Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Cle Elum 7

Choosing a Companion

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Each day we put out a variety of enrichment for the chimpanzees to play with. This is usually some assortment of toys, socks, scarves, hairbrushes, toothbrushes, scrub brushes, buckets, paper, stuffed animals, and anything else we think the chimps might enjoy. There are two types of items that we absolutely must include with each day’s enrichment: boots for Jamie and dolls for Foxie.

This morning Foxie spent a few minutes in front of a pile of dolls in the playroom, choosing which one(s) she should carry around for the day.

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Foxie frequently uses the bite test to assess a doll’s worthiness:

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In the end, she chose all three dolls, and the four of them headed into the greenhouse for some rest.

Easy To Please

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Caring for captive chimpanzees can be a challenge. They are intelligent and curious, and they get bored easily. We’ve written before on this blog about how much effort it takes to keep the boss Jamie happy and enriched.

Burrito, though, is remarkably easy to please. He has few demands, and the ones he has are simple. He yearns for a full belly (the fuller, the better) and friends to play with. Luckily, we’re all about good food and good friends here, so Burrito is a pretty content man.

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During a break between cleaning this morning, I went out to the greenhouse to see what the chimps were up to. As soon as Burrito saw me, he stomped his foot loudly on the platform to invite me to play a game of chase. I was more than happy to oblige.

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August Birthdays

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A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Foxie’s 38th birthday, and One Green Planet shared the birthday video on their site today. Check it out and please share!

Speaking of birthdays, we have another August birthday coming up—Missy is turning 39 this Saturday! We have big plans underway already, including all of Missy’s favorites: socks, slinkies, kongs, and tomatoes!

Here’s some recent photos of the upcoming birthday girl:

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Missy and Annie (this picture was posted to our Instagram the other day for the 100 Happy Days challenge)

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If you want to contribute toward the birthday festivities, make a donation today in Missy’s name, or become one of her pals!

Time To Fly

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Life is made up of the smallest moments strung together like pearls that, when you add them up, become the most beautiful story, more beautiful than you could possibly imagine at the time they are happening. Today is my final day caring for the chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and all I can say is how extremely grateful I am that I have had the opportunity to be here now. Getting to be a part of the lives of both the chimpanzees and all the people who care so deeply for them has been unbelievably incredible. I do not know what comes next, but I do know that my life has been made fuller for having shared it with Jamie, Jody, Missy, Annie, Negra, Foxie and Burrito. (Not to mention, JB, Diana, Elizabeth, Debbie, Katelyn, Keri, Denice and all the volunteers!) I can only hope that I have helped to bring as much joy into the lives of everyone involved as I have had the privilege to experience.

Today could not have been more perfect. I have had the time to hang out with some truly amazing friends one last time whether grooming Missy, chasing Burrito, walking with Jamie, giving Negra a kiss, or playing with each of the others. It is a gift I will cherish in my heart as I continue on my journey. Here are a few favorite pictures from this year for you to enjoy.

Jamie:
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Burrito:
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Foxie:
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Missy:
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Annie:
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Negra:
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Jody:
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I would like to leave you with this quote from Edward Teller that gets me through my moments of doubt as I keep moving forward. “When you get to the end of all the light you know and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things will happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”

Everyone Loves Tomatoes

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There’s no denying Missy’s love of tomatoes, as Diana mentioned in her blog post recently, but today, all of the chimpanzees showed their love for Missy’s favorite food.

As soon as caregiver Katelyn walked into the garden, Missy was quick to get in position for Katelyn to serve her.

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Jamie quickly joined Missy at the window directly above where the plants are growing to get her share.

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Foxie realized what was happening and joined Missy and Jamie.

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It quickly became apparent to Katelyn that there was not enough room left in the window for the other chimpanzees. So, she moved over to the barn doors to serve the tomatoes. It didn’t take long for Negra, who was sleeping on the catwalk right above the window overlooking the plants, to climb down to get some tomatoes as well.

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Jody approached the barn doors to join in on the tomato fun with Negra on her left and Foxie on her right.

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As soon as Burrito and Annie realized Katelyn was serving tomatoes by the barn doors, they quickly joined the party. But, somehow they managed to avoid the camera and I am left with no photographic evidence of them eating any of the tomatoes (although I promise you, I saw tomatoes in their mouths).

Waiting Out the Storm

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For the last couple of days, we’ve gotten a much needed break from the hot and dry conditions here in Cle Elum. It’s been overcast and cool, with some rain and thunder. While the chimpanzees don’t love to be outside when it’s raining, they do seem to love cool, gray days, so they’ve been enjoying exploring Young’s Hill whenever the rain stops for a bit. When it starts up again, they head inside and cuddle up with some blankets or a favorite doll. Katelyn snapped these photos yesterday of Jamie and Negra keeping dry indoors.

Jamie:

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Negra:

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The train

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There is a train that goes along the river that is in the valley below the sanctuary. Negra often likes to watch the train go by at her window spot from the playroom—the train can be seen on the south side of the building and Young’s Hill. Jody however, was on the north end of the hill this morning when the train started to go by. We don’t always hear the horn blowing (because there aren’t any large train crossings near us) but you can sometimes hear a slight screech of the wheels against the tracks.

When Jody heard that this morning, she got a little spooked, and approached Jamie for some reassurance by reaching out and hugging her back. Jamie grunted (sorry, the photos don’t show that!) to sort of affirm, “yes, I heard that, too, and it’s okay.”

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Still somewhat spooked, Jody retreated toward the safety of the greenhouse.

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But before she could reach the building, she saw the train passing by, and I think she was comforted in seeing that the strange noise was really coming from something quite normal in their lives.

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