Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
These eyes have seen a lot in their 39 years:
These arms have had babies torn from them:
This body has been viewed and treated as nothing more than a tool to experiment with:
This face is now loved by hundreds of people:
This post is for the love of Foxie in recognition of where she came from and how far away from that life she is now, thanks to everyone who has cared. Learn more about Foxie on her web page and in this post.
When the chimpanzees gained access to their 2 acre outdoor enclosure this morning, you could really feel their joy and excitement. The sun and light breeze together were a complimentary pair!
Annie chased Missy bipedally (trying to avoid touching the wet grass as much as possible).
She finally climbed onto a log to escape the morning dew.
Missy performed a few aerial stunts.
And then settled down to snack on the fresh green grass.
Foxie explored with two of her dolls.
And Jody and Burrito decided to relax and take in the view.
Jamie recruited J.B. into going for a perimeter walk.
The walk eventually evolved into a perimeter jog.
I must admit, I searched a while for a quote or poem about the loveliness of Spring to accompany this post, but I couldn’t quite find the right one. I suppose springtime at the sanctuary is best described in photos.
Spring, a season symbolic of renewal, growth and new beginnings. Now that spring has “officially” begun, the chimps’ daily routine revolves more on finding fresh green grass and new plants to eat, watching birds and inspecting any movement in the grass.
Plus, it’s the season when pictures of the chimps out on the hill look so much more vibrant!
Burrito took time to sit and eat the new grass.
Annie (left) took in her surroundings, while Burrito (right) continued eating grass.
Annie
Missy (left) stopped by her friend Annie (right) before sprinting off again.
Here’s a couple of photos of Missy dismounting from one of the structures on the hill, with the help of the fire hose.
Jody
Jamie (in front) led the way around Young’s Hill, as she usually does. Burrito (middle) and Foxie (last) backed her up.
Plus, Foxie brought a friend for support.
Unfortunately, I did not have the camera when Negra was out this morning. But, you can see plenty of pictures of her enjoying her time on the hill these past few days by clicking here.
And, have you heard the great news?? There is so much excitement in the air!
Did you know that Dora the Explorer has friends? Foxie knows, and she seems particularly fond of Kate, a red-haired friend who has a “flair for the dramatic and the heart of an artist” according to Fisher Price…
This must be that flair for the dramatic:
Speaking of dramatic, did you hear about the sanctuary’s seriously good news? If you are on the e-news list, you should have received this email last night, which linked to this story in the Ellensburg Daily Record.
We have a lot of work and fundraising yet to do, but the $50,000 matching grant from the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Fund is the first big step in bringing new friends for Foxie and the rest of the Cle Elum Seven – actual chimpanzee friends! Read more in the announcement if you didn’t get a copy in your inbox.
Thanks to donors in the last several hours, we are now over halfway to a $5,000 match from an anonymous couple and Karen and Don Young to be raised prior to HOOT! – if you haven’t donated, there’s still time to have your donation matched!
In other news, I promised to update everyone on the bumper ball. It exceeded almost everyone’s expectations by surviving a few months, but, sadly, it is no longer. Sherry Rogers certainly won the bet on its longevity! Part of the fun for the chimpanzees was trying to destroy it, for sure. We have one more waiting in the wings that we hope to introduce if we can inflate it to its fullest.
Yesterday, Keri shared some photos from the chimpanzees’ Easter party. We didn’t get a ton of video footage of the party, but I thought I’d share a few clips. Enjoy!
**Warning** This post contains a lot of photos!!
Easter, chimp style, involves good food…
…enrichment with hidden food inside…
…toys and dolls…
…an Easter egg hunt in the greenhouse…
and in the playroom…
and, of course, the Cle Elum Seven!!
Missy found one of the eggs with peanuts inside.
Burrito scored with the primate chow he gathered in his mouth and hands!
Foxie took turns with each of her dolls, first with the brunette…
then with the blonde,
and later, with both of them.
Annie held onto her egg as she ate peanuts and primate chow.
Jody made sure to check every part of the Easter basket for hidden treats.
Jamie searched high and low for treats, including under this blanket,
…in these boots,
…and in these boxes.
Negra found her favorite treats (peanuts) inside some of the Easter eggs.
Wishing everyone a happy and joyous Easter!
The Cle Elum Seven may not head to the pubs on St. Patrick’s Day, but they still know how to have a good time. We had a breakfast party in the greenhouse this morning with fruit smoothie in plastic shot glasses with lime garnishes, peanuts, and chow. The main event, though, was undoubtedly the whole green apples. The chimpanzees find whole fruit infinitely more exciting than the same amount of fruit cut into pieces. We put this morning’s apples inside socks and hung them around the greenhouse. The chimps were beside themselves. Here are a few highlights from the celebration.
Jamie went after the “apple socks” with a laser focus. She had some trouble carrying all her treasures, so she made good use of her opposable toes.
Foxie with a lime wedge:
and getting the last drops from a cup of smoothie:
Negra held onto her apple for awhile before eating it:
Burrito with an apple and searching for more:
and enjoying smoothie:
and more smoothie:
Annie thought there must be food inside this big green plastic egg that volunteer Alex brought:
Alas, there wasn’t.
But she consoled herself with some smoothie.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
