Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Missy’s birthday & foolish caregivers?

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Missy’s birthday is this Tuesday, three days from now. Jackie and I were talking the other day about ways we could celebrate. Of course we’ll have a big party for Missy and the other chimps – Robbi and Dick have already delivered bags overflowing with awesome new toys and party supplies.

We had the Troll Olympics to celebrate Foxie’s birthday. Jackie and I were both there, but didn’t participate in the games because I was overseeing the events and Jackie was filming and taking photos. We both had a great time, but, to be honest, we were a little jealous of the participants.

So, we came up with a plan…. we will take pledges from blog readers in any amount for Missy Games.

If we get a total of $500 pledged, we will run a Missy obstacle course on Young’s Hill that J.B. will design for us. If we get $1,000 pledged, I’ll “run” around Young’s Hill on the outside of the fencing. If that doesn’t sound like a big deal, well, it is. The hill itself is really steep and it’s quite the distance for a non-athlete like me, but I should start getting in shape to prepare for games of chase with Missy!

We’re really going to be making fools out of ourselves, but with your support, and in honor of Missy’s athleticism and goofiness, we’re willing to do it.

You can pledge by commenting on this post or emailing me: [email protected] and jackie: [email protected].

We are planning our outfits already – sweatbands and socks that Missy would like are a must.

missy leaping

Troll hair

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Foxie’s trolls often end up “scalped” and lose their hair. It seems like both Jamie and Jody might do the troll-scalping, although we don’t always catch it happening. One afternoon Jackie and I witnessed Jody rip this troll’s hair out while casually resting on top of the wooden platform outside.

We have some troll dolls that are quite odd in my opinion—they don’t really resemble the traditional troll doll and have a different type of hair. For some reason these trolls don’t lose their hair as often, if ever. In this troll line-up, you can see a traditional troll still with its hair, one that’s been scalped, and two of the “odd” trolls still with hair.

Foxie still interacts with these ones…

and maybe she’s on a mission to begin their hair removal too?

Seattle Bake Sale September 3rd & 4th

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The Chocolate Shoebox in Seattle is having a bake sale on Saturday September 3rd and Sunday September 4th from 11 to 7pm to benefit Precious Life Animal Sanctuary and Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. They are still welcoming bakers for fabulous vegan baked goods. See the poster below for more info.

Enter it in your calendars now! What could be better than eating baked goods to benefit two sanctuaries?

bake sale

 

Jamie’s Quality Control

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Today J.B. worked on some welding on the new raceway that leads to Young’s Hill. Recently Jackie wrote about how it seems that the chimps definitely know what’s been going on the last few months, and mentions that J.B. watched Jamie try to get his attention and pull on the door a little, too. You’ll see some of that in this video. We are lucky to have such great quality control around here–Jamie is always making sure we did a good enough job!

Siesta Time

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Afternoons are often very quiet around here. After the chimps have their lunch, the food comas set in and it’s almost always time for an afternoon siesta. Jamie was clearly thinking along those lines today.

Chimpanzees in the News

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Last week was a banner week for newspaper articles about chimpanzees and their protection.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest was the subject of a great article published yesterday (front page of the print edition) in the Yakima Herald Republic. Read it here and be sure to share it with others by sharing the link or scrolling down to the bottom of the article and clicking on the “share” button.

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On Friday, a compelling guest column by our friend Debra Durham was published in the Seattle Times. Debra wrote about her take on a recently released film and the realities within the fictional story in the column Depiction of lab animals in ‘Planet of the Apes’ disturbingly accurate.

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Recently, a very important op-ed in the New York Times appeared from Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett which eloquently described his change in opinion about the use of primates in biomedical research and the reasons for his co-sponsorship of the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act. Here’s a quote from that article:

“Continuing innovations in alternatives to the use of invasive research on great apes is the civilized way forward in the 21st century. Past civilizations were measured by how they treated their elderly and disabled. I believe that we will be measured, in part, by how we treat animals, particularly great apes.”

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And finally, the Washington Post tackled the story of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) meeting that convened last week as part of their investigation into the need for the continued use of chimpanzees in biomedical research. The investigation began in response to protests about moving chimpanzees from the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) to a laboratory in Texas where they faced being put back into invasive research.

If you’ve been following this story through our blog and e-newsletters, you know that Jody’s son Levi is one of the unlucky 14 chimpanzees already transferred to Texas. Foxie’s son David, Negra’s daughter Heidi and Jody’s daughter April remain at APF, and their future is in the hands of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH commissioned the IOM to examine the scientific value of using chimpanzees in research, but, as the Washington Post article pointed out, and as we all know, the ethical questions of using great apes in invasive research cannot and should not be separated from the discussion.

For the sake of Heidi, David, April, Levi, and all chimpanzees who are currently considered merely tools and test tubes by some in the biomedical research industry, we are grateful for Jane Goodall, Laura Bonar and others at the IOM meeting who insisted that ethics be included in the discussion and ultimate decision by the NIH.

Heidi
Negra's daughter Heidi