Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Jamie

Thank you, Birgit!

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We are so fortunate to have THREE Sponsor-a-Day gifts  today! Our second sponsor for this wonderful day is Birgit Neher! It’s amazing to think of people from entirely different corners of the world all thinking of the chimpanzees and wishing to make a difference in their lives as they honor a special time or person in their own lives. Especially on the same day. There is so much beauty and inspiration in that.

Birgit, thank you so much for holding the chimpanzees in your heart! All of us here at CSNW hope this day is filled with the love, joy and comfort you help to ensure their lives are filled with every day. We are truly grateful to you for thinking of the chimps today and giving them a life of sanctuary, inside and out.

Foxie and Kate:

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Annie:

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Jamie:

Jamie beautiful

A Big, Joyful Day

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We have a lot to celebrate today! Negra is turning 43, and it has been eight years to the day since the Cle Elum Seven stepped off the transport trailer and into their new home at the sanctuary. (If you haven’t already, check out Diana’s thoughts in this morning’s blog post here.) I think these photos from today’s celebration paint a pretty good picture.

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Burrito:

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Missy:

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Foxie:

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Jody:

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Annie:

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Jamie:

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Jamie had an especially good day. At this year’s Hoot! gala, we auctioned off two pairs of fabulous white cowboy boots, procured and donated by auctioneer and friend of the sanctuary Laura Michalek. Maryam Salt, the winning bidder, is now the proud owner of one of the pairs, while the other is for Jamie, our resident boot enthusiast. Jamie was beyond thrilled when we presented her with this gift today. Thanks so much to Laura and Maryam!

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As for the birthday girl, she has had a pretty perfect day. She partied hard:

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Then rested up afterwards:

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And later explored her wilderness:

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Thank you, Kathleen!

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It’s a big day at the sanctuary today as we celebrate both Negra’s honorary 43rd birthday AND the chimpanzees’ 8th anniversary in their sanctuary home! And we’re so touched that our good friend, Kathleen Corby, chose to sponsor this very special day! Kathleen shared this beautiful message about today:

“I have to quote J.B. from his blog post (06/10/16) on Negra’s special day : “It’s often said that healing is not a matter of forgetting, but of accumulating new memories that, over time, crowd out the bad ones. Eventually, memories of courage and adventure push aside memories of fear and anxiety. Those memories will never be forgotten. But every time I see Negra absorbing the view from the top of Young’s Hill, I think of how far she’s come in these last eight years, and I hope that moment becomes yet another healing memory that pushes an old one further out of reach.” Dear Negra, I love you so. Eight years is such a short time to have come so very far. I am astounded and deeply touched each year by your brave awakenings. I could not do the same. The word “resilience” does not even come close to expressing the amazing capacity of love, strength, and forgiveness that lies within your heart. Today I celebrate all the positive, loving memories that have accumulated in your heart over your 8 years in sanctuary. Happy 43rd Birthday Queen Negra! XOXOXO (And Happy 8 Years CSNW!)”

Kathleen, thank you so much for welcoming the chimpanzees into your big, beautiful heart and for truly being part of their lives each day. What a gift to have you in the world. We truly appreciate all that you do for the chimpanzees and your sponsorship of this amazing day full of celebration, love, and home!

Happy Birthday, Queen Negra! And Happy Anniversary to Annie, Missy, Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Jamie and Negra, the seven people who are the heart and soul of CSNW!
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Jamie and Foxie

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Jamie doesn’t ease up on her role as boss very often, but the one person who does an amazing job at getting her to cut loose and have some fun once in awhile is her friend, Foxie. The time they spend together is usually all about play, typically involving Foxie pulling out all her chimpanzee political prowess to get a troll or Dora doll back from Jamie while avoiding rocking the boss’ boat.

So it was a nice surprise when I recently caught them in a quieter moment together. They had come inside from the greenhouse to see what was on earth was holding up the continuation of dinner service. Jamie was very tolerant considering that the hold up was in part, me taking photos. (Notice Jamie’s undeniable ability to maintain all that attitude despite having a pepper seed on her lip). I’d never be able to pull that off. Yet another reason why she’s the boss.

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Today we remember Robert Ruggeri

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This special day of sanctuary was sponsored by the chimpanzees’ good friend, Rachel Ruggeri, in memory of her father, Robert Ruggeri. Rachel shared this wonderful message about today:

“My father loved animals and always believed freedom was preferable to security…for all creatures. He would have been proud to see the gang at Cle Elum find both their freedom and their happiness. Monday, June 6th would have been my father’s 80th birthday. In his honor, may the Cle Elum gang know freedom for the rest of their lives.”

Rachel we are so full of gratitude to you for all that you do for the chimpanzees – for providing them with the opportunity to live out their days with the freedom to be, and continue to discover, exactly who they are in each minute of the day. Freedom means different things to different people and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for providing them with a home in which they feel secure enough to be more courageous, joyful, and comfortable in their own skin, expanding far beyond any physical boundaries.

Robert must have been an amazing person and we are so happy to honor him today! All of us here at CSNW are wishing you a day filled with love, joy and comfort as you celebrate the memory of your father.

Annie:

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Burrito:

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Foxie and Dora:

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Jamie:

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Jody:

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Missy:

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Negra:

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Annie and Missy:

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Then and Now

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For lunch today, we set out a forage on Young’s Hill.

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Life is so dramatically different for the Cle Elum Seven these days than it was just eight years ago. Gone are the days of climate-controlled, windowless buildings, hard surfaces, and cramped spaces. Life now is bright green grass, warm sun, gentle breezes, and roses for lunch.

Missy:

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Jamie:

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Negra:

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Annie:

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Foxie:

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Burrito:

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Jody:

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