Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Cle Elum Seven

Happy 40th to Foxie!

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Foxie is the youngest 40 year old I’ve ever known. In chimp years, she’s an old lady. But this old lady is a backflipping, pirouetting, chasing, wrestling whirlwind. She is happy and silly and loving and kind.

On the chimps’ birthdays, we do our best to make their days as joyous as possible, and Foxie’s day is easy to make. To put it simply, she loves dolls. (It might be more accurate to say she’s obsessed.) Supporters from all over have been mailing in dolls for months, and we saved them all up for today. I meant to count them this morning before we set up the party, but there had to be at least fifty: cheerleader trolls and monster trolls and bride and groom trolls and surfer trolls and rockstar trolls….

For this morning’s party we scattered apricots, apples, pears, figs, and raspberries in the greenhouse, and we poured fruit smoothie into troll doll heads (of course).

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The smoothie trolls were a hit.

Foxie:

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Burrito:

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Annie:

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Jamie:

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Negra:

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Missy, who took it upon herself to systematically undress all of the new troll dolls:

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Burrito and Missy:

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Jamie:

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And the birthday girl:

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And a bonus video of Foxie checking out some new dolls:

Happy Birthday, Fox. May you continue to shine bright.

Snapshots

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It’s been a warm, sleepy, happy day at the sanctuary. Here are my favorite snapshots from today.

Negra waking up in the greenhouse this morning:

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Boss Jamie with a rare playface:

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BFFs Annie and Missy grooming:

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Burrito in a quiet moment:

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Foxie and Dora:

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Jody enjoying some wild plants she harvested from Young’s Hill:

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Zoomed In and Out

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Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for close up photos of the chimpanzees. There’s something about seeing every little detail of their faces that draws me in, captivates me and has me wanting to know more about them. Close-ups show every little fold of skin, every freckle, every speck of color in their eyes that help tell them apart from one another.

For instance, take a look at Missy. What do you see when you look at these photos?
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As much as I love these close-ups, I also love the zoomed out photos; the ones where I have to take time to find the chimpanzee “hidden” among the bamboo and grass or on the various structures on Young’s Hill. I find that the zoomed out photos also help tell the story of each chimp, their preferences, their abilities and their character, that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to tell from a closeup. I also find these types of photos help to convey just how far they’ve come since finding sanctuary at CSNW.

For example, the following photos show Missy’s ability to tightrope walk with precision balance and her preference to explore the highest of heights that can be found on Young’s Hill. She’s certainly come a long way from the windowless basement where she lived prior to coming to CSNW.

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Of course, these photos and videos wouldn’t be possible without the kindness and generosity of our supporters! Thanks to all of you who have donated time, money, expertise and purchased items off of our Amazon wishlist over the years and most recently for our “Christmas in July” celebration! Your help has literally made all of the difference in the world, helping us to share photos and videos of the Cle Elum Seven with supporters from around the world! And a special thank you goes out to whoever purchased the new computer that now sits in front of me (please let us know who you are since there was no gift receipt with it)!! The new computer will allow us to expand on what we do, plus enable us to make videos of the footage we gather with our new (to us) GoPro cameras.

Burrito and Becca play

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One of Burrito’s favorite activities in the world is playing with his caregivers. Sometimes you can’t even walk by him without him stomping his foot and inviting you to play. This afternoon I caught him and volunteer caregiver Becca in a silly game.

The Loners

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The Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees had lived together in the lab for a few years before they came to the sanctuary, so they were already an established group when we met them. Like any family, theirs contained a range of personalities. Some were dominant and some were submissive, some were serious and some were fun-loving, some were social and some were independent.

When the group first arrived at the sanctuary eight years ago, Jody and Negra kept to themselves pretty consistently. They would show up to meals, but that was about the only group activity they showed any interest in. For most of the day, they would each find a quiet spot, make a nest, and enjoy their solitude.

We love that the chimps have the freedom to make their own choices, so we were glad that Negra and Jody were spending their days in the ways that made them happy. Still, as we watched some of the other chimps find joy and comfort in companionship, we couldn’t help but wish that Jody and Negra would open themselves up to this experience.

Fast forward eight years: Today we know a Jody and a Negra who still appreciate their alone time, but who also regularly seek out soothing grooming sessions or gentle play sessions with their friends. They remain fundamentally the same people we met years ago, but now their worlds are just a little bigger.

Jody:

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Negra:

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