Everyone is so happy about the spring grass (the chimps and the caregivers alike!) Just look at how content Jody looks:
And Negra is ecstatic to have an entire 2-acre salad bowl to munch on all day.
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
by Debbie
by Katelyn
by Elizabeth
I don’t think a day has gone by since I started working at CSNW in 2008 that I haven’t found myself completely charmed by Missy. She is full of contradictions – small but mighty, serious and goofy, independent and socially adept. Physically, she is petite and a little stocky with not much in the way of a neck. She has moments of extreme stillness and moments of explosive movement, and not much in between. When she’s still, she’s very still.
But when she’s ready to move, she goes from 0 to 60 in no time. Missy does not believe in warm-ups.
Missy has a stellar sense of humor and a twinkle in her eye. She often looks just a second away from bursting into laughter or a raucous game of chase. I don’t know how all of that energy and spirit and humor survived thirty years in tiny laboratory cages. When I watch her sprint up and down Young’s Hill at lightning speed, I’m so happy that she finally has the space to be herself.
by J.B.
Earlier this week, as volunteer Keri and I were finishing a walk around the hill with Jamie, we did some quick calculations to figure out just how far Jamie is walking each day. At a minimum, I think she is doing a mile a day just in walks with her caregivers – around an enclosure that rises 100 feet in elevation from end to end, no less. For a free-living chimpanzee, this wouldn’t be much, but for a chimpanzee who spent her life in a laboratory, it’s not bad at all.
The physical transformations that we’ve witnessed over the past five years have been incredible. After decades in tiny cages in a windowless basement, these seven chimps finally saw the sun, breathed fresh air, and got to run, climb, jump, and swing. Almost immediately, their skin darkened, their hair filled in, and their muscles grew stronger.
While most of these changes occurred over the first few months, we are still witnessing changes to this day. I think this is driven in part by their emotional recovery. This morning, as I watched Jamie run playfully after her friend Missy, I couldn’t help thinking about how much physical health and emotional health are intertwined. The stronger they get, the more they play and explore. And the more they play and explore, the stronger they get. I guess they call this a virtuous cycle.
When I look back at photos from the chimps’ arrival in 2008, I hardly recognize them. Their bodies displayed the toll of so many years in the laboratory, but in their faces you could see the even greater damage that was done to their spirits. They looked sick, tired, scared, and beaten down:
Five years in sanctuary can do a lot. Today, Jamie looks better in every imaginable way. And I’m sure she feels the same. Who knows what changes we’ll see in the next five years.
by Katelyn
Burrito is pretty irresistible. He also tends to be a bit shy at times. When he is feeling playful he will often initiate play with his caregivers by biting on a toy or a firehouse as he shyly looks in our direction. If he is feeling particularly playful he will add a foot stomp and a head nod in for good measure. One of my favorite moments is when I go out to the greenhouse to see what the chimps are up to and upon first sight, Burrito grabs something to bite on, stomps his foot at me and takes off running for a game of chase, laughing all the way.
by Elizabeth
After lunch this afternoon, Debbie and I hung out for awhile in the greenhouse with the chimpanzees. Jamie seemed restless. She went into the building for a moment and returned to the greenhouse with a hand shovel and proceeded to dig. Annie, who is always a big fan of digging, couldn’t resist joining her.
by Katelyn
Two of Negra’s favorite things are looking out over the view of the valley and eating fresh, spring grass. It fills us with delight this spring to find Negra feeling more and more comfortable venturing outside onto Young’s Hill, often all on her own. Despite being the middle of spring, we have been surprised by snow showers the past couple of days here in Cle Elum. As a result Negra was very reluctant to get out of bed this morning and I can’t say that I blame her. At one point I caught her looking out her window at the heavy snow showers and pulling the blanket back over her head. It took JB reminding her that another favorite of hers, peanuts, were on the menu before she decided to join everyone for breakfast. Thankfully it didn’t take long for both the sun, and Negra, to come back out again.
PO Box 952
Cle Elum, WA 98922
[email protected]
509-699-0728
501c3 registered charity
EIN: 68-0552915
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