Foxie took an up close and personal look at the Go Pro Camera the other day.
chimpanzee
scale or new place to sit?
J.B. just finished installing a scale in the greenhouse so that we can monitor the chimps’ weights. He cleverly disguised the scale as a place to sit. Most of the chimps are tucked away in their nests for the night and didn’t even bother getting up when the door to the greenhouse was opened for them, but Foxie and Jamie immediately came out.
Foxie, with two troll dolls, hopped right on it:
Jamie, of course, was mostly interested in seeing if she could take it apart:
Mother’s Day
It is a beautiful May day in Cle Elum as we celebrate Mother’s Day like so many of you. I hope you enjoy your day with your mother and your loved ones.
Unfortunately, Jody and our other mother chimps do not get to spend this day with their children. Or any other day for that matter. We know that Jody had at least nine babies born to her and taken away from her during her years as a biomedical test subject. I could not imagine the anguish that a mother must feel when a baby is taken away from her and for the years of memories that will never happen.
In honor of our chimpanzees who are mothers, I hope you will consider making a donation to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest today. We are hoping to raise $1,000 to support Jody and our other mother chimpanzees as we reflect on what this day means. They deserve to have a day in their honor and in the memory of the children they had who are still in biomedical research labs. Thank you for supporting our chimpanzee family.
Negra foraging on the hill
It was a beautiful, sunny and still morning in Cle Elum, so we set up breakfast on Young’s Hill as a forage. We added some lettuce to the forage – one of Negra’s favorite foods. She went right out! I think it’s the first time since September, when the hill was first opened, that I’ve seen seven chimpanzees out there at once.
Here’s a short video of Negra enjoying the forage:
Are you ready to race?
In case you haven’t heard the news, we are only 10 days away from our first ever Race for the Apes! On Sunday, May 20, folks will be gathering at Rotary/West Ellensburg Park for a 5K run and troll stroll along the Yakima River. Whether you are a serious runner or simply a troll enthusiast (troll-stroll participants are encouraged to adorn their outfits accordingly), all are welcome, and it’s sure to be a blast.
In case you need inspiration on how to appropriately train for such an event, you could get some pointers from the Cle Elum Seven.
Serious runners may train for months and months, like Missy, who has been training since September 20, 2011. Currently her low speed on the hill appears to be approximately 15mph.
And when Missy’s running, Annie is usually not far behind her!
For you troll stroll participants, Foxie can show you how it’s done:
Perhaps even Negra found Foxie’s troll strolling inspiring today. She “strolled” out on the hill a bit further than usual and just sat down to take in the view! She’s been reluctant to go out much until this past week, and even then she would only run out to grab some grass and immediately retreat into the greenhouse to enjoy it. Knowing that she “strolled” a bit further and is getting comfortable enough to take in the amazing view is very exciting for all of us!
Here she is on the move!
So, in honor of the Cle Elum Seven, tighten those shoelaces and get ready to Race for the Apes! We hope to see you there!
Motivation
As many of you probably already know, Negra hasn’t been going out on Young’s Hill much since last fall. Obviously, we cannot ever truly get inside of the chimps’ heads, and I’m sure Negra’s lack of interest in the hill is due to many different factors. I imagine 35 years in a small laboratory cage would make 2 acres seem extremely intimidating (it is intimidating!) plus we know she isn’t much of a fan of cold weather, so lately she has preferred to hang out in front of the chimp-proof glass windows in the Playroom with a blanket over her head (who can blame her when it’s that cold really?). But with the warmer weather and the vibrant fresh grass, she’s found just enough motivation to get herself out there, even if just for a minute.
Negra in her transfer cage en route to CSNW in 2008:
Negra today:
Cinco Mil de Mayo Party
In celebration of reaching our goal of 5,000 “likes” (fans) on the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest Facebook page (an increase of over 300 since yesterday!), we threw a Cinco Mil de Mayo party for brunch this morning.
On the menu was guacamole in lettuce with tomatoes and a side of watermelon, accompanied by sparkling seltzer water with lime wedges:
And what’s Cinco de Mayo without a pinata?
Negra loves both avocados and lettuce, so she was very pleased with the party menu:
Missy also really enjoyed the lettuce guacamole wraps. She had a technique of licking the guacamole off first, then eating the lettuce:
Jamie enjoyed the refreshing sparkling water, served in plastic shot glasses:
Burrito‘s strategy was to gather as many pieces of primate chow as quickly as he could:
Annie also enjoyed the chow, though in a slower fashion:
Guess who got the pinata? Yes, indeed – the leader of the group, Jamie, claimed it as her own:
She must have left some nuts inside, though, because Negra was eating a walnut later in the party:
It was a pretty windy day, but Foxie took some time to explore on Young’s Hill with Dora:
Negra decided the party was not complete without fresh grass from the hill, so she went out and helped herself:
For dinner, J.B. served the chimps baked sweet potatoes, corn, and celery. Here he is serving celery to Jody:
Of course, dinner was capped off with the traditional Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest night bag of seeds, popcorn, nuts and dried fruit. Jody lied down to eat hers:
Thanks and happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone who liked the FB page for the first time yesterday and for those friends who recruited new fans of the Cle Elum Seven! Please explore the blog and the rest of the website to learn more about your new friends! And if you’re local, join us on May 20th in Ellensburg for Race for the Apes – our first 5K run / walk fundraiser.
