There’s nothing like spring at the sanctuary.
Cle Elum Seven
Here Comes the Sun
The last two days have seen the first genuinely warm weather we’ve had in Cle Elum after a long winter. All of the windows and doors of the chimp house are thrown open, allowing a gentle, warm cross breeze to waft through the building. I think Jody’s dreamy expression speaks for all of us.
Bonding Time
Foxie and Dora have had a quiet Sunday so far.
The View From the Bottom
In chimpanzees, personality and dominance often go hand in hand. The alphas aren’t always the biggest and strongest individuals; they’re often in charge because they want to be in charge. (Despite some of the benefits conferred, not everyone is interested in running for president.)
At CSNW, Annie is the lowest in the hierarchy. She also happens to be a little anxious. It’s impossible to know whether she’s anxious because she’s the lowest in the hierarchy, or whether she’s the lowest in the hierarchy because she’s an anxious individual. (The truth is probably some combination of those options.) Despite being the lowest in the hierarchy, Annie doesn’t have it too bad. She has to wait her turn at meals, and she defers to the more dominant chimps in passing. But she also gets away with a fair amount of sass – probably because the more dominant chimps aren’t threatened by her. She can take food straight out of Negra’s hands – assuming it’s not something Negra cared too much about – and she always lets the other chimps know when they’ve wronged her. As the years go by, we see less and less anxiety and more and more peace and contentment in her eyes.
8th Annual Love a Chimpanzee Day
We love made-up holidays around here (holiday = party for the chimps). For the last 8 years, the chimps’ good friend Monica Best has sponsored April 23rd as Love a Chimpanzee Day. (It also happens to be Monica’s birthday!) Unless you’ve followed our blog for awhile, you probably haven’t heard of Love a Chimpanzee Day; that’s because it didn’t exist until Monica dreamed it up.
To celebrate CSNW’s 8th Annual Love a Chimpanzee Day, we decided to throw a luau party, because there’s never a bad time to throw a luau party for chimps you love. The chimps enjoyed a feast of bananas, oranges, fruit smoothie, and pineapple coconut water for breakfast in the greenhouse.
Missy:
Burrito:
(Burrito was especially happy to see former volunteer caregiver Stephanie, who stopped by for a visit!)
Negra:
Jamie:
Jody:
Annie:
(Annie really had lounging down to an art today…)
Thanks as always to Monica for conceiving of and sponsoring this delightful holiday (and happy birthday)!
Ok… Now it’s spring!
It’s not officially spring in Cle Elum until Negra eats her first handful of fresh green grass on Young’s Hill.
You Can’t Please Everyone
Burrito is more popular in some circles than in others. As a rule, humans adore him while his chimp family merely tolerates him. On a daily basis, Burrito terrorizes the six female chimps he lives with by charging through the chimp house in loud and intimidating dominance displays. Burrito’s just doing what male chimps do, but that argument doesn’t hold much water with the ladies who have to live with him.
Despite all that, there’s something endearingly innocent about him. He feels his emotions deeply. While not the most socially savvy person, he tries hard to fit in, and he doesn’t always understand why the other chimps are upset with him. He loves and trusts his caregivers without reservation, even though humans have not been kind to him in the past. He loves a gentle game of tug of war with his human friends, and he greets every meal like a kid on Christmas morning.
