The staff have a lot do to each morning before they are ready to serve the chimps their breakfast. What’s a chimp to do in the meantime?
chimpanzee
Taking it all in
Jamie has been taking in the views of her kingdom for the last hour. Caregiver in tow wearing Jamie’s chosen cowgirl boots du jour, of course.
A Strawberry Solstice
One of the chimpanzees’ favorite summertime happenings is their garden. Volunteer caregiver, Denice, and staff caregiver, Keri, are the driving forces behind this beautiful project each year. It not only helps us supplement the chimpanzees’ food supply, but it provides them with enrichment while adding beauty to their home.
As soon as the weather turned warmer this year the chimpanzees immediately started looking out the windows of the playroom to see if the garden had magically appeared overnight. Once things start growing we get to harvest fresh fruit and vegetables for them almost daily and they LOVE getting to choose what they would like and have their caregivers hand it to them straight from the garden!
With our first full day of summer arriving yesterday in conjunction with the stunning full Strawberry Moon last night, I thought it only appropriate to have a small strawberry feast this afternoon to celebrate. Volunteer caregiver, Ally, picked through the chimps’ strawberry patch as they watched from the greenhouse and then served everyone the fresh berries, still warm from the (official!) summer sun.
Burrito and Jody watch Ally in the distance. The entire time, Annie was banging her feet on the caging and Foxie was blowing raspberries to hurry Ally along with the strawberry picking:
Burrito:
Jody:
Foxie:
Annie:
Jamie:
Missy decided to wait down by the onion patch, but she was happy for a handful of strawberries:
And Queen Negra opted to avoid all the excitement in the greenhouse and wait it out in the comfort of her nest until I hand delivered some strawberries to her. She climbed down from her nest at Negra-style warp speed and though she was not interested in having her photo taken, she enjoyed her strawberries in peace with a view of the flower garden.
Year Eight
We hope that you have been enlightened, entertained, and inspired by the musings on years’ past this week. Today’s final post in the looking-back brings us from June 2015 to last week, the eighth anniversary of the arrival of the Cle Elum Seven to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.
The chimps’ eighth year began with a true test of our medical clinic. Burrito spent some time in the clinic twice after breaking a canine tooth. The first was an exam to determine the extent of his previously-diagnosed congestive heart failure and to assess the broken tooth, and the second was the tooth (make that teeth) extraction procedure.
The chimpanzees are so fortunate to have such good human friends in their corner, who always go out of their way to ensure that they have the best care possible, and Burrito was in the hands of a large huge team of veterinary professionals who donated their time and skills to see Burrito through his procedures without a hitch.
Dare I say he’s even cuter with his missing teeth?
Dora the Explorer and friends were making frequent appearances with Foxie last year, and she seemed to show a particular fondness for the jaunty and clearly extra-adventurous France Dora:
and Dora’s fiery-haired friend Kate:
Troll dolls have not been replaced, though! They continued to be a favorite enrichment item for Foxie, with some of the other chimps seeming to adopt the trend:
Last summer, J.B. put together another of my favorite videos of the last eight years – the epic Troll Scarf Tug O War:
While the chimpanzees continue to make the most out of the ever-expanding life in sanctuary…
…the humans have been working hard “behind the scenes” to secure their future and work towards giving more chimpanzees a sanctuary life. The community of donors and volunteers came together and made it possible to purchase the sanctuary property that we had been leasing, acquire new land that tripled the total sanctuary footprint, and enter into an agreement to provide a home for chimpanzees coming out of biomedical research.
And, on a national scale, there was huge news as invasive biomedical research on chimpanzees came to a halt.
Just think about what the next eight years will bring!
Year Six
Continuing the trip down memory lane in celebration of the sanctuary’s 8th anniversary, today is all about the Cle Elum Seven’s sixth year of sanctuary.
After the harrowing experience of the Taylor Bridge Fire in the late summer of 2012, our thoughts continued to turn towards safety and security. We put the finishing touches on the mobile veterinary clinic to be used for emergencies and planned procedures and we installed a back-up generator that powers the chimp house as soon as the power goes off.
These important safety measures were possible because of generous contributions from friends of the Cle Elum Seven near and far. Everything that happens at the sanctuary is possible because of donations! That includes really important life-or-death measures as well as the addition of things that enrich the chimpanzees’ existence, and in turn all of our lives. For year six that, of course, included:
Foxie’s troll dolls:
Burrito’s wooden toys:
Jody’s blankets:
Negra’s peanuts:
Jamie’s (many) boots:
Annie’s natural lipstick:
And Missy’s access to as many adventures as she can manage in a day:
With the passing years, we have been faced with the loss of friends and fans of the chimpanzees. A particularly difficult loss in year six was that of Dr. Mel Richardson, who was the chimpanzees’ first veterinarian and an important voice for animals everywhere.
We now have the Dr. Mel Memorial Walkway at the top of Young’s Hill where anyone can honor a loved on or create a stone for themselves to be placed in one of the most peaceful spots on the sanctuary grounds.
A Day of Sanctuary in Honor of Ben & Annie
Today’s day of sanctuary is sponsored by Elliott Sumers for Ben Sumers and Annie “who treat humans and animals with love and respect.”
Thank you Elliott, Ben and Annie!
It seems fitting to share some photos of beautiful Annie chimpanzees today. Happy Saturday, everyone!
Year Five
In celebration of CSNW’s 8th Anniversary, we are taking a trip down memory lane. Today we look back on the chimpanzees’ fifth year at the sanctuary.
Year Five was exciting, to say the least.
On August 13th, 2012, a wildfire erupted less than a mile from the sanctuary. It went on to destroy 60 homes and over 36 square miles of land. In the process, it nearly destroyed the sanctuary.
Thanks to the incredible bravery and dedication of local volunteer firefighters, DNR helicopter pilots, and many other emergency personnel, the chimps were kept safe. The fire burned half of Young’s Hill and damaged the sanctuary residence, but we were able to bounce back quickly with the help of supporters from around the world.
With the fire behind us, we built a new structure on the hill just for Negra – her very own “cabin” that would shelter her from the wind and rain and help her adjust to life in the great outdoors. Some chimps just need a little more help than others.
And the chimps never skipped a beat – they went right back to making art, fighting off enemy horses, and napping, as if nothing had ever happened.
