Cle Elum Seven

Sidewalks!

May 16, 2014 by Debbie

You may have picked up that Katelyn mentioned that J.B. and Ken Mikkelson were prepping the areas around the chimp house for sidewalks on Wednesday, and yesterday the Poppoff crew came out and started work on forming the concrete. Today they finished the sidewalks and now they are curing and drying so we can start using them in a few days. The Poppoffs are long-time supporters of the sanctuary and have helped us with other construction projects including Young’s Hill and even years ago when we created the greenhouse.

So, why sidewalks? It’s all part of the veterinary clinic project that we started last year. The cement pad in front of the gate will make it easier if we need to move big equipment in or out of the chimp house, including the trailer itself. The sidewalks go from the chimp area doors to the clinic, so we can easily transfer a chimp to the clinic if we need to. They also will be much nicer to shovel and put ice melt on in the winter! So, we are pretty excited about these sidewalks.

The chimps were very interested in all the work going on, and watched from Young’s Hill:

Today is in memory of Norman A. Johnson

May 16, 2014 by Katelyn

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Paula Nelson in memory of her father, Norman A. Johnson. Paula shared this lovely message about her father:

“My father passed away a year ago on May 9th. I wanted to honor his memory. He so enjoyed watching the videos and pictures of all the chimps. We had family in Cle Elum so that made it special for our family. I know he is smiling down still enjoying them. Love you Daddy.”

Paula, we are so touched that you thought of the chimpanzees when honoring the memory of your father. It makes us happy to know that they brought such joy to his life. Thank you so much for giving them a special day and our thoughts are with you and your family.

View from the top

May 15, 2014 by Elizabeth

Almost three years after we opened Young’s Hill, the chimpanzees are still exploring new facets of it all the time. This afternoon volunteer caregiver Denice called me outside to take a look at Jamie, who had scaled a 25 foot tall post to the very top, and was clinging to it and taking in her surroundings. She didn’t even come down when Denice announced that it was lunch time. Due to a camera mishap I wasn’t able to get a photo of her on her perch, but here she is climbing back down.

After a little more meandering, she headed to the greenhouse to enjoy some lunch.

Taking time to appreciate the roses

May 12, 2014 by Lisa

There were so many amazing pictures from Jody’s birthday celebration that it was hard to choose just a few to feature the highlights. In fact, I got so many good pictures of the chimpanzees foraging for the roses that I just had to share a few more today. Jody wasn’t the only one to savor the treat. Although she did end up with the lion’s share almost everyone got the opportunity to enjoy a flowery breakfast snack. What I find particularly intriguing is that I observed more than one chimpanzee looking at and smelling the flowers as part of the process of eating them. Now, this isn’t necessarily different from food as they often observe it and smell it before deciding whether or not it seems good enough to eat. It does seem a reasonable habit to get into if you’re going to be taking gastronomic risks. However, I still found it to be a captivating behavior to observe in my friends and certainly one that provokes further thought, if you go in for that kind of thing.

Annie

Missy

Jamie

Negra

Burrito (Okay, he’s not actually foraging for roses here but for chow instead!)

Jody’s Big Day

May 11, 2014 by Lisa

In celebration of Jody’s birthday we set up a fabulous breakfast party in the greenhouse and on Young’s Hill. The weather proved amenable with gorgeous skies and little to no wind, the spread was provided by volunteer, Patti, and the party set up was made possible by the hard work of volunteers, Sandra & Katie (in addition to Patti, of course!). Breakfast consisted of pears, watermelon, and pineapple along with the fruit smoothie, all set out in grande style in the greenhouse for the chimpanzees to enjoy. We also showered flowers (lilacs & roses) on Young’s Hill, along with chow, watermelon and lettuce for an exciting forage. What better way to honor Jody than with flowers? Not only are they as beautiful as she is but they are also an edible, delectable treat for the chimpanzees! Special thanks to Terra Bella Flowers for donating the roses the chimpanzees relished today.

I had a difficult time choosing photos today, there were so many great ones. Here is the scene from the party in the greenhouse:

Missy

Jamie

Negra

Foxie

Annie

Burrito

You don’t see much of Jody in the greenhouse and that’s because she was busy making out like a bandit in the flower forage.

After such an engaging breakfast a little down time is in order.

May your Mother’s Day be full of joy and light in the company of those you love whether in spirit or in life. Happy birthday, Jody Chimpanzee!

Green Grass

May 8, 2014 by Elizabeth

Each year around this time, the grass on Young’s Hill turns from brown and brittle to soft and green seemingly overnight. The chimpanzees love it, and I love how at home they look out there.

Annie:

Jody:

Foxie and Dora…

…and Ellie the elk spying:

Negra:

Burrito, enjoying the spring grass for the delicacy it is:

Interrupted play

May 6, 2014 by Debbie

Today Burrito and Foxie were wrestling and chasing and just being super playful in the greenhouse. Their laughter got to be pretty loud, and I think it caught Jamie’s attention…