Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Foxie

Grooming with friends

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The chimps were all warm and cozy inside this morning and most were taking some after breakfast naps. Not Rayne and Terry though! They were having quite the grooming session. Terry was very gently grooming Rayne’s face with his lips. Anthony happened to spot this and I rushed to get the camera. This went on for a long time and they groomed on and off. What a perfect way to groom when your stomach is full from breakfast!

Cy waiting for us to put out some new magazines for him to read.

Dora resting on one of the wooden toys.

On the other side of the building Katelyn was on snow treat duty! The chimpanzees in Negra’s group were lined up in the front rooms waiting for Katelyn to bring them lots of snow! Foxie’s snow had a special treat waiting in it.

Negra enjoying snow.

Jody patiently waiting for some snow.

Foxie with her shovel coming inside to join the snow party!

 

Lazy days filled with ice

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Today was more on the chilly side, but that didn’t stop some of the chimpanzees in Jody’s group from making their way out to Young’s Hill to collect ice treats from the tires and platforms! They spent a good amount of time out there looking for ice. The rest of the day was spent lounging around in cozy nests up high.

Jody running back to eat her ice in the Greenhouse with Burrito behind her.

Foxie enjoying her ice up high.

Annie stayed out the longest finding all the hidden ice.

Missy also took her ice back to the Greenhouse.

Foxie and her doll hurrying back inside to where it was warm.

Over on the other side of the chimp house, I found Mave relaxing in her Greenhouse all day. Every time I went around to take photos she was there, but in a different spot. Rayne’s group spent most of the afternoon having grooming parties on the platforms in their Greenhouse. It was pretty warm in all the Greenhouses today with the sun and winter panels up.

It was the perfect day to relax and lounge around!

She’ll Let You Know

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This video is a perfect example of how Jamie gestures to let you know what she wants. If you couldn’t tell Jamie was a bit busy managing the humans today, as per usual. I love Jamie because she isn’t afraid to let you know what she wants. She obviously has no problem telling us what boots she wants us to wear, what books to give her, which piece of pepper she wants, or get the gator now! Most of Jamie’s communication is through gestures like pointing or slight head nods. In the video you can see I had picked out a boot in hopes that it was the one she had in mind. Sometimes we get lucky on the first try, other times you have to keep trying them on. She usually has a favorite pair that we try first! If she doesn’t like the boot, book, or whatever it is Jamie wants she will keep pointing until we get the right one. Occasionally she likes the boot, but wants a different person to put it on! It’s the best feeling when you have been trying to figure out what Jamie wants and then all of the sudden you get the combo! It’s a total rush because all we want to do is please her! Finding out what Jamie wants is just a small way to make her life better and we are happy to do it.

It’s December 1st which means we will start slowly adding Christmas items to the wish list, so keep your eyes peeled!

Foxie with Dora the Explorer:

Quiet Days

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It was a pretty laid back day around the chimp house today. Everyone must still be resting from Jamieween and Lucky’s birthday! The weather was cold and mostly cloudy today, so it was a good day to just lounge around. In the afternoon there was a window of some sun and the chimpanzees in Jamie’s group took this opportunity to explore Young’s Hill. They were out there for awhile, but then it was back to resting again.

Missy watching the others on Young’s Hill.

Burrito between sprints around the hill.

Foxie with her doll.

Jody took her golden beets from lunch onto the hill.

I couldn’t decide which photo of Annie I liked the best, so I added them all!

This is how I found Willy B lounging this morning when I was opening up the chimp house.

Katelyn took these great photos of Honey B interacting with the foot box today.

Just as I was adding the title of this blog “Quiet Days” Willy B started rolling this scooter back and forth. I think it’s dinner time!

 

Jamieween 2021!

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Jamieween is finally here! Today we celebrated the one and only Jamie’s 44th Birthday, as well as Halloween! Today was full of scarecrows, pumpkins, pomegranates, shrunken apple heads, birthday gifts for Jamie, and much much more! The chimpanzees here had quite the celebration today. Enrichment Coordinator, Chad did such a good job planning all of this for them. A huge thank you to everyone who bought items for today off of our wish list! Everything really added to the celebration today. Also, thank you to all of the care staff who helped get these great videos and photos!

I hope that Jamie and the rest of the chimpanzees here enjoyed themselves today. I know we all enjoyed watching them. Back in the day my time as an intern here only breached the surface of who Jamie is and I’m getting to know her so much better. I’m still leaning some Jamie language, but its a fun ride and it is a privilege to be able to help care for her. She is definitely a special chimpanzee.

Jamie’s group had a 2 part celebration that began in their Greenhouse. Willy B enjoyed time in the Courtyard with his scarecrow while Mave and Honey B celebrated inside. The Lucky Six enjoyed their pumpkins and Halloween bags full of things like nuts and cabbage.

Shrunken apple heads!

Jamie enjoying her pumpkin bags next to her new book.

Jamie gathering as many as she can.

Missy taking over after Jamie moved on.

Annie investigating the scarecrow.

Missy enjoying her pomegranate next to the scarecrow.

Burrito with his corn on Young’s Hill.

Foxie with her pomegranate.

Foxie made sure her doll got to enjoy the forage.

Negra found lots of Brussels sprouts.

Jody trying to carry as much as she can to enjoy her food back in the Greenhouse.

Jamie found three pomegranates!

Terry enjoying the celebration.

Lucky found some goodies.

Cy taking a break from reading.

Dora with her forage finds.

Gordo and Dora.

Rayne took hers to the Greenhouse.

Mave and Willy B are excited about pumpkins!

Mave and her pumpkin.

Honey B enjoying her stash.

Willy B found some pumpkin bags before making his way to the scarecrow.

Willy B ready to dive into the pumpkin head!

 

And…….Burrito ended up being the Great Pumpkin Thief this year! As you can see in the video he brought it down from a platform on Young’s Hill, but it rolled away. It ended up rolling into the fence and we had to bring everyone inside so we could get it unstuck. After spot cleaning the seven’s playroom we put it back inside to see who would grab it. Jody really wanted it and tried several times, but Burrito was the winner this year.

 

 

I Spy: Movement Up the Mountain

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Last week one of our supporters very excitingly asked when expansion work was going to begin, and I’m happy to inform everyone that today was the day. During the morning, Gary’s Sage Mechanical crew came in to do some work on top of Young’s Hill. This meant that Jamie and her six friends could not go out on the hill during that time but that did not mean that they were unaware that some humans were in need of chimp supervision. After work concluded and it was safe to give them access to the hill, Jamie, Annie, Missy, Foxie, Burrito and Jody sprinted up the hill to assess the situation. Jody went back inside the safety of the green house shortly after, might have been too scary of a situation. On the way up Missy asked for reassurance from all her friends. First from Burrito, then Jamie, and finally from Foxie who gladly complied. Annie was the first one to arrive and climbed up the Twister to get a better view. Jamie, of course, was very excited to see new people but more excited about seeing new boots.

Foxie reassuring Missy on the way up to check out the expansion work.

Missy and Foxie looking at Jody as she turns around to go back into the safety of the green house.

Foxie and Jamie looking at J.B. and the members of Sage Mechanical…and their boots.

Gary’s nephew, who has a background in forestry, Gary, and J.B. smiling for the camera.

Annie supervising from the Twister platform.

After brief visual inspection, the construction boots pass the test and are worthy of a run around the hill.

On the other side of the chimp house:

Rayne eating green apples during breakfast this morning. Courtesy of caregiver Sam.

Dora resting in one of the front rooms.

Rayne in the green house taking advantage of the break from the rain that we got today.

Feels like Sanctuary

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Today really felt like sanctuary, I mean everyday does, of course! But everyday is different, each chimps mood varies, what they feel like doing, or not doing. Today was full of patrol walks, laughter, exploring, displaying, excited breathy pants, and of course a few non shifters ;). The beauty of sanctuary is choice and with that choice gives them a sort of freedom, not the freedom they should have and very much deserve, but the closest freedom they can have. Some days I will catch moments that just make your heart want to burst with joy, like Jamie chasing Foxie on Young’s Hill. Because those moments are what sanctuary is all about!

We just updated our wish list for Wildlife Toybox. They have some really fun durable enrichment, we especially need the mirror cover for our “Looky Lou”!

Rayne says goodnight!