refused to leave certain areas, making it harder for us to clean. I began to accept this day was just an outright bad day. Then our veterinarian Erin arrived. She came by and did a checkup on Burrito to see how his recovery was coming along. When she came back into the foyer area, she gave me the best news of the day. She determined Burrito was well enough to be reunited with his family once again!
It was at this point, the entire day turned around. The clouds had cleared up. The sun came out and melted some of the snow. And the chimpanzees began to cooperate and move into the areas we needed them to so we could clean. It sounds like I’m making this up, but believe me, it happened like this. Our incredible volunteer staff today rolled up their sleeves and really busted their bums to ensure the enclosures were cleaned quickly and thoroughly so we could reunite Burrito with the girls. When it came time, I opened the doors to reunite them and there was excitement. Foxie and Burrito almost immediately engaged in a game of chase, before settling down and starting a very long grooming session.
While Burrito and Foxie were grooming, Annie and Missy shared their excitement by engaging in a silly game of play wrestle.
When they were finished, Annie decided it was time to bask in the sun’s rays through window.
Jamie on the other hand found a new way to relax while watching her neighbors from the Playroom window.
While Jody foraged nearby.
Though today started out sort of rough, seeing Burrito back in the Playroom with the Girl Gang made every bit of today worth it.
Today was sponsored by Pam Powers who shared this lovely message about her kind gift:
“Celebrating my birthday, can’t think of a better way to celebrate the staff and chimps at the sanctuary than by sponsoring a day on my special day.”
Pam, thank you so much for choosing such an inspiring and compassionate gift for yourself and the chimpanzees! We so appreciate your generous heart! Happiest of birthdays from all of us at the sanctuary and we hope you have a beautiful day!
Honey B and Mave:
Mave
Annie and Missy:
No, this post is not about Annie eating pretzels. It’s partially about Annie Chimpanzee, as seen in these photos, but it’s also about all the enormous pretzels, vegan bratwurst, and craft beer that our staff are going to consume during tonight’s visit to a magical place: Leavenworth.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the area, Leavenworth is a town located north of the sanctuary in the shadow of the Cascades. It boasts a Bavarian theme and is known for its charm, cuisine, and recreation. The CSNW crew typically makes a pilgrimage there every December, but we missed our opportunity this year since Burrito’s medications had to be administered each night. Consequently, tonight’s itinerary includes our annual group trip to the fabled mountain village. We are also celebrating the addition of Chad to the team, and this will be our first outing with him as a full-time staff member. We can only hope that he proves to be as valuable to our trivia team as he is to our care staff.
Therefore, I’ll withhold my summary of today’s events since the other caregivers are rushing me to finish writing the blog and closing down the Chimp House. Instead, I’ll leave you all with a few photos of Annie, who was the first chimpanzee to venture out onto the Hill today. It was unseasonably warm and the chimps were able to tiptoe on dry ground to avoid the remaining patches of snow.
I’d write more, but an evening of alpine fun awaits.
