This afternoon Burrito was hanging out in the “photo studio” (one of the chimpanzees’ front rooms named for its perfect lighting for pictures), so I decided to snap a few portraits!
csnw
Forages All Day
Each day there is a theme for the enrichment we give the chimpanzees. Having a daily theme helps to ensure that the chimpanzees do not receive the same items each day and also helps keeps life for them interesting. We always try to include favorites, such as boots and troll dolls, and of course they receive many fresh blankets each day so they can make cozy nests. In addition to these staple items we might wrap their toys in blankets for them to unwrap or decorate the floor with chalk art. Today the theme is “forage all day,” so the chimpanzees started their day with a breakfast forage in the greenhouse!
Annie (left) and Foxie (right):
Jamie (center) found an orange slice hidden in the hanging tire (Annie to her left, Foxie to her right):
Missy:
Negra:
Jody:
Burrito:
Negra Falling Asleep
Sometimes a nap under a soft blanket in front of a sunny window is all you need.
Happy Birthday, Dawn!
Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Jo Arroyo in honor of Dawn Garcia on her birthday! Jo and Dawn are long-time friends and supporters of the chimpanzees and Jo shared this beautiful message about today:
“I want celebrate Dawn on her birthday. Dawn’s heart is full of love for our planet, everyday she points out its beauty. She has the faith in humanity, that sometimes I lack. She is the most positive, happy person I know, she brings love and sunshine into my life. And so do the chimps we dearly love! They are the epitome of strength, courage, forgiveness, adaptability, and remind us to live in the moment! Thank you to the extraordinary individuals and all the donors who step-up everyday to give the chimps the closest thing to freedom!”
Jo, thank you so much for sponsoring this special day for Dawn and the chimpanzees! We are so grateful to you both for holding the chimps in your hearts. And Dawn, all of the primates here at the sanctuary wish you the happiest of days filled with all the beauty, joy and love you bring to life and inspire in others. Happy Birthday!!
I am pretty sure your pal, Burrito, would send some birthday pant-hoots your way!:
Special Visitors and New Stuff for the Chimps
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has held several online auctions over the last few years, filled with fun items to bid on. Some of the coolest and most popular items have been donated by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day (this year he gave a personally-signed guitar to the Summer Biddin’ online auction).
The Armstrong family has been following the lives of the Cle Elum Seven for a while (proving something that doesn’t need proof: Burrito is irresistible), and Billie Joe’s wife Adrienne, who also owns Atomic Garden in Oakland, and her sister-in-law Jessy have visited the sanctuary a few times – always wanting to directly help out while they are here!
This past weekend, Adrienne, Jessy, Billie Joe, and Jessy’s husband / Adrienne’s brother Steve, owner of Familia Skateshop in Minnesota, all came out for a visit and to lend a hand. Susan Holmes McKagan, Billie Joe and Adrienne’s friend and model, fashion designer, and wife to bassist Duff McKagan also came out for the afternoon on Saturday.
We learned a few things over the two days they were here, including the fact that chimpanzees love Billie Joe. Jamie was extremely excited when he was willing to run with her around the hill, and invited him to do so several times. She didn’t even insist on him wearing cowboy boots:
And a few of the chimps listened while he played an acoustic guitar. Here’s Negra lending an ear:
Adrienne brought some rare brown-haired troll dolls, which Foxie immediately adopted
and brought on a walk around the hill with Adrienne and Susan:
The main task for the weekend was putting up a new structure on the hill that consisted of two tall log posts and a few metal bars that were to be installed between them for the chimps to climb on and swing from.
Not surprisingly, Jamie and Missy were the first to inspect and play on the structure after a forage was put out for everyone to enjoy:
The chimps didn’t have all the fun, though. The humans did a little “chimping around” during their breaks from manual labor:
The new bar structure is really neat, and there’s no doubt that the chimpanzees are going to enjoy it, but I was equally excited that Adrienne and Jessy got the holiday tree from last year planted on the hill:
The tree has been living in a pot in the greenhouse since last December, and the chimps, especially Jody, have been periodically snacking on it:
I’m really curious how that little bedraggled tree will do on the hill – I have high hopes!
As a well-deserved thank you for all the Armstrongs have done for the chimpanzees, both this weekend and in the past with their donations, they got to watch the chimpanzees enjoy the fruits of their labor from the observation deck looking out onto Young’s Hill:
What an awesome weekend for everyone!
A Chilly Fall Morning
It is a beautiful, chilly fall day here at the sanctuary, and the chimpanzees spent some time on Young’s Hill enjoying the crisp air. We have a lot of help with cleaning this morning, which means Jamie has many walking companions to choose from!
Here is Jamie on her second walk of the morning:
Jody also ventured out:
Missy and Annie spent a lot of time climbing on the hill, and then settled in the greenhouse to groom. Missy:
Annie (with Missy behind her):
I wonder if this view may be part of the reason why Jamie goes on so many walks:
Ah, fall!
Startling Adventures
If you’ve been following along for a while, you know that Jamie loves her walks around Young’s Hill. She’s definitely not the only one, though.
The other night I was walking around the hill with Jamie (me on the outside of the electric fence, of course) for what was probably the fifth or sixth time after dinner, and I heard something rapidly approaching us from behind. I will admit to being a bit startled. The evenings are usually very quiet and serene around here, and I was sure all of the other chimpanzees had gone to bed.
My temporary flight or fight reaction quickly turned to pure happiness when I whipped around to see who or what was rushing at us from behind. Apparently, from her nest in the loft of the playroom, Missy noticed that Jamie was on another walk, and she must have jumped out of bed and ran at full speed to catch up to us.
Missy is behind Jamie in the following two photos:
How fun to be able to jump out of bed to go on an adventure! I could genuinely feel Missy’s joy in surprising us.
Sometimes I forget the stark contrast between the lives the chimpanzees have now compared to where they came from. How many times would Missy have longed to get out of bed to run around when she was living in the few square feet of a laboratory cage?
Freedom is relative, and the chimps’ freedom at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is definitely not absolute, but their existence is worlds apart from what it was the first few decades of their lives. You can read about Missy’s past here.
And we have you – those who support the sanctuary – to thank for that. So, on behalf of Missy and her sense of adventure – Thank You!
