Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Enrichment

Bold Adventurers

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Jody, ever the forager, harvested some big handfuls of snow this morning:

Jody walking with snow

Jody holding snow 2

 

This is determination:

Jody holding snow 1

 

Meanwhile, Jamie was passing Missy on a structure:

Jamie and Missy

 

It looks like they are hatching some sort of secret plan:

Jamie passing Missy

 

Or maybe Jamie always looks like she’s cooking up something:

Jamie on structure

Jamie background of snow

 

Encouraged by these bold adventurers, the humans (me + Anna, J.B., and interns Courtney and Anthony) headed onto the hill (with the chimps safely indoors) and plowed and shoveled some more pathways.

 

Missy chose a high vantage point:

Missy top of cabin

 

While Jamie immediately checked out the new trail:

Jamie in snow

Jamie disappearing

 

Annie chose to collect some more snow and call it a day:

Annie snow in mouth

Annie following Missy

 

Negra was likely keeping herself cozy indoors:

Negra under blankets Negra in front of window

 

And Burrito and Foxie (sorry, no photos of them today), took quick forays to get snow snacks. All in all, a very nice day at the sanctuary.

 

P.S. The buoy / boat bumper ball lives on! Kathleen and Sherry’s predictions were better than some of us who thought it would be deflated by now.

 

Boat Bumper Ball Antics

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One of the first nearly chimp-proof enrichment items the chimpanzees had after arriving to the sanctuary was a “boat bumper” donated by long-time supporter Kathy Benson, who found it at a garage sale.

Below is a photo of Annie (yawning) holding the toy. This was taken in July of 2008, less than a month after the chimpanzees arrived.

Annie with boat bumper

 

Recently, I searched on amazon for the same thing, remembering how much fun it had been for the chimps all those years ago. It turns out the big ones are fairly expensive, and I didn’t know if it would last as long, so I opted to get a small version and see how things went…

 

I do like how portable this version is –

MIssy carrying boat bumper

but given Jamie and Missy’s keen interest in “opening” the ball, I’m not sure how long it will last. What do you think?

Snow removal crews

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After days, weeks really, of endless snow and treacherous commutes for staff and volunteers alike, this morning dawned a new day. Achingly gorgeous clear, blue skies, a pink sunrise with bald eagles flying overhead, glittering snow, and much to the caregivers’ delight, clear (and dare I say almost dry!) roads to drive to work on. The quintessential beautiful winter day:

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The chimpanzees, especially Jamie, have been real troopers waiting out the snow. So first thing this morning, Diana, Anna and I decided to shovel some walkways and around Young’s Hill and line them with straw for the chimpanzees to venture out. All the chimps had been watching us intently from the playroom windows and when we stepped back into the greenhouse, Jamie was more than ready to get a look at what we had done.

When I gave the chimps access to Young’s Hill, Jamie was ready and waiting and literally squeezed through the doorway as it was opening. She immediately headed onto the hill, grabbing the toy shovel we had left on her way and headed out to help finish clearing the pathways.

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And it wasn’t long before she had a back-up snow removal crew member with Annie! Annie! Can you believe it?! (The other chimps were watching from the raceway while sitting in the sun):

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Jamie initially started shoveling with the shovel side down and then tried out the handle. The second I reminded her to turn it back around she did and carried on with her snow removal project.

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That’s their breath clouding around Annie:

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When Jamie was satisfied (and probably a little cold!) she headed back inside, but Annie decided to enjoy the morning sun for a view minutes on her own.

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Once she’d had enough of the cold morning she headed back to the warmth of the greenhouse. I don’t know what we humans would do without some help from these amazing chimpanzee people:

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The chimpanzees and humans have been so incredibly fortunate this holiday season, our hearts and sanctuary home filled with the kindness and generosity of all of you. I would like to share another very special gift the chimpanzees received! The amazing children of Ms. Horton’s 5th grade class made this Christmas tree and each beautiful, heartfelt ornament on it. We are so touched that they all would take the time and care to make the chimpanzees such an awesome gift for Christmas and send it all the way from Texas! We hung it up right outside the chimpanzees’ front rooms where they can all enjoy looking at it. Thank you so much!!

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Thanks to David and to Elizabeth!

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In case you missed this morning’s blog post, we are incredibly grateful to have THREE people sponsoring today for the chimpanzees, our first of whom is Tracy Headley.

Our second sponsor of the day is David Visneau! David, thank you so  much for your generosity, we truly appreciate you thinking of the chimpanzees and making a difference in their lives!

And our third sponsor for today is Elizabeth Steele, in honor of Lars and Becca Jorgensen! Elizabeth shared this message about today:

“This donation is in honor of Becca and Lars Jorgensen and their love and devotion to the Cle Elum Seven.”

Lars and Becca are dedicated chimp house volunteers who drive all the way from Seattle as often as possible to help care for the chimps. They go above and beyond in countless ways, from Becca picking up our generous produce donations from Darwin’s Natural Pet Foods multiple times a month to bring with her, to being Boss Jamie’s right-hand woman when it comes to walking around the perimeter of Young’s Hill multiple times a day! We are so fortunate to have Lars and Becca as part of our chimp family and are happy to see them honored today.

Elizabeth, thank you for honoring Lars and Becca and for sharing in the love they have for the chimpanzees and the dedication to making their lives better.

Boss Jamie:

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Becca, Jamie and Missy patrolling the territory:

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Jamie luxuriating in her nest while wearing the gift of a new pair of boots from her friend, Becca:

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More winter treats

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Winter is in full swing here at the sanctuary. And by full swing, I mean there is easily over a foot of snow on the ground, icicles are hanging from the roof and the snow continues to fall as I sit here writing this blog post. Luckily, winter brings about treats that these chimps sure do seem to enjoy!

Can you guess what Annie is up to in the next photo?

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How about now? Hint: take a close look in her mouth…
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Did you guess right?
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The next picture is a little blurry, but I think you can see how pilo erect (hair standing on end) that Burrito was when foraging for the snow and icicles.
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Foxie took her cup of snow up to the loft to eat.

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Jamie sat next to her cup of snow and icicles.
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Today is for the Taylor Family!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Meg Lunnum in honor of her family, the Taylors! Meg is a wonderful long-time friend of the chimpanzees and humans alike and she shared this beautiful message for her family:

“My little brother, Alan, who chose to be vegan. My sister-in-law, Angie, who is my yoga mentor and an instructor for Mindful Yoga that includes military veterans, and my two nephews, Harrison and Mitchell, who will grow up to be the most amazing persons thanks to their parents! And, hopefully, their Auntie. I love you all!!!!”

Meg, thank you so much for always holding the chimpanzees in your heart and including them in your family! We so appreciate all you do to make their lives, and the lives of so many other animal beings, better.

Alan, Angie, Harrison and Mitchell, you each sound like amazing people, just like Meg! All of us here at CSNW wish you the happiest of holidays! Thank you so much for caring about the chimp. We are so grateful to know how many wonderful friends the chimpanzees have. Even including some from the most unlikely of places…

Foxie and her troll friend:

Troll doll whispering to Foxie

Jamie and her boot friend:

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Negra and her blanket friend:

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