Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

grass

Floof

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Mave is a giant floof. There was a time when she only floofed indoors. Now she is perfectly happy to floof outdoors as well.

Spring grass is one of the chimps’ favorite snacks. Despite having 4.5 acres of grass to choose from, we find the chimps going back to their own favorite patches time after time. Missy prefers a patch on the north fence line, while Jamie and Burrito can often be seen in the southeast corner at the very top of the hill. When the chimps are late to breakfast, we know just where to look for them.

The cows are never late to breakfast, now that they are out on the Bray pasture.

After a walk around the hill this afternoon, Annie laid down for a nap in the cozy greenhouse.

Some of us were down in Florida last week for the 2025 North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance Workshop, which included a tour of Save the Chimps. We were fortunate to see, from a distance, many of the kids of the Cle Elum Seven, including Annie’s son Virgil. Annie may not know it but her son has a wonderful life now.

Man about Town

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Willy B used to be very avoidant of the grass and dirt outside. Remember? Watch this video from May 8, 2020.

And look at these photos of him today!

Mave is also getting more and more adventurous outside. Today, she followed Gordo out and convinced him to give her two of the three whole red peppers he had found in the forage.

I didn’t get good photos of it, but Willy B was actually the last one on the Bray. He was out there for so  long that Mave eventually came outside and waited for him to come back inside – it reminded me of Jody doing the same for her friends when she thought it was time for them to return.

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in gifts from out wish lists for Christmas in July. There are still items to purchase for the sanctuary, mostly on our Jerrols wish list, which you can find here. Buying from the Jerrol’s list also supports a family business that is local to the sanctuary!

We are very excited about all of the items we have received and you’re sure to see them popping up on the blog in the next few weeks. Thank you again!!

 

A Little Peace of Spring

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Today has been quite the perfect spring day at the sanctuary. The day started with Negra at the front of the line for the door to Young’s Hill, ready to lead her group to forage for grass on the hill, so I had a feeling today was going to be a great day. Annie and Burrito stayed outside foraging for those tasty spring grasses right up until breakfast was served, as did Gordo, and the sanctuary was quiet save for the sounds of staff preparing for the day.

We have all enjoyed a steady breeze and plenty of sunshine, and had forages for both groups during lunch. There has been plenty of play – among the chimps and between chimps and humans – with chimp laughter and the sounds of stomping feet during games of chase filling the chimp house. Today has been a perfect example of some of the things that bring me compassion satisfaction: the quiet moments of contentment among the chimps, hearing breathy chimpanzee laughter as they play with each other, getting to see them enjoy new enrichment items, and being invited to play with them. I also found myself feeling extremely grateful for this place that the chimpanzees and cattle get to call home as I watched the grass sway, listened to the aspen leaves shake against each other in the wind, and appreciated the beauty of the river and mountains in the distance. I hope the video and pictures from the day can convey a little bit of the peace we all felt today, and bring you happiness wherever you are as well.

Burrito and Annie foraging for grass

Burrito and Annie foraging for grass

Burrito with a handful of freshly picked grass

 

Grazing Days

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What food could possibly be so exciting that a chimpanzee would willingly pass up fresh fruit, peanuts, chow, and smoothie? Why, it’s grass, of course!

Yes, for a few weeks each year the chimpanzees at CSNW become grazers, chomping down on grass at a rate more in line with the cows they share their sanctuary home with. What’s so great about grass? You got me. Wild chimpanzees do naturally consume significant amounts of browse—fibrous foods such as shoots, stems, and leaves—but the chimps at CSNW don’t eat any other browse with the same gusto as they do spring grass. This time of year, the grass is at its sweetest and most tender, as the cows will most certainly attest. But is it really better than smoothie?

Speaking of grazing (and with it being Earth Day and all), I thought I’d mention one of the projects we’ve been working on: Converting our pasture fencing to wildlife-friendly fencing. The original sanctuary property and the four parcels we purchased in recent years were part of a large homestead ranch that was in operation for a least a century. During that time, most of the pastures were fenced using barbed wire or a combination of barbed wire and woven field fence. Unfortunately, we’ve seen firsthand the toll this kind of fencing can take on wildlife. First, there’s the very real risk that wildlife, such as deer or elk, will get injured by or caught up in a fence. And second, there’s the problem of fawns being separated from their mothers as their moms cross over pasture fencing too high for them to jump. After doing a lot of research, we decided to transition to 3-wire high-tensile electric fencing, which can effectively contain our cows while allowing wildlife such as deer, elk, bobcats, and marmots to cross over or under safely. And for pastures no longer in use, the fences can be removed and the areas can be slowly re-wilded. As we work on finalizing our master site plan, we will also do so with an eye toward preserving wildlife migration corridors throughout the 113-acre property. After all, it’s not much of a sanctuary if it’s not also a home for the animals that were here first.

And last but not least, allow me to share some photos of Negra from today’s lunch forage:

The 5th Annual Running of the Cows – and more Bray photos!

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If cows had a national holiday, this would be it.

A little further down the mountain, Cy’s group continues to explore the Bray. Here are a some photos from the past few days – you’ll notice that there are a lot of Rayne, and that’s because she spends more time out there than anyone else. We were so happy when she decided to take her lunch out for a picnic this afternoon. While some of the chimps are still a little nervous—and Mave and Honey still have yet to go out—the group is doing really well overall with this new aspect of sanctuary life.

Willy B and Gordo:

Terry:

Gordo and Terry:

Rayne:

Cy:

A Morning Stroll

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Very few things appeal to Negra more than sweet spring grass. There’s an abundant supply just outside the greenhouse door, so she doesn’t have to travel far for her favorite seasonal treat.

This morning, however, she was also inspired to take a leisurely stroll around the hill. As you might guess from her rather pale complexion, Negra is a lover of the great indoors. She likes to wear her bed like a turtle’s shell, poking her head out only when she hears the food grunts that accompany the presentation of meals. But once in a blue moon she gets a bee in her bonnet and sets out to explore some of Young’s Hill, just for the sake of exploring.

It’s funny to watch her inspect her surroundings as she ventures into relatively uncharted territory. Huh, how long has this tree been here? (Uh, ten years, Negra).

As I stood at the very top of the hill watching the others play beneath the pines, Negra sat somewhere near the halfway point, appearing to calculate the cost-benefit ratio of venturing further afield:

(#of pine branches to snack on) x (lovely view of the river) / (energy expended) x (time not spent in bed) = ?

After a few minutes of pondering, Negra appeared to have decided that the only logical course of action was to return home, wrap herself in blankets, and save her energy for the next morning, at which point she could reconsider her options with the benefit of a good night’s sleep.

Negra’s friends also took advantage of this beautiful spring morning.

Foxie:

Burrito, Foxie, and Annie:

Burrito: