Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee

Today is in honor of Lisa Stuverud!

by

The wonderful “Pay it Forward for the Chimpanzees” streak continues today through the generosity of the chimps’ good friend, Julie Lawell, who sponsored today’s day of sanctuary in honor of Lisa Stuverud (who sent out out another wave in this ripple effect of giving yesterday, in honor of Lisa Nowak)! Julie shared this message about today:

“Recognizing the bloggers who bring us such wonderful daily news and great pictures and videos seems like a nice tradition to start. I wouldn’t know nearly as much as I do about the chimps and their beautiful sanctuary without the blogs. Its really is wonderful to see the incredible things you do for the chimps and how much their lives have improved by being with you all. Your email is a cherished highlight of my day. Thank you so much!”

Julie, big, big thanks to you for all you do for the chimpanzees and for honoring Lisa and all of us today! We all love writing the blog so much! It makes it even more rewarding to know that sharing the lives of these wonderful chimpanzees with our amazing supporters is not only so welcome and enjoyed, but that it’s inspiring such compassion among our fellow primates.

Burrito, adorable man-chimp extraordaire:

Burrito with chow in mouth
web_Burrito_close_up_look_at_own_reflection_FR_ek_IMG_5945

web_Burrito_lie_on_back_play_peekaboo_cover_eyes_GH_ek_IMG_9470

Today is for Meg Lunnum!

by

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Lisa Nowak! Lisa chose to sponsor today for the chimpanzees in a unique way. Yesterday’s Sponsor-a-Day from Meg Lunnum inspired Lisa to do the same and she sends this wonderful message about today:

“I don’t know Meg Lunnum but her sponsorship in honor of the bloggers inspired me to sponsor in her honor. That was such a brilliant idea Meg! I love this blog and am grateful for it everyday. It brings joy and happiness to me every time I read it. Meg your recognition of the bloggers deserves recognition. Thank you to Meg and all the bloggers.”

Lisa, what an incredible thing to do! Thank you for honoring Meg, she is a special person! And we are so happy knowing how much you enjoy the blog and following the chimps. Thank you for also honoring them today through your generous gift and making a difference in their lives.

I think all of us here at the sanctuary are in an incredibly fortunate position to not only care for these seven amazing chimpanzees, but to see the kindness, compassion and love that they inspire in so many humans. That ripple effect surrounds the sanctuary and is such a special thing to witness and be a part of.

An oldie, but favorite of Negra (l) and Jody (r):

web Negra Jody cute faces playroom IMG_1220

Summer Lovin’ 2015 Party Video

by

As promised, below is the Summer Lovin’ Party video. This video is a thank you to everyone who made a Summer Lovin’ donation as part of our Summer Biddin’ online auction. The chimpanzees certainly deserve a party!

As the video mentions, Burrito really won the day by keeping his cool when he snagged one of the coconuts.

Burrito with shot of smoothie and coconut

 

Burrito has come a long way and knows a lot more about how to navigate the social world of chimpanzees than he did when the chimpanzees arrived at the sanctuary seven years ago!

 

I hope you enjoy the lighthearted video:

Thank you, Meg!

by

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by long-time friend and supporter of the sanctuary, Meg Lunnum, in honor of the bloggers here at the sanctuary! We are often asked who writes the daily blog posts and the wonderful thing is that we all do. Each of the staff are scheduled to serve as Lead Caregiver in the chimp house on different days and whoever is lead for the day is the one who writes the blog that day.

Meg is such an incredible advocate not only for the chimpanzees, but for bats as well! Through the non-profit Bats Northwest Meg works to protect our Pacific Northwest bat population and helps educate people about these special mammals and the important role they play in our environment and lives. In sponsoring today, Meg shared this lovely message:

“I’ve been thinking about dedicating a day to the fearless copy writers who write the daily blog. After Wednesday’s “Her Royal-Neggie-ness”, I could wait no longer. Much appreciation to those ink slingers, quill drivers, scribes, scriveners, correspondents, journalists, storytellers, poets, and dramatists extraordinaire who bring to life Negra, Annie, Foxie, Burrito, Missy, Jody and Jamie. You make those of us who read the blog feel a part of the energy and vitality of the chimp sanctuary. Thank you.”

Meg, this was such a kind and generous thing to do, thank you! We are so grateful to you for the immense difference you make in the chimpanzees’ lives and are so happy to have you as part of our chimp family.

It’s our goal with the blog not only to offer information and education, but to help all of you feel connected to the chimpanzees and get to know them as the unique and amazing individuals they are. We are honored to be able to share their lives and daily adventures and it’s our sincere hope that you feel a part of their lives. Whether you are just discovering the blog or have been a dedicated follower, thank you so much for taking the time to read/like/share our daily thoughts/ramblings/photos because every single post is inspired by the heart of the sanctuary, the chimpanzees themselves. We couldn’t be more grateful to you for caring about the chimps and for not only making this life possible for them, but building hope for all those still awaiting their sanctuary and all those living their natural wild lives who deserve to do so in peace and protection.

Meg’s pal, Negra:

web_Negra_blanket_nest_poncho_catwalk_PR_ek_IMG_0028

Taking it as it comes

by

Today was a little different. I don’t think there’s any such thing as normal, ho-hum day in the chimp house, but some days stray more from the routine than others.

This morning we set up the Summer Lovin‘ party in the greenhouse. Big thanks to everyone who gave for Summer Lovin’ during our recent Summer Biddin’ online auction!

I chose to have the party today because I knew the chimpanzees wouldn’t have Young’s Hill for all or most of the day, and I figured they could use a party to distract them from this. It was for good reason – a team of volunteers were helping J.B. plant some new bamboo on the hill and hang new fire hose!

The party was a blast, and Anna and I took a lot of photos, which kind of put us behind schedule by a bit.

Below are just a few of the photos we took.

 

The beach-themed Summer Lovin’ Party set-up. Volunteer Lizz and Anna set up the party. The “cocktail” was fresh pressed watermelon juice and seltzer water.

summer lovin set-up

 

Negra with one of the beach ball pinatas:

Negra holding beach ball pinata

 

Missy with a lime, a cocktail umbrella, and a coconut:

Missy in windowsill with cocktail umbrella and coconut

 

Jody who got and held on to the top of the pineapple (you can see it sticking up behind the beach ball pinata – she’s holding it with her feet as she eats a peanut from the pinata):

Jody eating peanut

 

Burrito with a coconut and Foxie in the foreground:

Burrito and Foxie

It was fun watching the chimps enjoy their party as the volunteers were hard at work planting bamboo on the hill.

Saturdays is one of our disinfecting days, and that takes longer than just a regular cleaning, so the whole day we stayed behind schedule. Which was fine, really – the schedule is just an outline for the day, not something to be adhered to with fanaticism.

The good news is that the chimps did get to go out onto the hill in the late afternoon. We put out a forage of roasted corn, which was a big hit, tomatoes, and onions.

 

Annie on “round two” looking for more forage:

Annie foraging

 

Jamie enjoying the corn:

Jamie eating corn

 

After the dinner forage, Missy decided to check out the new fire hose and the bamboo. J.B. got these photos of her:

Missy sitting on new fire hose

Missy reaching for bamboo

Missy with new bamboo in mouth

 

And then there was Jamie, who needed to make up for the time she didn’t have on the hill today. So, I’ve spent the last couple of hours walking around the hill with her.

Jamie walking by the memorial walkway.

Jamie walking around hill, memorial stones in foreground

 

Sometimes it’s impossible to both please your boss and get all of your work done… so, I haven’t yet put together the video clips from the party with a thank you to everyone who gave summer lovin’ donations.

But that just means you have something to look forward to tomorrow!

Good night, everyone – from the Cle Elum Seven, who are all now sleeping, and their human crew.

The view from the top

by

It’s not uncommon to find Missy on one of the towers at the top of Young’s Hill, just taking in the view.

web_Missy_sit_tower_look_at_camera_YH_jb_IMG_4688

web_Missy_lookout_tower_YH_jb_IMG_4690

web_Missy_enjoy_view_tower_YH_jb_IMG_4702

Jody tagged along with Missy on one of her little adventures this afternoon.

web_Jody_Missy_walk_bridge_new_towers_YH_jb_IMG_4719

web_Missy_Carelenes_tower_YH_jb_IMG_4742

web_Jody_look_at_camera_bridge_new_towers_YH_jb_IMG_4731

web_Missy_climb_down_carlenes_tower_YH_jb_IMG_4746

On the way back down, Jody made sure to grab a snack to bring back to the greenhouse.

web_Jody_bamboo_in_mouth_YH_jb_IMG_4766

web_Jody_more_bamboo_in_mouth_YH_jb_IMG_4770

When we got to the bottom of the hill, I got what I’m pretty sure is the world’s only photo of a chimpanzee watching an elk watching the UPS man (you may have to look closely to find Ellie in the middle).

web_cropped_Jamie_watching_Ellie_watching_UPS_man_jb_IMG_4713