Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Jody

A Strawberry Solstice

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One of the chimpanzees’ favorite summertime happenings is their garden. Volunteer caregiver, Denice, and staff caregiver, Keri, are the driving forces behind this beautiful project each year. It not only helps us supplement the chimpanzees’ food supply, but it provides them with enrichment while adding beauty to their home.

As soon as the weather turned warmer this year the chimpanzees immediately started looking out the windows of the playroom to see if the garden had magically appeared overnight. Once things start growing we get to harvest fresh fruit and vegetables for them almost daily and they LOVE getting to choose what they would like and have their caregivers hand it to them straight from the garden!

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With our first full day of summer arriving yesterday in conjunction with the stunning full Strawberry Moon last night, I thought it only appropriate to have a small strawberry feast this afternoon to celebrate. Volunteer caregiver, Ally, picked through the chimps’ strawberry patch as they watched from the greenhouse and then served everyone the fresh berries, still warm from the (official!) summer sun.

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Burrito and Jody watch Ally in the distance. The entire time, Annie was banging her feet on the caging and Foxie was blowing raspberries to hurry Ally along with the strawberry picking:

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Burrito:

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Jody:

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Foxie:

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Annie:

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Jamie:

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Missy decided to wait down by the onion patch, but she was happy for a handful of strawberries:

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And Queen Negra opted to avoid all the excitement in the greenhouse and wait it out in the comfort of her nest until I hand delivered some strawberries to her. She climbed down from her nest at Negra-style warp speed and though she was not interested in having her photo taken, she enjoyed her strawberries in peace with a view of the flower garden.

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Year Seven

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Continuing the trip down memory lane in celebration of the sanctuary’s 8th anniversary, today is all about the Cle Elum Seven’s seventh year of sanctuary.

The seventh year of sanctuary would include moving the veterinary clinic under the newly constructed pole barn…

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…adding a new climbing structure to Young’s Hill. It would be the tallest structure built on the hill to date. It is comprised of two climbing towers (Carlene’s Tower and Jamie’s Lookout), which are connected by a swinging bridge…

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Jamie’s Lookout
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Carlene’s Tower
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…and perhaps one of the biggest highlights of the seventh year of sanctuary has been the addition of Positive Reinforcement Training (click on the link to read JB’s description of PRT at the sanctuary.) I think Diana summed it up the best; “Our ultimate goal with this program is to give the chimps the opportunity to participate in their own medical care, and to make it a positive experience for them.” The information gained from these training sessions is critical to providing the best care possible for the chimps.

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Click on the link to read more about Negra’s progress in the PRT program.
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The chimps also had some new visitors on Young’s Hill this year, including Hank the Hawk and Bernard the Eagle.

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And here are some more highlights from the seventh year of sanctuary.

Thanks to the handy work (destruction) of whom we can only guess was responsible (most likely Jamie), the chimps got a new and improved bridge in the Playroom.

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Foxie flips

Jamie enjoys Young’s Hill after hours.
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Burrito doing what he does best, being a big kid.

And Jody doing what she loves, foraging for plants on Young’s Hill.
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Annie’s increased independence.
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Year Four

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In celebration of CSNW’s 8th Anniversary, we are taking a trip down memory lane. Today we look back on the chimpanzees’ fourth year at the sanctuary.

By the beginning of Year Four, we had a long-standing dream of expanding the sanctuary and giving the chimpanzees a spacious, open-air outdoor habitat, unlike anything they had experienced in their lives.

Young's Hill – The Dream from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest on Vimeo.

By the summer of 2011, thanks to help from supporters Karen and Don Young and so many others, Young’s Hill was nearing completion.

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The chimpanzees were able to watch the construction from the greenhouse, but it’s hard to say what they thought of it. We hoped that they knew it was for them. They were certainly curious.

As the big day approached, we all tried to predict how the chimps would react to the door to Young’s Hill being opened for the first time.

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For most of them, this would be the first time in their long lives that they would feel grass under their feet and have an unimpeded view of the sky above. We guessed that they would probably be too apprehensive to stay outside for long on the first day, and that some of them would likely be too afraid to venture out at all.

We should have known not to underestimate them.

On the day that the door to Young’s Hill was opened for the first time, all of the chimpanzees showed astonishing courage by stepping eagerly into the great unknown. Watch video of their exhilarating first moments outside. It was an emotional day for the chimps and for all the humans who love them.

The opening of Young’s Hill set off a series of firsts for the chimpanzees that year. It was the first time they were sharing a habitat with other creatures, and they had to deal with a lot of strange noises.

Having lived in indoor or partially-indoor enclosures for their entire lives, they had never fully experienced weather or seasons. On Young’s Hill they encountered sun, wind, rain, and snow.

Despite their burst of courage and adventurousness on the first day, not everyone felt immediately at home outside. We saw the more confident chimps support and encourage the more hesitant individuals.

We all got chills seeing the chimps behave like a wild troop for the first time, now that they had a territory to patrol.

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And we continued to be amazed as they stretched their legs and their horizons.

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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Happy Birthday, Karen!

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Today the chimpanzees are celebrating a day of sanctuary gifted to them by Julie Olson in honor of her sister, Karen Olson, on her birthday! Julie shared this message about today:

“I am sponsoring a day for the chimps in honor of my sister Karen’s birthday. She is the biggest animal lover I know and has followed the Cle Elum 7 since they came to the sanctuary.”

Julie, thank you so much for  giving such a compassionate gift for Karen and the chimpanzees! We are so grateful to you both for your support of the chimpanzees and for being part of making their lives in sanctuary better with each passing year.

Karen, we wish the same for you and hope this is your best birthday yet! Happy Birthday hoots from all of us at CSNW!!

Jody is amazing at celebrating each day as she sees fit:

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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:

Missy Annie running behind