Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

easter

Easter Video

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Easter was a busy day here at the sanctuary. Somebody thought it would be a good idea to schedule Jake to do some repairs and improvements to the building on the same day as a chimp party. Thankfully, the staff and volunteers (and chimps!) were all good sports about it and we got it all done.

Over the winter, Facilities and Ground Technician Jake, who happens to be a skilled welder, fabricated some new food chutes for Jamie’s side of the building. Food chutes let us safely pass larger foods and enrichment items to the chimps and we have them in all areas of the building except Playroom 1 and Greenhouse 1. Now that the weather is warmer we were finally able to get these new ones installed, along with some new perches for Cy’s group.

Despite Diana’s pronouncement, it’s hard to say who the day’s real winner was: Cy, for discovering the jackpot atop the tower on the Bray, or Negra, for getting eggs, peanut butter, and a leisurely walk through the grass all in one sunny spring day? Let’s call it a tie.

Presenting the Winner of the Easter Egg Hunt

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It was an exhilarating day (if you are really impatient, scroll down to find out exactly why).

To tell the truth, it didn’t really dawn on me until yesterday that today is Easter, so I was felt lucky to be able to help with the festivities of the day.

I did know there were some party plans in store for the chimps for Easter, including non-commercial eggs from happy chickens that Dr. Erin knows that were dyed using natural dyes (like blueberries and yellow beets) by volunteer Nancy yesterday.

and SO MANY paper eggs filled will all sorts of fruits and veggies that were hidden i both outdoor habitats by volunteer Patti and staff member Ellen for an Easter egg hunt.

It was a gorgeous day, and all the chimps appreciated the forages and the dyed eggs. We actually got quite a bit of footage, but I wasn’t able to get it all put together for a proper video, so look for that tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some photo highlights:

Jamie watching the set-up in the greenhouse from the playroom:

Annie on one of the new structures on Young’s Hill:

Burrito chomping down on a “baby” iceberg lettuce:

Foxie with a tomato she found in one of the paper eggs:

Negra even climbed a structure in search of more lettuce:

 

The true winner of today’s Easter egg hunt was, hands down, our very own Cy. He marched right outside and went to the new structures on The Bray. Structures that he had never climbed before this afternoon!!!

He deserved today.

Cy’s sister Lucky also was feeling adventurous and climbed the crow’s nest structures that are connected to Ryan’s Lookout:

Thank you to everyone who supports the sanctuary and who donated at year-end to make these structures possible. Look for the Easter video tomorrow!

Easter, Chimp Style

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**Warning** This post contains a lot of photos!!

Easter, chimp style, involves good food…

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…enrichment with hidden food inside…
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…toys and dolls…
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…an Easter egg hunt in the greenhouse…
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and in the playroom…
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and, of course, the Cle Elum Seven!!

Missy found one of the eggs with peanuts inside.
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Burrito scored with the primate chow he gathered in his mouth and hands!
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Foxie took turns with each of her dolls, first with the brunette…
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then with the blonde,
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and later, with both of them.

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Annie held onto her egg as she ate peanuts and primate chow.
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Jody made sure to check every part of the Easter basket for hidden treats.
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Jamie searched high and low for treats, including under this blanket,
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…in these boots,
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…and in these boxes.
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Negra found her favorite treats (peanuts) inside some of the Easter eggs.

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Wishing everyone a happy and joyous Easter!

Easter egg hunt

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(Be sure to check out the earlier post with pictures of the party set-up).

Happy Easter! Today we had a big Easter egg hunt on the hill for the chimps. They seemed to really enjoy it. We kept the fun going and had another forage in the playroom, too! When you’re done looking at all the photos, watch the video at the end to see the chimps getting some Easter goodies.

Burrito with an Easter egg basket:

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Negra drinking some water out of a watering can (while sitting in her cabin)

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Jamie also liked this watering can, and Jody is here peering on:

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Annie really liked a different watering can:

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Foxie and Annie:

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Foxie walking with Negra:

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Jamie in the cabin:

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Jamie found all our good hiding spots!

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Missy with an Easter egg in her mouth:

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Negra, looking very happy with her Easter egg:

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And the party continues

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Here are a few still shots from yesterday

I had to take one “before” shot of the cornbread peeps and the Passover Harrosset on Matzah (hope I got that right!). We really can’t thank the volunteers and supporters enough for making Easter, and everyday, such a treat for the Cle Elum Seven and the CSNW staff too!

Easter bucket, cornbread peep, celery with pnut butter, matzoh with harosset

One of the many, many things that I like about chimps is they like what they like – they aren’t as influenced by human hang-ups and ideas about what’s “snack” food and what’s “just a vegetable”. Thanks to a donation from a far, we bought some fresh produce Easter morning that the chimps don’t get frequently – cucumbers, green onions, sweet potatoes and coconuts. Jody and Missy were competing for who could grab as many green onions as they could.

Missy eating a green onion

And here is a man and his treasured coconut

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The party seemed to be still going on this morning… Foxie was eating a coconut when we arrived (quite happily), and Missy and Annie did not even consider coming in for breakfast. After breakfast, Jamie donned an Easter bonnet (or perhaps more of a Spring gardening hat) briefly:

Jamie day after Easter wearing hat

Easter Party

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The chimps had a great party today, complete with Easter baskets and treats courtesy of their wonderful friends and supporters. There were plastic eggs filled with nuts and dried fruit, homemade bagels and muffins, even cornbread peeps! Of course, there were also plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, including eggplant, cucumbers, green onions, and coconuts, which we were able to purchase because of your Easter party donations.

It was rainy and gloomy today, so most of the party was set up inside. However, Annie realized that we threw some treats in the outdoor area and she got to enjoy them all by herself. Burrito grabbed one of the coconuts and clung to it for dear life. When he first came to the sanctuary, he didn’t know how to crack one open, but he must have learned from Missy because today he cracked open his first!

Many thanks to all who contributed to the party!