Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.
Missy and a few of the other chimps took their breakfast outside this morning.
Chimps will often eat many of the peels and rinds that we avoid, but only after they’ve finished the best parts. Annie and Burrito are the biggest scavengers of these less desirable bits.
After fueling up, Missy led her gang up to the Twister and then on a walk around the perimeter of Young’s Hill.
The sanctuary is located on the site of an old homestead. While the original house is long gone, many of the barns and outbuildings remain, as does the orchard. These trees produce Rainier, Bing, and pie cherries, as well as apples, Italian plums, and enough pears to feed a hundred chimpanzees. At one time there was actually a railroad stop here in the canyon, and the extra fruit from this orchard would likely have been sold in a bustling farmer’s market. There was even a saloon and dance hall in what is now our lower pasture, shown on an early 20th century map as being nestled between a barn and a chicken shed.
These days the orchard is the domain of our dogs, Wilson and Abbey, but they are kind enough to let the staff and volunteers go in and pick fruit for the chimps from time to time.
Yesterday we picked pears and plums from the old trees, and the chimps had them for breakfast this morning. They were a huge hit. Luckily there are a few hundred more pounds where that came from.
The onset of fall is a welcome change around here. In addition to the orchard’s harvest, it also brings relief from the intense heat and relentless sun of Central Washington summers. The chimps choose where to spend their time, and during the summer much of their time is spent indoors. Now we are more likely to find them relaxing on the play structures, walking through the tall grass, and otherwise enjoying the space and relative freedom of Young’s Hill, their two-acre enclosure.
You could argue that Jamie gets the most out of Young’s Hill, the way she patrols its boundaries throughout the day. But no one exploits every swing, structure, and tight rope like Missy. Now that fall is upon us, I expect to see a lot more of her outdoor antics. If only we could resurrect that old dance hall for her; I think she’d fit right in.
First things first – the Summer Biddin’ online auction is crazy! As I write this (way later than I intended to be writing a blog post), the total is up to $21,761! Thank you to everyone who has bid on items and donated to Raise the Barn. Bidding ends Monday night!
Now, for the chimp day.
We were planning for a lunch forage on the hill, and I noticed that we had a bounty of corn in the fridge, so we decided to put out whole ears still in the husk as part of the forage.
Negra was pretty much in heaven:
She also picked up some cattails for later:
Volunteer Chad did a really good job of corn distribution and everyone got in on the action.
Missy:
Foxie:
Burrito:
Jamie:
Annie eating corn in her nest:
Jody also got some corn leftovers, but she was more focused on a very novel treat that her friend Stephanie had delivered – banana blossoms!
Burrito found a blossom on the hill on his second trip to the buffet:
Apparently it was a lot of work to eat it, or he was taking a cue from Jody who often eats in a reclined position, because he finished it off lying down:
It’s very satisfying to see the chimpanzees satisfied, isn’t it?
Volunteers always tell us that watching the chimps enjoy their meals makes them want to eat healthier. Would you try the Chimp Diet? For the Cle Elum Seven, that means mostly whole fruits and vegetables, unprocessed nuts and seeds, and fresh edible weeds like prickly lettuce and dandelions. Oh, and if you’re Negra, the occasional wild frog…
Watch (and listen!) to Negra enjoying her celery, cucumber and sweet potato lunch (don’t worry, no frogs in this video).
How does Annie stay looking so young?
The other night I watched Negra eat dandelions as the sun began to set over Young’s Hill. I wish it could be spring forever.
