There is terrific article published today by Rachel Abramowitz which discusses PETA’s new documentary about chimpanzees used for entertainment. It mentions Sarah and her undercover investigation.
csnw
A few thoughts
I’m finally sitting down to process the day a little bit, and wanted to share some thoughts while they are fresh.
biggest surprise: Annie brachiating 17 feet up in the air, then just hanging there because she could
best scene: Jody laying on her back in the sun in a bed of straw
most impressive acrobatics: Foxie pulling her legs through her arms as she hung from the ceiling, turning upside down, while holding two troll dolls
best “awww” moment: Negra on the deck (the ledge made of donated Trex decking) “Negra style” – with a blanket over her head
proudest moment: seeing Burrito come out – he was pretty scared, but he did it. By the end of the day, he was napping in the sunshine
biggest laugh: Missy standing bipedally with a huge play face looking up at Annie as she dangled above
when it really hit me: watching Jamie try out all of the kids’ construction tools, then swing from the fire hose like a “real chimp” and thinking about her in a tiny barren cage in a windowless basement for most of her life
Foxie’s daughter
Shelly C. is having trouble posting comments this morning, and wanted us to be sure to send this link of a photo of Angie, Foxie’s daughter. Angie is being cared for by Save the Chimps and will soon be making her journey to their beautiful sanctuary in Florida. Here is a link to her short bio, which includes a photo: http://www.savethechimps.org/bios_angie.asp
We at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest have plans to find other children of the chimpanzees under our care – we just haven’t had the time to do so yet, so thank you Shelly C. for finding Angie! It is so wonderful to learn that Angie is safe at another sanctuary and will soon be moving to Florida where she will live in a large social group and spend her days on an island. I’ll see if I can find out any more information about Angie – just from the brief description, it sounds like she has a lot in common with Foxie.
Negra
We just received a new lens for one of the cameras we’ve been using to take photos in the chimp house – the lens was a gift purchased of our amazon.com wish list!
I’ve had a soft spot for Negra ever since I met her at Buckshire (see this old post), and I think she is the most photogentic chimpanzee I have ever met. These photos were taken using the new lens. Negra has a tendency to look a bit sad or thoughtful in photos, but moments after the last photo was taken she was nodding her head happily as I danced for her (she loves to watch us dance and be silly).
Washer and Dryer
Thank you all so much for taking it upon yourselves to raise funds for a new industrial washer and dryer set for all of the blankets, sheets, and clothes that we wash for the chimpanzees each day! You asked for it, here is a photo of our current washer and dryer – both were donated before the building was even complete. We’ve been impressed with how they’ve held up thus far. Doing constant loads of laundry could certainly soon take it’s toll any day on this old pair.
Troll Mania
Troll dolls have reached fad status at the chimp house. Jody recently caught on to the trend! Here’s a photo of her with a somewhat bald troll in her hip pocket.
Foxie continues to carry around Princess (or her formerly pink-haired look alike) and allows us to wash the now-bald Trixie each day. When Foxie sees Trixie in the laundry basket drying out, she softly hoots or whimpers, indicating that she wants Trixie back. Then she carries around one big troll (Trixie) and one small troll for most of the day. We’re looking forward to adding to the troll clan – keep them coming!
Two months & a big announcement
A few days ago we reached a milestone – the chimpanzees have been at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest for two months. Decades in research, and now two months in sanctuary. So much has happened in that short time. We’ve learned so much about each of the chimpanzees, and they seem to be changing every day. Jamie has stopped plucking her hair, Foxie now handles enrichment and has displayed rudimentary nesting behavior, Burrito has been working on some really great displays in his expanded space, Jody’s hair is growing back in and she’s developing some muscle, Missy is playing all of the time, Annie is coming into ‘her own’ and standing up for herself, and Negra is enamored with the views out of the windows.
And now the big announcement – the chimpanzees will be in their outdoor area on August 26th!! I can’t wait to share photos and experiences of the chimps touching ground for the first time. Thank you all for you support – you’ve helped make all of this possible!
