Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
It was glorious this morning. Glittery, frost covered fields under cerulean skies, hawk cries sailing through the air and beautiful chimpanzees with sunlit hearts.
Foxie, Dora and Annie. Guh! My heart!….
Burrito mid foot stomp, Foxie and Annie:
Beautiful Jody soaking in the sun as she watches over her family:
Burrito back to sit near Jody:
Negra was really into the weather today and who could blame her. It’s 51 degrees outside in January! Seriously, these chimps spent all day in the Greenhouse or on Young’s Hill, so it was a quiet and content chimp house today…
Negra out on Young’s Hill this morning:
Later Neggie found some snow/ice and set up shop on a comfy platform with a great view:
Foxie decided to keep Neggie company:
And I think Neggie didn’t mind:
Negra and Foxie’s view this morning:
Meanwhile, Missy (left) and Annie (right) were having an epic game of chase, as Foxie observed on the side lines:
Jody came out to enjoy the sun:
Burrito and Foxie also foraged for some snow/ice:
Today was filled from top to bottom with sunshine (prime weather for wrestling in the greenhouse). One window in particular was the hot spot made popular by Missy and Foxie who had a wild game going that included multiple play partners.
Missy (back) with Foxie (front):
Jody, Missy and Foxie:
Annie joins the party and Jody leaves to make room for her on the windowsill:
Friends of Foxie and family, Donna and Doreen Hughes, sponsored today for the chimpanzees in celebration of their birthday! Donna and Doreen have been wonderful, long-time friends of all the primates here and we look forward to celebrating with them each year.
“We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our birthday than by Sponsoring a Day! We count ourselves lucky to have visited the Cle Elum 7..and of course, the ENTIRE staff who work so hard to care for these Apes! We hope to visit Foxie and Friends again in 2019, and super cool – get to meet the new cattle residents! With love from NYC, Donna & Doreen”
Don and Dor, we’re so lucky to have you as part of our chimp family! The world’s a better place because of wonderful hearts like yours and while you are celebrating in the big city, we’ll be thinking of you at a tiny sanctuary in the country, wishing you the best birthday yet! Happiest of days to your hearts from all of our hearts!
Foxie is quite small for a chimpanzee. This comes in handy when you want to be light on your feet!
Foxie is probably the most joyous person I know. She, like each member of her chimpanzee family, has every reason not to be given their history. And yet, like the rise and fall of nature’s breath, she persists. And we’re all the better for it. As beloved poet, Mary Oliver, wrote:
“If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel
Give in to it.
There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be.We are not wise, and not very often kind.
And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left.
Perhaps this is its way of fighting back,
that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world.
It could be anything,
but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins.
Anyway, that’s often the case.
Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty.
Joy is not made to be a crumb.”
Last week melted the majority of the snow covering the sanctuary, but we’ve had a couple of cold and dry days this week. The chimps seem unfazed by the drop in temperature and have still been eager to explore Young’s Hill each morning (albeit at a slightly faster pace). As the chimpanzees wrapped up their morning adventures, Foxie uncovered a lone Strawberry Shortcake doll that must have spent a great deal of this winter covered in snow. Being the responsible doll owner that she is, she gingerly took her buried treasure back to the warm playroom to thaw out.
