Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

habitat

Mave Conquers the Bray

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I could tell that Mave was working up to something big. For months, she’d wait to catch my eye and then shuffle swiftly (this is Mave’s fastest speed) towards the Bray. And as soon as she’d exit the chute, she’d make a beeline straight up the hill. I would join her on the other side of the fence, but to be honest, I’d kind of given up on the idea that she’d make it to the top. She just couldn’t get past that one spot.

But never underestimate Mave, or any chimpanzee for that matter. Maybe now she’ll teach her friend, Dora, to appreciate all the Bray has to offer.

A Shaky Bridge on the Bray

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CSNW Founder, Keith, along with friends and family, spent the weekend improving the Bray habitat. We were able to turn a pile of leftover materials into a new tower, and we repurposed a shaky bridge that had to be taken down during our fence renovations. We also planted a few more trees with the hope that they’ll survive the chimps’ curiosity to one day provide some more shade at the bottom of the hill (thanks for the plum tree, Patti!).  The chimps took an instant interest in all of it—even Willy B braved the grass to check it out. Stay tuned for George’s reaction to the new climbing structures.

Many thanks to the whole crew for helping to build an even better Bray habitat.

Brave Mave’s Foray on the Bray

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We almost missed it the first time.

I had a few minutes to kill before the chimps’ breakfast and decided to see if anyone was on the Bray. When I exited the greenhouse door I had to rub my eyes. Funny, I thought, that almost looks like Mave out there…

When caring for animals, or anyone for that matter, there are things you can control or influence and things you can’t. For the latter, all you can do is be patient and let them find their own way in their own time.

I guess the other obvious life lesson here is this: If there’s something you are afraid of, just get in a lot of fights and do the scary thing while you’re fighting. The fighting will seem much scarier by comparison, and over time, you will come to discover that you had the power to do the thing without fighting all along. 🙂

Anyway, three cheers for Mave! See you out on the Bray!