Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Jamie

Small Moments

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Throughout the day I catch small moments of the chimps interacting with each other, with humans, or just by themselves that just make me smile. Sometimes the moments are just a split second, but they always make my heart burst with joy. I thought I would share a few from yesterday and today.

This morning as we cleaned the front rooms, Foxie tossed her strawberry shortcake doll to me by the Playroom. We played chase from front room 1 to the playroom. When Foxie was running she was doing a bunny hop with her back feet. That one always gets me :).

Yesterday, I found Willy B laying on a big comfy blanket. I sat down and we scrolled through some photos on my phone.

Jamie this afternoon was being groomed by Missy and Jody. Because Jamie seeks out humans so often I love seeing her with chimp friends.

Yesterday, Missy came down from the loft in the playroom and began gesturing to something. I looked over and all I saw were some magazines. I offered one to her not thinking she really wanted it, but to my surprise she took the magazine and gestured for the one next to it. Once she had both magazines she climbed back up to the loft to make a nest.


We put out a pre-lunch lettuce forage on Young’s Hill today. I found Negra and Burrito playing right before I let the chimps back on the Hill. They even had a stuffed animal in their mouth playing tug-a-war.



While I was doing a chimp count for some checks ealier. I found Jamie in a nest fast asleep.

While Jamie napped in the loft, I also spotted Jody grooming a very sleepy Negra.

Burrito is often found on this barrel playing by himself, spying on the neighbors, or occasionally getting someone to play with him. This morning he started off playing by himself, but Foxie joined him a little later. Foxie would knock on the barrel while Burrito spun around on top. They were grabbing each others toes and laughing.

I hope you enjoyed these small moments. Please enjoy some bonus photos!

Jody collecting foliage this morning.

Annie walking in the tall green grass.

Negra enjoying some lettuce.

Jamie with handfuls of lettuce.

Foxie

 

 

 

Dora and her Many Friends

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Dora the explorer seems to befriend many individuals here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. From time to time, we find other chimps besides Foxie with Dora. Though Dora does spend most of her time with Tiny aka Foxie. Jody too can find comfort in dolls. Jamie often uses Dora’s in a troll scarf or enjoys playing keep away from Foxie. Occasionally, Burrito has been spotted carrying a Dora for play. Negra every so often finds a doll and totes it around or taunts Foxie with it. This morning as I let the chimps onto Young’s Hill, Negra strolled out with Foxie’s new France Dora.

However, we have another Dora coming to town and as you can see, she is no doll :).

Bonus photos!

Honey B created a fort with boxes and an empty sandbox.

Burrito strutting his stuff out on Young’s Hill.

Mellow

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Today was pretty mellow, which was great. We love mellow! Everyone seemed at ease. The weather was nice, so we had a lunch forage for the seven. Everyone was grooming and lounging in the warm green house. Honey B, Willy B, and Mave enjoyed hanging out in their playrooms and watching the painters paint the exterior of the new building. I think the highlight of today would be Negra and Jamie having a long grooming session in the green house! That interaction isn’t something we see often. Of course, there is no photo evidence either. So, since it was a pretty quiet day at the chimp house I thought I would leave you with a quote. I recently read the book, The Boy The Mole The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy. This book is filled with beautiful illustrations and kind thoughtful words. If anyone is ever looking for a quick and uplifting read please check it out. So I will leave you all with this: “Nothing beats kindness,” said the horse “It sits quietly beyond all things.”

Please enjoy some photos I was able to capture from this afternoon’s lunch forage.

Burrito was searching high and low for lettuce.

Foxie was pretty pleased with her findings.

Missy took her lettuce to go and found some good views too.

Jamie has many different strategies when it comes to foraging. For example, you can free your hands up by holding your lettuce with your foot.

I love this photo of her. She looks like she is up to know good, but really she is just enjoying some lettuce… and maybe plotting something too!

Annie was busy collecting all the food people left behind.

Jody <3.

And Neggie <3.

Honey B, Willy B, and Mave all looking out of playroom 2 windows, spying on Jamie out on Young’s Hill.

Yesterday, I was hanging out with Honey B in her new favorite place- the reading corner, the chubby, or the nook. She was being her silly self and letting me take pictures while she watched herself in the camera reflection and occasionally tried to kiss her reflection.

I hope you all have a mellow week full of kindness.

Fresh Produce & Green Grass

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We are really excited because today we put in our first online order for a Charlie’s Produce delivery that will come straight to the sanctuary! Before Covid-19, Charlie’s was our primary source for produce that we picked up at a nearby business. However, when Covid-19 hit, a lot of things changed and we had to start shopping for produce in person. In addition to the convenience for staff, Charlie’s also has an amazing assortment of fresh produce and the chimps will get to have a lot of variety in the food we serve them! On Saturday’s blog, Diana said that it never gets old to watch the chimps forage. That is so true and it never gets old watching them enjoy food that excites them!

There are a lot of different ways to donate to the sanctuary like becoming a pal to the chimps or bovines, sponsoring a day on the blog, but my personal favorite is becoming a produce patron. What is more rewarding than donating towards the thing that brings the chimps the most joy (their food!)?

Whenever I serve the chimps I feel so thankful for everyone’s donations and feel blessed to be able to hear the sounds of the chimps eating. Listening to Jody making dinosaur-like food grunts or Burrito food squeaking for sweet potatoes is simply the best. If you are ever looking to find a way to donate, become a produce patron and just imagine Foxie blowing raspberries for fruit smoothies, Honey B food grunting for a head of lettuce, Or Willy B eating his leeks like Bugs Bunny. That will always put a smile on your face.

Foxie eating her banana this morning.

Negra eating some celery.

And a carrot.

Jamie sitting on the firehose is the best and Foxie holding her carrot with her foot is pretty great too.

As much as I just talked about fresh produces, today’s real theme in the chimp house seemed to be grass. Everyone at some point was out on Young’s Hill foraging for grass!

Jody foraging for grass.

Burrito finding some shade and grass.

Missy searching high and low for some good grass.

Negra has been out morning around on the Hill a lot this spring.

Foxie doing Foxie things.

Burrito Distractions

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Burrito is the best kind of distraction. This video of Burrito doing a headstand and rolling in paper is a perfect example. He can certainly entertain himself, but it’s hard to get any work done around here! He is always getting someone to play with him, human or non-human. Just ask Chad!

The weather today was amazing. And it looks like it’s only going to get better. We have been trying to take advantage of this weather, so we did a lunch forage again!

Missy was very pleased when she found a head of lettuce!

Burrito had his hands full of tomatoes and lettuce.

This was such a sweet moment, Missy giving Jody reassurance.

Jamie with a beautiful troll scarf.

This is how I found Mave this morning :).

Now I shall leave you with one last photo of sweet Negra.

Lunch with Honey B, Willy B, and Mave

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Yesterday, I served Honey B, Willy B, and Mave lunch. Honey B could not have been more excited about sweet potatoes! She was food squeaking and breathy panting before I could video most of it. It is a true pleasure to serve the chimps meals. I can be so fun because it’s the simple things like sweet potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, or even ice that they just go crazy for. Today was another busy day of construction on the new playrooms and a staff meeting. So please enjoy this video of chimps eating and some photos!

This morning Missy and Annie were playing. I tried to snap some photos, but the lighting wasn’t great. However, these silhouettes photos actually turned out kind of cool!


Missy has such a great play face in these photos.

Missy in the green house.

This morning as the seven where given access to Young’s Hill, Jamie took a friend along. Foxie has been obsessed with this St. Patrick’s Day themed soft troll, but this morning Jamie was carrying it around :).

Jamie taking a nap in the playroom.

Or so I thought…

The weather was so amazing today. While the three were hand served and soaked up the sun in the chute, the seven had a Hill forage.

Burrito found some lettuce in Negra’s cabin.

With a mouth full of lettuce, he went to find some more!

So, he climbed.

And climbed!

Negra was spotted foraging for one of her favorites, lettuce.

Jamie of course got a good haul.

While we cleaned the playroom, I found a ripped out page from Jamie boot book in a very cozy nest. I am not sure if I should feel humbled or nervous. Is this a message of some kind ;)?

I will leave you all with a kiss from Burrito.

Jamie is not “most chimpanzees”

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This morning, I was sweeping paper and other garbage into a pile in the playroom when Jamie started gesturing towards to me. It’s typical of her to ask for drinks from the hose while we clean but we hadn’t pulled the hose out yet. I soon realized that she was gesturing towards the pile of garbage, and upon closer inspection I saw that I had swept up some torn out and crumpled pages from one of her boot books. She wasn’t done with those yet! I picked them up and she ran excitedly to the day nest she had made in the corner of one of the front rooms. As I handed the pages to her, she emitted a low moan and stuffed them into her pelvic pocket.

Later, while scrubbing the floors, Diana pointed towards Jamie in the front rooms and suggested that I come take a look. She had filled a bucket with water from the lixit fountain, dumped her primate chow into the water, and was stirring the concoction with a plastic tube. She then used to tube to sip the chow water from the bucket and emitted a low moan each time she popped a soaked chow biscuit into her mouth.

She’s definitely her own person. So it should have come as no surprise when Diana caught Jamie taking carrot-peeling matters into her own hands the other day.