Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Today, part time caregiver Dusty set up a table and chairs for a bunch of Foxie’s dolls, and filled the cups with Gatorade. The results are pretty sweet (or creepy, you be the judge!). Foxie, for sure, was thrilled to enjoy a refreshing beverage with her friends.
Even Jamie enjoyed some time at the tea table. Although, she has some opinions about who can, and cannot, have a seat at the table.
Bubba, Bubs, Bubba Lou, Bubba Lewsky, Lewsky, Lewsky Lou, Lewsk, Lewsky Louis, Louis, Lou
Those are just MY nicknames for my dear friend, Burrito.
I met Burrito on December 5th, 2019. He was in isolation while recovering from a fight that occurred during an attempt to integrate the newly arrived Californians (Willy B, Honey B, and Mave) with the Cle Elum 7 (Negra, Jamie, Jody, Missy, Burrito, Annie and Foxie). I’m sure many of you remember how traumatic that event was for both chimp and human alike. Burrito sustained some pretty severe injuries, so he remained in isolation for more than 2 months! But even so, he wanted to be friends. As a volunteer, you are instructed not to interact with the chimpanzees, besides a polite head nod, until you’ve been trained to safely do so as a Level III volunteer. I remember cleaning the front rooms as a Level II volunteer, along side where Burrito was staying, and trying my hardest not to interact with him. He wanted to play so badly! I will admit, I whispered to him, “some day, Burrito, some day we will be friends”.
Me and the nest I built for Burrito while he was in isolation. This was pre-Covid, which is why I’m maskless.
Fast forward to August 2021, the sanctuary started inviting a few volunteers back after Covid. I was one of the lucky ones, and became a Level III volunteer. And you know what that means!! I was finally able to play with my new friend. I think that, when it comes to Burrito, if you are willing to be super enthusiastic in your silly ridiculousness, you are in!
Burrito is funny, charming, handsome, energetic, silly, goofy, spirited, ridiculous, giggly, and just plain cute!
It’s actually tough to get much done when Burrito is around. Cleaning toys by Playroom 1? Nope – time for chase! In the kitchen doing dishes? Heck no – it’s time for a run around the hill! Serving a meal? Burrito wants you to stick a carrot in his ear!
I hope that you are lucky enough to have a friend like Burrito in your life. He brings me so much joy!
Tomorrow, Sunday, August 25th is the second installment of the HBO docuseries Chimp Crazy, which will be available to watch on MAX on and after 10pm ET. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance will once again be hosting a discussion on Tuesday after the episode (August 27, 6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET) to explore Episode 2: Gone Ape. Register to join the second installment in this discussion series “Primate Perspectives: Unpacking Chimp Crazy. We will talk about the contents of episode two and the history of the use of chimpanzees as pets and the current pet trade in monkeys. We will be recording it this week, so if you register but are unable to join, we will send you a link to the recording.
Missy and Annie may get all the attention, but there’s another friendship amongst the Cle Elum Seven that’s just as important.
As you may know, Burrito could use a little help navigating the politics of chimpanzee society. Consider his life before to coming to the sanctuary: He was born in a lab, raised as a pet, forced to perform in a circus, and then locked away for twenty years for use in hepatitis research. Can you imagine living the majority of your first 25 years on earth either alone or with a different species? Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to suddenly be thrust into a group of your own kind, only to realize that they are playing by a rule book that no one ever bothered to show you?
Thankfully, Burrito has found a good friend in Foxie. In quiet times, she’s a playful companion. When the going gets tough, she reassures him and plays peacemaker with the rest of the group. And when he is scared, she comforts him.
Burrito has all the instincts of a tough guy, but none of experience to back it up. Lucky for him he has a 97-pound girl and her troll dolls on his side.
Annie didn’t go outside at all yesterday, but she must have been psyching herself up all night because this morning she was ready to bolt out the door. She made her way up the log bridge to one of the lower climbing structures and climbed to the top. After a few minutes of bravery, she was ready to head back to the comfort and safety of the greenhouse. That may have been enough for one day.
Missy has been a good friend these last few days. She is completely at ease on the hill, but she often waits by the end of the tunnel for Annie to join her before she heads out, knowing that Annie needs someone to rely on. But Missy is not going to deprive herself of enjoying Young’s Hill, so if Annie won’t join her, she heads out on her own.
This morning, Missy was by herself on one of the structures at the top of the hill. Back down in the playroom, there was a moment of tension in the group and Annie let out an anxious scream. According to Jackie, Debbie, and Lisa, Missy heard the scream and immediately ran full speed down the hill to the building and into Annie arms.
