It’s been a busy day and I didn’t have time to take any new pictures or video, but I did find some older portraits that haven’t been posted before (I hope!).
Annie:
Burrito:
Foxie:
Jamie:
Jody:
Missy:
Negra:
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
by Elizabeth
It’s been a busy day and I didn’t have time to take any new pictures or video, but I did find some older portraits that haven’t been posted before (I hope!).
Annie:
Burrito:
Foxie:
Jamie:
Jody:
Missy:
Negra:
by Elizabeth
It’s been a good day. Here’s a brief video diary:
by Elizabeth
People sometimes ask how we interact with the chimpanzees through the fencing. While there are plenty of things to do that don’t involve any physical contact at all (chase!), there are safe methods of physical contact that allow us to tickle or groom — or be tickled or groomed by — the chimps. To make sure everyone stays safe, our fingers never penetrate the plane of the fencing. In this video, Jackie, our newest caregiver, uses a decapitated troll head (!!!) and a piece of bark to groom and tickle Foxie.
by Diana
Yes. Yes, they do. See video below
All of the chimpanzees at CSNW enjoy gum as an occasional treat. Foxie is particularly enthusiastic with her gum chewing.
by J.B.
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest could not function without volunteer support. Chimp house volunteers wash produce, prepare meals, do laundry, tend to the garden, clean enclosures…they are part of every aspect of the sanctuary. Yesterday we had a small party to honor the folks that keep this place running. Of course, the humans can’t have a party on their own, so the chimps got to enjoy a picnic dinner, with lots of fresh greens, homemade (and healthy!) potato and pasta salads, and veggie burgers.
To all the volunteers that couldn’t make it, thank you for giving up so much of your time to help the Cle Elum Seven.
by J.B.
For Foxie, trolls were almost like “gateway enrichment” – using trolls seems to have opened her up to using lots of other kinds of objects. Before she had trolls, she wouldn’t touch any of the objects in the enclosure. Now she uses blankets, buckets and other things to amuse herself.
Yesterday, Foxie played with a troll in a bucket for so long, and with so much enthusiasm, that she broke the bucket. But then she picked up the toy drum next to her and started using trolls as drumsticks.
by Diana
On Saturday, the night of the Cle Elum Seven’s one year anniversary, Jackie and I were hanging out with the chimps after dinner and we witnessed two amazing things. I do not have photographic evidence of these events, but I was so glad that Jackie was there to also see them.
First, long after the other chimpanzees had finished eating, Jamie was still hanging onto a bit of cantaloupe. Jamie seemed content to delay finishing her fruit as she carefully inspected Jackie’s boot. After several minutes, Foxie came over. There were probably a dozen troll dolls that were part of the party enrichment, and Foxie had three of them with her, one that still had on a wedding dress. Foxie put this troll doll in Jamie’s free hand, while looking away. Foxie continued to hold onto the troll doll until Jamie’s fingers closed around the doll. Then Foxie pulled her hand away and very slowly and carefully took the cantaloupe that was sitting by Jamie. If you’re a regular blog reader, you know that Jamie is pretty possessive of her food, and she is the highest ranking chimpanzee. This means that other chimps, as a rule, generally do not take food from Jamie. But this really appeared to be a trade. Apparently troll dolls served as a version of currency between these two!
The second equally amazing thing that occurred also involved Foxie. Jackie and I were handing out blankets in the front rooms, and Foxie took one through the fencing. This in itself is a bit unusual, but not unheard of – sometimes she’ll playfully take blankets or clothes, and then drop them. Every once in a while she’ll play a quick game of tug of war. But Foxie took this blanket (a very big fleece one) and eventually climbed up to the bed in Room Four and began to nest!! The blanket was long and hanging off of the bed, and Jamie immediately came into the room and began to pull on the end hanging down. Foxie’s played for a bit, at one point trying to still nest by wrapping the blanket around her, while Jamie continued to pull on the blanket. After a while Foxie dropped the blanket and Jamie left. Then Foxie got up and walked into Room 2, passing several blankets along the way, and picked up a pink one. She carried the pink blanket back to the far room, went back to the bed, laid the blanket down, and laid down on top of it.
It was a beautiful sight to see, and so special that it happened one year to the day after she arrived at the sanctuary. I’m so excited for what year two will bring!!
PO Box 952
Cle Elum, WA 98922
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509-699-0728
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