Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Cle Elum 7

Lazy Burrito

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Mornings in the chimp house are a flurry of activity. Staff and volunteers clean the chimpanzee enclosures from about 9:00 when we arrive until lunchtime at 1:00. It’s usually not until after the chimpanzees are served lunch that we have a moment to sit down. Except for the coldest part of winter, the chimps typically spend the afternoon between lunch and dinner engaged in some quiet activity in the warm greenhouse (grooming and napping are favorites). This time in the greenhouse is usually so warm and slow and lazy that I often find my eyes getting heavy if I stay too long in there.

I popped my head in after lunch yesterday and Burrito was sitting in a windowsill with a couple of plastic fish toys. I could tell he was feeling low-key because he didn’t jump up into his usual game of chase when he saw me – he merely nodded his head a little and bit on the fishes. (He often bites on something when he’s feeling playful.)

web Burrito bite fish toy enrichment look at camera greenhouse GH IMG_7162

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I did get a playface out of him.

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After a few minutes he moved over to the deck to get a little more comfortable.

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web Burrito lie on back bite fish toy enrichment look at camera greenhouse GH IMG_7204

He summoned up just enough energy for a brief game of peekaboo…

web Burrito peekaboo hand over eyes fish in mouth enrichment greenhouse GH IMG_7208

…before passing out.

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Spring grass

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Everyone is so happy about the spring grass (the chimps and the caregivers alike!) Just look at how content Jody looks:

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And Negra is ecstatic to have an entire 2-acre salad bowl to munch on all day.

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4th Annual Love a Chimpanzee Day

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Supporter Monica Best has taken sponsoring a day of sanctuary to a whole new level. Four years ago she declared April 23 Love a Chimpanzee Day and has sponsored the day every year since then. (Today also happens to be Monica’s birthday!) Love a Chimpanzee Day 2013 began with a breakfast of pears, strawberries, lemons, fruit smoothie, and peanuts (Negra’s favorite) in the greenhouse, followed by some adventures on Young’s Hill. After we cleaned the playroom we decked out the place in streamers and lots of fluffy blankets and watched Jody settle down into a nest.

I love to watch Jody nest. She first does a sweep of the area to collect any unclaimed blankets, then drags them all to her chosen spot. (Sometimes she grabs more than she can carry and drops some on the way.) Then she sits down and arranges the blankets into a fluffy throne around her. When she’s satisfied with her work, she gets to her feet and then dives headfirst into the nest, usually making what we affectionately call her “dinosaur noise,” a low moan of contentment. Jody doesn’t typically go out of her way to play with enrichment, but if there happens to be some near her nest she’ll inspect it lazily.

web Jody lie on back inspect troll playroom PR IMG_6867

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Once she’s settled, she stretches and wriggles from side to side until she’s totally content.

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Thanks, Monica!

Negra gone wild

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It was perfect weather for chimpanzees here at the sanctuary this morning  (in Cle Elum, this means warm sun with no wind!) so we decided to put out a breakfast forage on Young’s Hill.  All of the chimps seemed more at ease and peaceful on the Hill today than I have ever seen them!  No one appeared to feel the need to keep an eye on where everyone else was and just went about peacefully foraging in their own direction.  Much to our surprise and delight Negra went further than I have seen her go yet!  She immediately headed for the far side of the Hill and promptly sat down to check out the neighbor’s horses.  I even saw her glance upward occasionally listening to the birds overhead.  And as if that weren’t enough, Negra continued to roam and explore even further, enjoying handfuls of grass along the way.  We were astounded and couldn’t stop taking photos!  I think even the other chimps were excited to see Negra venturing so far.  In the end it seemed to me that Negra had enough of all the paparazzi and promptly turned her back on everyone just to enjoy her adventure on her own.

web Negra walk grass YH IMG_6406

web Negra watch horses YH IMG_6472

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I think Annie, Jody and Missy were as much in awe of Negra as we were!

web annie jody negra missy YH forage IMG_6494