Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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don young

Don’s Birthday Party

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As promised, here are photos and video of today’s party. The chimps enjoyed a forage of leeks, red bananas, broccolini, sweet peppers, lettuce, and corn. We also put out cups of warm herbal tea with almond milk, party hats filled with peanuts, and pinatas stuffed with grapes, as well as a fresh bale of alfalfa (a nest you can eat!).

We’re big on recycling around here, so for today we re-purposed the Christmas tree as a “Birthday tree.” Annie and Burrito took turns picking treats from its branches:

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Negra went straight for the corn, while Missy hunted for red bananas:

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Foxie guzzled all the tea she could find:

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Somehow, Missy got to the party hat pinata first, so all Jamie could do was scrounge for leftovers. Don’t feel sorry for her, though – she ate almost everything else:

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Watch the video:

It’s fitting that the chimps enjoyed a forage in the greenhouse today, and that Jamie walked around the hill to her heart’s content. Both the greenhouse and Young’s Hill were made possible in large part by Karen and Don Young.

So Don, thank you (and Karen) for caring so much about these seven chimps. We hope you enjoyed your birthday – the chimps certainly did!

Happy Birthday to Don Young!

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Don Young, of the famed Young’s Hill that the chimpanzees enjoy everyday, has a birthday today! His wife Karen wanted the chimps to have a party in his honor, so she sponsored today and sent a little bit extra for party supplies and food. So be sure to check back later for party photos!

Karen had this to share about sponsoring today:

“In honor of the love of my life, my incredible, generous, supportive husband who will be 76 years old. Without him, his work ethic and decades of dedication to his profession, as well as love and attention to his family, we would not be able to donate to CSNW. What is important to me or to the rest of the family, is important to him. He is an amazing person, and we are all blessed to have him by our sides.”

We couldn’t agree more. The Young’s have done so much for Foxie, Negra, Annie, Missy, Jody, Burrito, and Jamie. Truly, the sanctuary would not be what it is today without their support. So, we too want to extend our heartfelt wishes for a very happy day to Don, with many more birthdays to come.

Karen sponsored this day last year as well, and here’s a photo from the party of Negra enjoying some Brussels sprouts. It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year!

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Today is for Don Young

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A giant Happy Birthday to Don Young today! Don’s wife Karen is sponsoring today in honor of Don’s 75th birthday and shared these sentiments: “Happy 75th to my wonderful husband, Don, who has so generously supported my chimp passion so that it is now his passion as well! Here is to you and a chimp party in your honor! Love, Karen.”

The chimpanzees celebrate Don and Karen every day when they step onto Young’s Hill – the two acre habitat that the Youngs helped to fund. They also funded the greenhouse project, the termite mound on Young’s Hill, and contributed generously towards the medical clinic.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest simply wouldn’t be what it is without their help, and we can’t thank them enough.

We’ll be throwing a BIG party for Don today – check back on the blog later for photos, or get the blog posts in your inbox by subscribing – just scroll down on this page below all of the announcements, etc., put your email address in the box below the words, “Subscribe to Blog via Email,” and then click “subscribe.”

In the meantime, watch the video below of the chimpanzees first day on Young’s Hill:

Happy Birthday, Don!