Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Foxie

Chimpy Business

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It felt like Spring today. The sun was out and there were virtually no clouds in the sky. Just like in Spring, Jamie and her group wanted onto Young’s Hill right away to finish their breakfast chow outside.

Jamie was really happy to enjoy her chow outside.

She really, really, really seemed to enjoy her chow outside.

But after her last bit of chow was finished, it was back to business. Jamie, Foxie, Annie, Missy, Jody, and Burrito patrolled their outdoor enclosure. On their way back, they were greeted by Negra, who was waiting for them on one of the platforms.

Though patrolling can be serious business, Missy and Annie chased each other all the way down.

As the others made their way back to the indoor enclosures, Foxie decided to get some alone time.

Burrito, on the other hand, was on a mission to find the last snow patch on Young’s Hill.

As they were heading inside, Missy tried to get a peek on her neighbors.

Unfortunately for Missy, her neighbors decided to be inside at the time. Honey B was grooming Willy B. It seemed like it was a sweet, tender moment between two friends. But as you know, these chimpanzees can rarely contain their shenanigans. This is demonstrated in this photo series:

Grooming

Thinking about tickling Willy B.

Commence tickling!

Personally, my favorite part of capturing this sequence of events is you can almost see the shift in Honey B’s thought process. This tickle session lasted for a couple minutes before it turned into a pretty epic game of chase.

From our family to yours, we hope you have a great day!

An Edible Landscape

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Yesterday, Diana and myself shoveled pathways onto Young’s Hill. It was still pretty cold outside, and we didn’t see any of the chimpanzees go out. After a day and some sun, the snow began to slightly melt. With some wider paths created with the melting snow, the chimpanzees decided to venture out today. Negra (of all people) was the one waiting by the door to Young’s Hill and was very eager to head out. After a few feet, she realized she was alone and reached out to Annie for some reassurance, which Annie obliged.

Once reassurance was given, Negra was okay.

Once Annie was out, she was immediately followed by Missy and Foxie.

For Negra, Foxie, and Missy, their first order of business was to sit in the sun on the platform and take in the snowy landscape.

Annie, on the other hand, went straight for Negra’s Cabin.

Annie seemed quite cozy there and stayed in Negra’s Cabin for some time. For the others though, there were was a bounty of edible landscape to be had. Foxie decided to take her bounty on the go.

And like the den mother she always is, Jody had to monitor those out on Young’s Hill to ensure they came back safe.

We just passed out their nighttime enrichment (Kongs) to wrap up today. Jamie grabbed her Kongs and bolted for Young’s Hill before I could close it.

She just returned and seems pleased with her last patrol of the day. The rest of the chimpanzees are already snug in their nests and I can see on our security monitors Jamie has started to grab some blankets of her own. Until next time, friends!

The One with all the Sun

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You guys! I don’t want to jinx anything… But the sun is out, you can feel the warmth, and there were some really happy chimps! Fingers crossed this means spring is coming early. Please enjoy all these photos of the chimps basking in the sun.

Neggie took a small stroll:

Missy and Annie were sprinting all around the Hill, all day:

Burrito really enjoyed walking around with all the ladies:

I was able to capture a group action shot of almost everyone scattering onto the Hill in the morning when it first opened:

Jamie building her nest:

And modifying her blankets:

Mave grooming herself:

Honey B :

If your heart wasn’t melting before, it will be:

Honey B was just being so silly and funny. So funny that I would actually laugh out loud. She would be eating breakfast than suddenly roll around on a barrel and burst into a full sprint out into the Chute! She put her fanny pack on and press it up to the enclosure to have you look at it. She than would take it off and offer for her caregivers to wear it. Honey B just seemed to be in a really good mood. I thought I might share 🙂

 

 

Run with the Wind

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The sun was out. The clouds were gone. But the wind was a force to be reckoned with. With weather forecasts predicting the winds to be in the range of 14 mph to 34 mph today, the wind could be heard all throughout the Chimp House.

When I gave the Group of 7 access to Young’s Hill, there were only a few takers to initially go out. Jamie and Foxie were the first to go out and conduct a patrol around their outdoor enclosure. As they came around to the last stretch of their patrol, both Jamie and Foxie were racing toward the Greenhouse.

Judging by Foxie’s sneer, she was not a fan of the wind and just wanted the patrol to be over with.

Missy initially watched as Jamie and Foxie began their patrol, but seemed to be at a crossroads on whether to join them or not.

But Missy is Missy, and without warning, shot out of the raceway onto Young’s Hill. So fast I was only able to lift the camera and get a somewhat blurry photo of her racing to catch up with Jamie and Foxie.

But the wind was too much for Annie. She stayed in the doorway between the Greenhouse and Young’s Hill and watched as Missy charged up the Hill.

Burrito took no time at all to make his decision: Stay in the Greenhouse and let the plexiglass paneling block the wind.

Negra decided to bypass all that. She remained in the Playroom, covered in blankets, basking in the rays of the sun through the window.

On the other side of the Chimp House, Willy B was eager to go into the Chute. He grabbed the best seat in the house so he could watch a train go by and the birds who are starting to return from their winter break.

Let’s hope this isn’t a false Spring so more outdoor adventures could be had.

Sanctuary and Enrichment

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As many of you all know, there are many different ways to enrich a chimp’s life. And here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest we have many different forms. We provide toys that the chimps like, blankets for nesting, food puzzles, and forages. We try really hard to find the chimps favorite items such as boots/books for Jamie, dolls for Foxie, wooden blocks for Burrito, Slinkies for Willy B, and etc. We also try to have their favorite produce, but also make sure they have a variety so they do not get bored of what they eat! Most importantly, we provide an outdoor area for the chimps to go outside. To see the chimps run freely and see no bars above their heads is Sanctuary to me and I hope them too.

As you will see in the video Anthony moved a giant mirror from the Greenhouse to the Mezzanine. We knew Willy B, Honey B, and Mave liked looking at themselves through our phones and cameras, not unlike us, it is natural for us to look at ourselves while we pass a mirror. Just as we thought the three loved it! It even makes a great displaying tool! Honey B spent a lot of time looking into it, climbing on it, and swinging it around. The other section in the video is of the seven chimps walking around the perimeter outside on Saturday. Jamie and Burrito lead the walk, Missy sprints to catch up, eventually Foxie joins at the last leg of the walk, and it ends with Jamie and Foxie chasing each other down the Hill. I quietly finish the walk with Burrito. I was reflecting on that walk and I am so thankful to see the chimps exploring their outdoor area and looking so carefree. Whenever I see Burrito walking around the Hill it warms my heart that he has healed so well and all the girls will walk around with him.

Snow in the winter is another great way to enrich the chimps! Last night it dumped snow, when I went to open Young’s Hill for the seven this morning the chimps ran out to grab snow.

Negra:

Burrito:

Little Foxie:

Annie:

The one with all the Noise

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It has finally settled down in the Chimp House. There was a lot of commotion today. Nothing bad, but a lot of talking between walls. Willy B spent a lot of time in the Chute. This always makes the 6 ladies excited. They will scream, hoot, watch the 3 chimps in the chute with extreme focus, and try to make sure Willy B sees them. We found Willy B and Burrito head nodding towards each other a lot too, which was nice to see. Eventually, everyone on both sides calmed down and the rest of the afternoon there have just been piles of chimps grooming with each other.

Sometimes I cannot get over how handsome Willy B is:

Honey B watching J.B. outside:

Foxie and Burrito grooming by the window so they don’t miss anything happening by the Chute:

Turning the Day Around

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I had a lot of hope for the weather after yesterday’s brief reprieve from the winter weather. As I began to drive to the sanctuary today, that hope began to dwindle. A fresh layer of snow had accumulated overnight and there were grey clouds as far as the eye could see. Earlier in the day, all my plans to shift the chimpanzees from one area to another so we could clean their enclosure was altered multiple times. The chimpanzees just refused to leave certain areas, making it harder for us to clean. I began to accept this day was just an outright bad day. Then our veterinarian Erin arrived. She came by and did a checkup on Burrito to see how his recovery was coming along. When she came back into the foyer area, she gave me the best news of the day. She determined Burrito was well enough to be reunited with his family once again!

It was at this point, the entire day turned around. The clouds had cleared up. The sun came out and melted some of the snow. And the chimpanzees began to cooperate and move into the areas we needed them to so we could clean. It sounds like I’m making this up, but believe me, it happened like this. Our incredible volunteer staff today rolled up their sleeves and really busted their bums to ensure the enclosures were cleaned quickly and thoroughly so we could reunite Burrito with the girls. When it came time, I opened the doors to reunite them and there was excitement. Foxie and Burrito almost immediately engaged in a game of chase, before settling down and starting a very long grooming session.

While Burrito and Foxie were grooming, Annie and Missy shared their excitement by engaging in a silly game of play wrestle.

When they were finished, Annie decided it was time to bask in the sun’s rays through window.

Jamie on the other hand found a new way to relax while watching her neighbors from the Playroom window.

While Jody foraged nearby.

Though today started out sort of rough, seeing Burrito back in the Playroom with the Girl Gang made every bit of today worth it.