Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Annie Norris has also sponsored today in memory of her mother, Rita. Here’s what Annie had to say:
“I’m sponsoring a day of sanctuary in honor of my mom, Rita Yardley. We lost her this past November and today would have been her 75th birthday. She loved all animals, but had a special place in her heart for gorillas and chimpanzees. We miss her dearly.”
Annie has recently started volunteering in the chimp house, and we couldn’t be happier to have her. Thanks, Annie!
I took some photos last night and had a whole blog post about night bags ruminating in my head, but then, today, this happened…
Negra finally spent some time in Negra’s Cabin!
The thinking behind the cabin that you helped us build through our 4th anniversary fundraising, was that the chimps, particularly fair-weather-loving Negra, needed a spot on the hill where they would be protected from the wind and rain, which we had both of today.
Here’s the full story of Negra’s big venture to her cabin –
Now that the snow is gone and we’ve had some warmer days, Negra has been spending a bit of her time on the hill, especially when we spread food around for the chimps to find. Below is a photo from last night of Negra heading back towards the greenhouse after gathering some sweet potato:
Generally, Negra’s been going out long enough to gather food, then coming back inside, but today was a little different.
The weather has been weird today. One minute sunny and warm, the next windy and overcast, and the next sleeting. There was a window of good weather around the chimps’ lunchtime, so we decided to set up a forage on the hill. We’re defrosting the freezer today, so J.B. took a hammer to some frozen watermelon that had been in the freezer for who knows how long and we included that in the lunch forage.
Jody went for the frozen watermelon in the cabin, and took her stash away as Negra approached:
Once in the cabin, Negra actually just sat for a while. I think and hope that she was realizing how great it is in there!
Jody got all of the watermelon from the cabin, but there was still some other food that Negra found:
Hopefully this is the first day of many that Negra will enjoy the warmth and protection of her cabin.
Every once and a while, our neighbor’s horses escape their pastures and come over to the sanctuary. I like to watch the look on their faces when they see the chimps for the first time. It goes from interested to confused to frightened in about five seconds.
I think the chimps enjoy engaging in territorial behavior from time to time. CSNW is different than most other chimpanzee sanctuaries in that we have only one group and they are together at all times. They never see or hear other chimpanzees and therefore they rarely have a reason to defend their territory as a group or to patrol the boundaries of their enclosure. But occasional visits from wild deer, stray dogs, and escaped horses and cattle keep them on their toes.
Jamie, being the alpha that she is, seems to live for this kind of thing.
Tracy Headley has also sponsored today for the chimps! It is a day of love, indeed.
And what’s more lovely than Foxie giving Dora a ride on her back around Young’s Hill?
Thanks, Tracy!
Volunteer Deborah sponsored today in honor of her husband, CSNW Board Vice President Bruce Wagman. Bruce works tirelessly for all animals – the Cle Elum Seven of course, but also horses, dogs, cats, farm animals, and countless others, not to mention the “Wagmanagerie” of cats and dogs who live at the beach with Bruce and Deborah. Deborah loves you for all your hard work, Bruce, as do the rest of us here at the sanctuary! Have a happy Valentine’s Day Eve!
I can’t believe it’s already almost half-way through February! That means Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and we have a super spiffy card you can send to your special someone. Just make a donation in honor of your Valentine before noon tomorrow and they’ll get a nice “It’s Good to Be Loved” card. (Check out this morning’s newsletter for more info).
Here’s some pictures of the chimps enjoying a pomegranate forage the other day:
Negra:
Foxie:
Annie:
My husband and I sponsored today in honor of Kenneth Currie Davis, who died last week at the age of 80. Like our friends here at the sanctuary, Uncle Kenny was a true survivor. He conquered polio at age 6, and went on to live a life full of love and adventure. He loved to fly his planes and watch fast cars, so I think this pic of Missy racing across Young’s Hill is fitting. He is deeply missed by his wife Frances, sister Bee, brother Jerry (my husband’s dad), and his pup Casey. Also kids Becky, Jenny and Susan and their families, and many more. Rest in peace, Uncle Kenny!
