Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee

In memory of John Frazee

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Today was sponsored by Sandy Frazee and she shared this message about her touching gift:

“The chimps were very special to him and I would like to sponsor this day in memory of my late husband John Frazee.”

Sandy, we so appreciate that you would think of the chimps as you honor John today. We are so sorry for your loss and are wishing you comfort and peace. Thank you for your and John’s compassion and generosity and for making a difference in the chimps’ lives.

John carved these special gifts for the sanctuary and we are so touched to have them. What an amazing amount of work and care he put into them. We will be thinking of him today.

Jody:

Negra:

Jamie:

Jamie, Foxie, Missy, Annie and Burrito:

A kiss

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This afternoon, Jody went outside to pick some raspberry bushes. On her way back, she passed by Missy and the two stopped for a kiss.

It’s not uncommon for chimpanzees to kiss like this. Sometimes these kisses resemble our own, with one chimpanzee’s lips pressed against the cheek, lips, or hand of another chimpanzee. Other times they more closely resemble a bite, but with the lips covering the teeth, and may be placed anywhere on the body. Kisses can serve as a greeting, a form or reassurance, or an act of submission. They can reduce tension in moments of conflict, and may serve as a request for permission to hold onto something valuable like food (as Jody may be doing in the photo above) or one’s place in a desirable location. At times they are rough and playful, accompanied by panting or laughter. At other times, they are gentle and loving.

Foxie greeting Burrito

Annie bite Missy browridge

My favorite photo of a kiss is still the one below. When Annie was frightened and screamed for reassurance, Missy leapt to her side and allowed Annie to give her a big open mouth kiss on the lips.

annie kiss missy

A BIG thanks to our supporters and some leisurely afternoon activities

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In case you haven’t heard, yesterday’s Giving Day for Apes was nothing short of a success! Check out the above video for a thank you from the Queen herself.

In other news, today after lunch, wadging paper primate chow bags seemed like top priority for Annie, Jody and Foxie. Jody and Annie had to take theirs to go so they could go spy on a big yellow construction vehicle that was backing up to the chimp house. Every day we get to see so much progress on our new building. It’s truly an exhilarating experience to be a part of!

Here’s Foxie and her wadge:

Jody:

And Annie:

My favorite photo is this profile of her. You can really see just how full her bottom lip is!

A Welcome Change

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The sanctuary is located on the site of an old homestead. While the original house is long gone, many of the barns and outbuildings remain, as does the orchard. These trees produce Rainier, Bing, and pie cherries, as well as apples, Italian plums, and enough pears to feed a hundred chimpanzees. At one time there was actually a railroad stop here in the canyon, and the extra fruit from this orchard would likely have been sold in a bustling farmer’s market. There was even a saloon and dance hall in what is now our lower pasture, shown on an early 20th century map as being nestled between a barn and a chicken shed.

These days the orchard is the domain of our dogs, Wilson and Abbey, but they are kind enough to let the staff and volunteers go in and pick fruit for the chimps from time to time.

Yesterday we picked pears and plums from the old trees, and the chimps had them for breakfast this morning. They were a huge hit. Luckily there are a few hundred more pounds where that came from.

The onset of fall is a welcome change around here. In addition to the orchard’s harvest, it also brings relief from the intense heat and relentless sun of Central Washington summers. The chimps choose where to spend their time, and during the summer much of their time is spent indoors. Now we are more likely to find them relaxing on the play structures, walking through the tall grass, and otherwise enjoying the space and relative freedom of Young’s Hill, their two-acre enclosure.

You could argue that Jamie gets the most out of Young’s Hill, the way she patrols its boundaries throughout the day. But no one exploits every swing, structure, and tight rope like Missy.  Now that fall is upon us, I expect to see a lot more of her outdoor antics. If only we could resurrect that old dance hall for her; I think she’d fit right in.

In memory of Ron and Betty Kreushcher

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A day of sanctuary was sponsored by Ronalyn Huenergard who shared this note about her gift:

“This donation is in memory of my parents, Ron and Betty Kreuscher on their wedding anniversary, They were very proud of their 3 children, 8 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.”

Ronalyn, thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to share in your special memories of your parents and for making a difference in the chimpanzees’ lives as you honor Ron and Betty. We so appreciate you thinking of the chimps in this way. We’re wishing you and your family a day filled with joyful and comforting memories.

A Burrito and Jody classic:

How’s your chimp ID?

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One of the first things new chimp house volunteers start learning is how to identify each of the chimpanzees. When you’re meeting a group of chimps for the first time (or the first ten times), they can often look frustratingly similar to one another. Eventually, of course, they start to look like individuals and you wonder how you could ever have mixed them up. But there’s a definite learning curve.

It helps to be able to spend some time just staring at each chimpanzee, so I just made these videos for our volunteers, in which you can see each of the seven chimpanzees from every angle, just being themselves. I thought some of our blog followers might appreciate them also. And if you’re not interested in working on your chimp ID, the videos make seven good excuses just to look at each of these beautiful chimps for several minutes.

(For extra credit, click on each name below to learn some identifying physical characteristics for each individual).

Annie:

Burrito:

Foxie:

Jamie:

Jody:

Missy:

Negra:

Late summer days

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Typically September is our guaranteed best weather of the year. Well, in our opinions. 🙂 The heat dies down along with the winds, mornings and evenings are cool, but the days sunny and warm. The green of summer is becoming flecked with gold, red and orange. It’s that perfect blend of summer and autumn. The fifth season, betwixt and between. But this year, September has been a little more cold and rainy than usual. Yesterday was so unexpectedly cold! Today we’re back to bluebird skies and a warm sun despite a brisk, damp morning. The chimps have been full of joy and shenanigans all day. Especially Foxie. She’s been full of pirouettes, backflips, cartwheels from the top to the bottom of the caging, playing chase, and just being the most joyful being. Even the normally serious boss lady, Jamie, has been extra silly and happy. Here are some of the things the chimps got up to today:

Annie and Missy were first to the top of a structure after breakfast to take in the view:

Negra enjoyed a moment in the sun:

Foxie decided to play Spider-chimp and take the more adventurous way up the newest structure:

Foxie was sneering all the way back to the greenhouse because she was annoyed by the tall grass in her face and even more so, her nemeses…the grasshoppers! Oh, she hates those grasshoppers!

And some bonus photos from a few days ago of Jody luxuriating in the turtle pool, because obviously you had to see these: