Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Kim Rogers has sponsored today in celebration of her 50th birthday, and she wants “to recognize it by wishing a good, long, healthy life to [the] chimps.”
The Cle Elum Seven stay healthy by enjoying lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Jody adores Brussels sprouts:
Such a sweet and thoughtful way to celebrate your big day, Kim!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Chimp lover and mama extraordinaire Adrienne sponsored today in honor of Joey, Jakob and Billie Joe with this sweet note: “I love the Cle Elum 7 and want to honor my own family along with them on Valentine’s Day.” Jody is our resident mama here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, having given birth to nine babies in her time in research. Here she is below with a chimp favorite fitting for today – pomegranate!
You may have noticed a lack of Young’s Hill photos and videos over the last month or so. That’s because when the snow gets so deep, it reduces the voltage of the electric fence, making it unsafe to allow the chimpanzees out there. Well, yesterday, J.B., Sarah and I (mostly J.B.) all went out and shoveled around the entire perimeter of the fence (who needs a gym membership?), freeing up those bottom wires covered in snow so that the voltage was sufficient to let the chimps back out! It was very hard work, but the chimps were so excited that it was well worth it! There were lots of hugs and kisses in the chimp house (between the chimps 😉 ) and breathy pants echoed in the greenhouse. Sometimes our job isn’t glamorous but it is certainly rewarding, especially when you see a face like the one below (Jody’s).
Jody was the first one to go back out. She was food grunting (we had lettuce out there, plus look at all that snow!) and had a huge playface!
Annie used Jody’s head for support as she passed her on the log bridge. Jody didn’t seem to mind.
Look at the joy in her eyes!
The snow was really deep, so J.B. and Diana shoveled paths along the log bridge to the first climbing structure and to Negra’s cabin. Most folks just walked along the paths, but Missy chose to walk on the fire hose.
From left to right, Jamie, Missy, Annie and Jody, enjoying the lettuce forage on top of the first climbing structure.
Did I mention the snow was (is) deep? Foxie walked along the paths but she looked so tiny from our vantage point (tinier than she already is, even!).
Annie figured walking bipedally made more sense. Gotta say, I agree!
While everyone else foraged for lettuce, Annie climbed up to the top of Negra’s cabin a couple of times.
And Missy discovered a TON of lettuce Sarah put in the cabin!
I think she was pretty pleased!
All of the chimps went out at some point, though Negra didn’t leave the comfort of the raceway (and only so she could grab some lettuce and snow) and Burrito was only out for a couple of minutes (also just to grab a little bit of lettuce and snow) and didn’t venture out very far, but everyone seemed very happy to have the option of the hill back! And that’s what sanctuary is all about.
Annie following Missy back to the greenhouse:
It’s a good thing the Cle Elum Seven like to eat snow so much, because we’ve got a lot of it!
We’ve been putting snow in the kiddie pool and other large tubs and containers on a pretty regular basis, and it keeps the chimps happy for hours. Today, I walked into the chimp area and found that Missy had grabbed a large handful and taken it upstairs to enjoy by the window.
She may have been sitting in the sunshine, but with eating all that snow she was obviously still cold. She was shivering quite a bit and used this washcloth to dry her hands off.
Jody was laying next to her in her nest. You can’t tell but she had a mouthful herself.
Later, Missy went to enjoy some snow with her best friend Annie
and while she was gone, Negra had taken over Missy’s pile of snow
it wasn’t long before Missy joined her
Chimpanzees are quiet most of the time. In fact, as I write this it’s completely silent in the playroom. In times of excitement, though, chimps can be quite vocal. The Cle Elum Seven often pant hoot in anticipation of mealtime, or right after they’ve been given access to an area that had been closed off. Today there was lots of displaying and pant hooting when the chimps re-entered the playroom after lunch. Everyone except for Negra got in on the action (Negra likes to stay out of drama). Here are a few photos of Jody pant hooting during the excitement.
In the video below you’ll see Jamie and Foxie displaying. You’ll notice that they have somewhat different styles. Jamie likes to drum on a barrel to raise the noise level, but even petite Foxie makes an impression.
I love to watch Jody nest. It’s such a science to get the blankets just right so that you feel safe and comfortable in your bed – and Jody is a master at getting comfortable!
Hopefully you have heard about our Team Chimp Fundraiser, but if not check out this link. Team Jody is in last place! Give her some love and join her team!
Since her injury, it’s been all about Jody on the blog this last week. We like to mix things up for you as much as possible, but I snapped a few photos of her in and out of sleep in the front rooms this morning and I couldn’t resist sharing them. She has one of the prettiest faces I’ve ever seen.
