Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Jamie

Let’s Not Forget

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There is no rhyme or reason today, I just wanted to share that Jamie is the coolest. Jamie is so genuinely herself and she doesn’t waiver from who she is, it is something to admire. There is never a day that goes by when I don’t say out loud or in my head: “Jamie is so cool”. I just thought I would put this info right here just in case anyone hadn’t heard it in a while!

Jamie sat in the window ledge of the Green House to watch JB and I clean for a while. I stopped by to hang out with her for a few minutes.

While we cleaned the front rooms, Jamie had to monitor JB as he tried to snake the drain. Jamie was there to ensure JB was using his tools correctly.

This Is A Bit Munch

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Hi, everyone! It’s a *beautiful* Sunday here in Cle Elum and it feels like everyone’s enjoying it. Right now I can see Cy on the security monitors relaxing in the Mezzanine with a new magazine, a few mall walkers walkin’, and Jamie’s group relaxing after a lunch forage on Young’s Hill. For today’s forage we had baked sweet potatoes, mini sweet peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers… And the chimps were so very excited. Baking fruits and veggies might seem like no big deal to us humans, but the chimps (for the most part) love it when they get baked foods. Whether it be the texture change or the natural sweetness that comes from baking a fruit, they get all worked up in the best way.

Speaking of mealtimes, the other day I was sitting with Gordo at dinner and he allowed me to snag a few videos of him eating. If you’re anything like me, it is the bane of your existence when you can hear another human chewing their meals. It’s not logical, I know, but something about it just gives me uncomfortable goosebumps. Having the opportunity to sit and listen to the chimps eat, though, is the best. The humans have talked about it and for some reason most of us feel the same way- listening to the chimps eat with their food grunts, lip smacks, and munchin’ sounds just makes you smile.

You might not believe me and that’s okay, but don’t worry- I’ve compiled a six minute long video of the chimps munchin’ away to try and change your mind. 🙂

P.S: don’t forget that our annual fundraiser is coming up next week! On Friday, September 16th we will be celebrating the chimps at HOOT! 2022! You can read more on the celebration in Diana’s blog post here, but you can still purchase tickets for both in-person and virtual festivities. We will have a live and silent auction, with items so good that some of us caregivers are trying to figure out how to snag them without Diana noticing, and if you sign up for a VIP ticket (for either in-person or virtual) you will be registered to attend an exclusive, virtual tour of the sanctuary! Join us to celebrate the chimps and sanctuary next week! 🙂 See more by clicking here.

P.P.S: As a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit organization, we rely on your support to provide lifetime quality care and sustainable sanctuary for our residents. There are a variety of ways to support us- like helping us reach our goal of being rated a 2022 Great Top-Rated nonprofit by GreatNonprofits! It’s as easy as going here and clicking “Share Your Story”. The humans, and the residents, of CSNW say thanks in advance!

Now, some photos from today’s forage on Young’s Hill! 🙂

Annie, enjoying some peppers:

Burrito, mid-swing:

Missy snagging a tomato:

Negra searching for baked sweet potatoes:

New Boot Goofin’

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It’s no secret that footwear here at CSNW is an important topic, one that is taken quite seriously. For example- a few months ago before I had my first shift, I had to pick out a pair of work boots online to be my chimp house boots. I am not normally that picky a person when it comes to fashion, but it took me longer than I would like to admit for me to settle on a pair of boots- I was way more concerned about whether Jamie and the other chimps would like my boots than I am about my normal day-to-day fashion choices.

A few weeks ago, a company named Planone reached out to us and asked if we would be interested in receiving a few pairs of their rain boots. They were super cute (and so shiny!) so of course we said yes! They came in the other day and the chimps have been very into them- Jamie, Honey B, Lucky, and Terry have been all about them since they saw them for the first time.

One of the pairs they sent us, a cream yellow short rain boot:

Check out today’s video for more on the chimps reactions! And thanks so much, Planone, for the gift! 🙂

Jamie, completely bliss-ed out about the new boots:

 

The Boss & Bonus Footage

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A frequent question we get asked is how we know when one of our residents wants something specific or when they want one of us to do something with them. While this definitely gets easier as you get to know them better, and it’s never a perfect science, we are often able to determine what a chimp is looking for in how and where they are gesturing.

For example- if Burrito or Gordo are trying to get you to play a game of chase with them, they will look at you and then run away! We would also watch for behavioral indicators of play that include a play face, foot stomp, and exaggerated movements. If Jamie is wanting a specific pair of boots, she will often stand in the playroom loft and gesture through the kitchen door. She will continue to gesture until you bring back the right pair (no matter how many wrong pairs you offer her first) and then she will likely either come down to take it or she will take off for the hill- which is a sign that she wants you, and said boot, to come with her on her patrol. She also sometimes wants you to wear the specific boot instead of carry it… no matter the size. I would like to take this moment to formally apologize to my coworkers (*ahem* Sofia) that have had to squeeze their feet into my toddler-feet sized boots. Y’all are troopers. 🙂

Lately, though, Jamie has been all about raspberries and frozen treats- which are a hit with everyone. Check out the video for more!

Negra enjoying the cool morning on Young’s Hill.

Annie looking particularly beautiful in the morning light of the Greenhouse.

Cy being his dreamy self.

Wind and Willows

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Today we awoke to an entirely different climate from last week. Cooling wind relief rolled in overnight to Central Washington and we are enjoying a perfect (although blustery) day in the upper 60’s.  I even had to click on my car’s heated seats on my way to work!
Chad and I spent the morning cleaning the original side of the building and I sensed the chimpanzees were all enjoying the drop in temperatures. Jamie went for frequent explorations on Young’s Hill as she needed to check on J.B. and the progress being made on the new enclosure fence line.  She skipped a playroom cabbage forage and opted to go outside instead of letting me close of the Greenhouse for cleaning.  Meanwhile, Negra covered her head with a leopard print blanket to add that extra layer of comfort back into her nest.

I captured a few random moments from the day.

Portrait Studio Jamie:
Jamie examining her new book about Egypt (and mummies):
Here Jamie lovingly looks at her favorite book about Bonobos:
Since we didn’t get the Greenhouse closed off, we opted to put out some browse in the front rooms after we fully cleaned and disinfected them. Chad and Grace harvested fresh willow on the property and the chimpanzees eagerly collected the branches for consumption.  No one was more eager to eat the willow than Missy:
Missy even kept a good grip on her willow during a quick wrestling match with Burrito:
 
Jamie again:
Burrito:
Meanwhile on the other side of the building, Kelsi captured this pretty spectacular moment. We counted seven chimpanzees in this grooming puddle!!
“Home! That was what they meant, those caressing appeals, those soft touches wafted through the air, those invisible little hands pulling and tugging, all one way.”
-Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

These Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Weeks of Summer

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A big ole’ heat wave is coming to Cle Elum this week and although today wasn’t the hottest of the hot upcoming days, it is still a *very* warm 92 degrees Fahrenheit. On days like this, afternoons tend to be a little quieter as the chimps find cool spots to relax throughout the chimp house. A wonderful thing about the Pacific Northwest, though, is that nights and mornings tend to be a good deal cooler than the afternoons. This means that, in the morning, Jamie’s group still gets to enjoy Young’s Hill and Cy’s group is frequently inviting caregivers to play chase throughout the greenhouses!

In the afternoons, we work to provide the chimps enrichment to keep them cool – and today we made snow-cone-boats for everyone! Check out the photos below to see how they enjoyed it.

This morning, Annie and Missy enjoyed a bit of morning climbing on Carlene’s Tower.

Annie inspecting some tall grass out on Young’s Hill in the morning glow of sunshine.

While everyone went out to explore the hill, Negra opted to hang back and watch (ahem, nap).

Negra and Foxie enjoying a post-breakfast relaxation session in the greenhouse.

Foxie was all about a slow motion game of pass-the-troll-through-the-caging, before she took them back for a cuddle.

Cut to the afternoon – cleaning is complete, lunch has been had, and it’s time for some cooling enrichment! We took shaved ice and added in a drizzle of Grape Juice and a few freshly harvested raspberries and currants, courtesy of our abundant garden outside of the kitchen.

Everyone was super excited! It’s tough to snag photos of the chimps with the snow cone boats, since they eat them so quickly, but I took a few mediocre ones with my phone to share. 🙂

Annie:

Cy:

Dora:

Foxie:

Jamie:

Terry:

I also wanted to make a quick shout out- we can’t express how amazing our volunteers and supporters are, no words could ever do it justice. And today I wanted to send a thank you to volunteer Patti for her surprise delivery of vegan ice cream sandwiches for the staff and a box fan for the chimps! Thank you!!

It’s World Chimpanzee Day!

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In case you haven’t already heard, today is World Chimpanzee Day!

Here are the Goals of World Chimpanzee Day, straight from the official website:

  • Celebrate our closest living relative in the animal kingdom.
  • Improve understanding by educating global audiences about their uniqueness and innate value as a species, as well as their importance to ecosystems.
  • Raise awareness and inspire action about threats they face in the wild including habitat loss, disease, and wildlife trafficking, while also advocating for their welfare in captive situations.

On this World Chimpanzee Day, we also remember one of the day’s founders and dedicated chimpanzee advocate, Steve Ross. Earlier this year Diana wrote this touching blog in his memory.

At the sanctuary, we celebrated the big day with our chimpanzee friends by setting out multiple forages of freshly picked roses. Kelsi grabbed this heart warming video of Terry’s official flower inspection. Eventually, the roses ended up as a snack for him too ☺️