Missy has been a complete goofball today. Every time I make eye contact with her, she darts off and starts laughing – suggesting she wants me to chase her. I’ve seen her playing with almost everyone today – so if you’ve got some energy and you’re feeling playful and extremely goofy, I know who you need to call! Ok, so maybe you can’t actually play with her, but you can donate to her team. After weeks of being in the lead, she is now in LAST place! And if my little spill doesn’t convince you, check out this adorable scene I caught between her and Negra this morning:
Cle Elum 7
Icicles
The chimpanzees really love snow, which is great because it just keeps falling and they never get sick of it! Check out the newsletter that was sent out today that also includes a video of the chimps enjoying snow.
Anyway, with snow comes icicles. Today J.B. noticed that there were quite a few on the building, and the sun is out now so they are melting fast.
I knocked down a few and passed them out to the chimps, but found that it was pretty tricky to pass them out AND get photos before either the chimps ran off to a hard-to-see spot with their icicle, or the icicles melted. My solution: I placed some icicles delicately on the caging so the chimpanzees would have to pull them through on their own. Missy was the first to come over, and she grabbed most of them before they melted. The other chimps were happily munching away on the ones I passed out earlier.
I know you can’t see her whole face in the picture below, but I just love how you can see her drooped lip, which means she’s relaxed and happy.
Annie eating snow
Annie loves snow:
Playing it cool
A couple of weeks ago, Diana wrote a blog post about Jamie’s complex personality – sometimes bossy, sometimes playful, sometimes (well, usually) mischievous, but always cool. For example, she probably has the coolest head nod of any chimp I’ve ever met. In terms of chimpanzee behaviors, a head nod means pretty much exactly what it sounds like – approval. Jamie’s head nod is often almost like a chin tip you’d see between bros, almost like what you would do if you were to say, ‘sup. But that’s not all that surprising, because Jamie is pretty much cool at everything she does. I would expect no less from the boss.
Here’s another example of Jamie “playing it cool”. The other day I spotted her in a comfy nest, surrounded by boots and troll dolls – classic CSNW.
Then, she noticed a Dora the Explorer doll nearby and very slowly, very casually pulled it over to her nest.
She seemed pretty happy to have Dora with her, but certainly didn’t want anyone to know she purposely pulled a doll into her nest. In her eyes, it would be way cooler if it just “happened” to be there.
Share the love (for free!)
It sure is a busy time of year for a nonprofit. With the holidays and the end of the year, I’m really grateful to say that we process a ton of donations in December. And we need them! If you haven’t given yet this year, and you have a little bit to spare, please consider making a donation today (sorry, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t include a little pitch!).
Anyway, the Cle Elum Seven are fortunate to have so many devoted supporters. That means you! Although we rely on financial donations to keep us in bananas and night bags, there are plenty of things you can do to keep us going without spending a dime:
- Your enthusiasm is contagious! Reading this blog and sharing it with your friends and family (especially on Facebook) makes a big difference. The more people who know about the Cle Elum Seven, the better!
- Likewise, share our newsletter with your friends and family. And bug them (politely!) to sign themselves up by telling them what you love about the chimps and how much they mean to you. Many nonprofits spend tons of money building their lists, so helping us build our supporter base for free is a truly valuable “donation.”
- Add a tagline to your email signature to share why you love the chimps. The more personal connection the better, and be sure to include a link to our website!
- Give us a review on Guidestar, where many donors do their homework before donating. Let the world know what you think we do well and why you’re in love with the Cle Elum Seven.
- Get involved with Eyes on Apes.
- Send us your old printer cartridges, cell phones, and small electronics. We can recycle them through a responsible company that sends a donation back to us. Contact Jackie if you have questions about what types of things they take ([email protected]).
- Volunteer your time or skills. Did you know we have a wonderful bunch of folks in the chimp house washing produce, doing laundry, helping us clean enclosures, and even (after a ton of training) serving meals to the chimps? We also need event volunteers. Contact Elizabeth to find out more ([email protected]).
- Do you work for a company that might be able to donate something fabulous for our auction? Or do you have a friend who owns a store that might pitch something in? Are you an artist? Contact Diana for more information about our event and the types of things we need ([email protected]).
- Remember us in your will, trust, or life insurance policy. It’s a lot easier than you might think, and can make a huge difference. Usually all you need is our name, address and tax ID number (68-0552915). Please let me know ([email protected]) if you honor us with such a gift so that I can thank you and add you to our legacy circle.
Have other ideas? Please share them in the comments!
And, just for kicks, here’s an oldie but goodie. Almost 4 years ago to the day, the chimps experienced their first snowstorm (before Young’s Hill and the greenhouse). Check it out.
Burrito Love
I can honestly say that Burrito puts a smile on my face every day. He has a certain mischievous yet vulnerable charm that is impossible to resist.
Burrito has a big day coming up right after the holidays. He’s turning 30 on January 6th! There are several ways you can wish the man a happy birthday: you can become his Pal and support him monthly by clicking here, join Team Burrito here, or sponsor his birthday (here) to make sure he has the best party ever.
Negra in the snow
Just 3 days ago, Debbie mentioned how we haven’t really had that much snow this year. She even said “I don’t want to jinx it”. Well, it’s been snowing almost constantly since Friday, so I think we can consider it jinxed! The humans may not be 100% excited about it, but the chimps are! Even Negra has been spending time on the hill eating snow.
