Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Foxie

In memory of Doreen

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This special day of sanctuary was sponsored by Donna Hughes in memory of her beloved twin sister, and our beloved friend, Doreen, in celebration of their shared birthday.

“In Memory of Our Birthday, Doreen. You are so missed by so many. I know how much you love Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our special day. You are with me still. Our wonderful visit to the Sanctuary is a cherished memory. I know how much you love Foxie and all of the residents (human and ape!) Until we meet again …xo Don & Samantha”

We couldn’t be more touched or thrilled to celebrate this special birthday! Donna and Doreen are two of the most delightfully enchanting, kind, loving, and effervescent humans you could ever hope to meet. They’re the kind of people who lift your heart in a world that doesn’t always and make you think, “Chalk two up for the humans!” Together, Donna and Doreen have made countless differences in the lives of so many of our fellow animals through their support of animal welfare.Though we were heartbroken at Doreen’s passing last year and miss her every day, I don’t think I’ve seen an instance of someone’s spirit and legacy being kept as strong as I do through the equally beautiful heart of her beloved sister, Donna. And there’s no doubt for me that Doreen is shining on all the lives she touched each and every day.

As long-time friends and supporters of the sanctuary, and Chimp Pals with Ms. Foxie through their shared admiration of troll dolls, they made a visit to the sanctuary a couple years ago all the way from their beloved home in New York City. I know they cherished this long awaited visit, but I hope they know that each one of us here did as well.

Don, thank you so much for allowing us to share in your special day with you. We are so very lucky to count you both as dear friends and members of our chimp family. I hope this day is filled with adventure, joy and comfort for you and beautiful Samantha Cat. I like to think Dor will be doing Foxie-style pirouettes and backflips right alongside you and you know she’d expect you to keep up! Happy Birthday, you two!!

Donna and Doreen and background (L to R): Missy, Foxie and Negra:

Jody, Foxie and Strawberry Shortcake:

A Chimp and her Boots

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I wanted to share a small moment I had with Jamie. The other day I found Jamie cozy in a nest. She had big comfy blankets all around her and a few boots in her pelvic pocket. If you look closely you can see one of the boots tucked in. I asked Jamie if she would like a few of her boot books from Christmas. It was a very peaceful moment. Jamie politely took the boot books and started flipping through the pages. As Jamie read her books, I groomed her shoulder with a tool. It was nice to see Jamie feel so content.

Jamie is known to be fierce, super intelligent, sometimes intimidating, and quite crafty. Jamie is all of those! But, there is a side of Jamie people don’t always get to see. Like how she can be sweet, silly, and actually a very good friend. Jamie, since Burrito’s injuries has been a great friend to him. To me at least it seems like she has really been looking out for Burrito.

Everyone, except Negra, went on the first morning patrol. I found Jamie and Foxie were always staying close to Burrito as they walked around the Hill.

Better Late than Never

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As promised, but a tad bit late, we have the video of the ten chimps ringing in the New Year! I have to be fully honest, I did not realize how big of a year 2020 was. It totally slipped my mind that we were celebrating a decade! Whoops! Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy the video and some photos of Burrito!

Burrito had a play date with Jamie, Jody, and Foxie. Foxie and Burrito immediately started grooming one another and continued for a few hours. It was a very sweet moment.

Cheers to the New Year!

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Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a fun New Year’s Eve, filled with people you love. We had an exciting forage to celebrate the new year. As tradition, the chimps had black-eyed peas, sparkling cider, baked squash, and pomegranates. Willy B seemed to really like the black-eyed peas. I prepared a small video, but typical, the internet is being funky. I hope that tomorrow will be better! In the meantime, please enjoy these photos.

The sun came out and I think everyone including Honey B enjoyed a little bit of Vitamin D:

Jamie:

I really like this one of Missy:

Foxie cleaning her plate:

New Year’s Eve Reflection

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Reflecting on 2019, this year has been a huge year and also a bit wild and crazy. We had so many highs and some lows too. I have been reflecting on this year a lot. The most amazing things have happened, like, the arrival of three new chimpanzees Mave, Willy B, and Honey B, we have a new building, we started introductions for the chimps, there was the most epic hug between Burrito and Mave, the potential for new relationships, and still so much more growth here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. CSNW has been waiting so long to bring more chimps home and we did it! I get emotional thinking about it. This alone is a massive accomplishment. So much good change has happened around here, even if it means it’s a tad bit more chaotic. 🙂

With those highs, sadly, came lows. I will say the big fight was one of the scariest moments in my career so far. I think back and I am so grateful for the staff I work with and the people I work for. Without this team of selfless and caring people this would have been an even more difficult process to go through. As you have read in previous blogs, any one of us would drop everything and run out the door for anyone for these chimps. Burrito’s recovery process has been long and incredibly exhausting. But Burrito is alive, he is getting back to his normal self, and that is all we care about! I so badly wanted new relationships for Burrito. And to see him almost have it was so amazing and devastating when it was all over. But, what I want most for Burrito is for his health and wellness. He may not get to make new friends, but we can all remember that hug. He has some very fierce lady friends to help keep him company.

So, I am excited for this new year. I think 2020 will have a lot in store for us! There will be growth, there will be fun, and mischief to be had. We are still getting to know the three and I hope with another year they will allow us to get to know them more and further our relationships with them. We hope to continue finding ways to make their lives better and find more choices for the ten chimpanzees’ future.

Cheers to the New Year!

Lounge into the New Year with Mave:

Happy Birthday, Tracy!

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Tracy Headley sponsored today to celebrate her friends on her birthday! Tracy is a dear friend to the chimpanzees and humans alike and we’re so thrilled to celebrate her and her gracious, kind heart today.

Tracy, thank you for all that you bring to the world and to the lives’ of others, including these ten amazing chimps and four amazing bovines. I suspect you make more of a difference than you’ll ever know. May you have the most joyful of days! Happy Birthday from all of us here!

Foxie, of course:

Merry Christmas!

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It was a crazy Christmas in the chimp house! We had two huge parties, one in the Mezzanine and one in the Playroom. Don’t worry, we had a party for Burrito too. Their parties were filled with cider, stuffed squash, green beans, and new toys. Honey B LOVED her new broom, Foxie was so excited for her new dolls, and Jamie could not wait to make a nest with her new boots and books! This was Honey B, Mave, and Willy B’s first Christmas at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. And I have to say I think they approved!

We have so many amazing donors and supporters. Thank you so much for helping make these 10 amazing chimpanzee’s Christmas feel so special. Happy Holidays everyone!

Jody:

Foxie:

Honey B: