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.
Cle Elum 7
Do chimpanzees chew gum?
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.
Paula Wade’s tribute
Paula Wade of Colorado, a supporter of CSNW and a friend to the Cle Elum Seven, died on June 10th. Paula began following the CSNW blog early on and made comments on some of the posts. She sent in a photo of herself as a child that is now included in the chimps’ photo album. In October, she gathered photos of the chimpanzees from the blog and put them into a video slide show. I had always intended on sharing this video with everyone.
Although I regret that I am only sharing it now that Paula is gone, I am so glad that she created this and was able to connect with the Cle Elum Seven, even at a distance, before she passed away. This was a tribute to the Cle Elum Seven by Paula, and now I see it as a tribute to Paula. We wish all of Paula’s friends and family the best during their time of grieving.
Link to King 5 video
You can watch the King 5 video online and pass it along to your friends!
Nesting and Resting Outside
I decided to add some text within the video below. Foxie is really coming along with her nesting! And, seriously, who can resist Negra? Don’t forget about her birthday, which we’re celebrating on June 13th, and our $7,000 fundraising goal for June. We’re almost half-way there – $4,000 more to go!
Mmmm… dinner
One of the most important aspects of sanctuary life is variety. And one of the most exciting times for chimpanzees is mealtime. Our staff and volunteers delight in creating dinners that are always a little different. The food grunts and squeaks that the chimpanzees make are a pretty good reward for the effort, I’d say.
Foxie and the paparazzi
Today I felt a bit like a chimpanzee sanctuary paparazzi. This first set of photos shows Foxie yawning – I just thought they were cute. The second though are spy-like photos of Foxie lying in a nest!! I was at the chimp house late and I caught her in an actual chimp nest (sheets and all!) way up in the corner of the catwalk. This is very exciting. If there were a chimpanzee sanctuary tabloid, I think the Foxie nesting photos would make the cover.
Get ready for it – the first real photos of Foxie settling down into a comfy nest of sheets. I don’t know if she made the nest or was borrowning one that someone else made.
She caught me taking photos, but didn’t seem to mind.
I know this is blurry, but sometimes that’s all we sanctuary paparazzi can get. Foxie is holding a troll doll in her left hand and a long-handled brush in her right.
