chimpanzee

Today is in honor of Lucinda Almy-Hamilton

February 27, 2017 by Katelyn

This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Michael Hamilton in honor of Lucinda Almy-Hamilton! Michael shares that Lucinda is an anthropologist with a keen interest in non-human primates. Each year Lucinda shares her passion for the chimps with so many of her students and we truly appreciate her contributions to furthering the awareness of these special individuals and issues primates face with so many future generations of humans.

Michael, thank you for always thinking of the chimpanzees as you celebrate Lucinda! We appreciate all you both do to bring comfort, joy, and hope to the chimps’ lives.

Lucinda, we hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you so much for all you do for the chimps and to open the minds of so many others about the unique and special individuals they are.

Jamie is a woman of many interests. Her strong and beautiful mind is an never-ending landscape of possibility:

who they are

February 25, 2017 by Diana

Today I was thinking about what we know about the chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest – all of those little things that add up to who they are, or at least how we see them.

I was thinking about how different experiences shape personalities and how exposure to new environments, activities, and other beings lead people to discover new things about themselves.

And I was wondering if the chimpanzees realize how much better they know themselves now than they did eight and a half years ago.

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For the love of boots

February 24, 2017 by J.B.

Volunteers Stephanie and Patti brought Jamie a western wear catalogue today. It’s always amazing to watch her flip through the magazine and linger over the pages with her favorite boots.

Jody: Head, Shoulders….

February 18, 2017 by Diana

Part of being a Level II volunteer at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is working towards passing identification tests for all of the chimpanzees.

We have some new interns from Central Washington University’s Primate Behavior and Ecology Program right now who are working on their id skills.

Something about helping with id today got a song stuck in my head…

Here’s Jody’s…

Head

Shoulders

Knees

and Toes

Knees

and Toes

AND

Eyes

and Ears:

and Mouth:

and Nose:

…. what do you think? Could you id Jody now?

Actually, a few years ago, Elizabeth did some blog posts for each of the chimpanzees to help blog readers with id that are probably much more helpful – check them out if you’re interested!

Balancing act

February 17, 2017 by J.B.

Each time we build a new play structure on Young’s Hill, we connect it to nearby structures using fire hose. This allows the chimps to move from place to place without touching the ground, a feature that is particularly handy when that ground is covered in snow. We also shovel pathways for them, but hey, tightrope walking is way more fun.