Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Lucky

Two is Better than One!

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Today was absolutely beautiful! The sun was out, the chimps were enjoying their warm greenhouses, and the seven had another lunch Hill forage! I know I always talk about little moments in the chimp house: the moments that just kind of make your heart melt and remind you how grateful you are that these chimps are in sanctuary. Today was full of those little moments.

1. Negra was the first chimp out of the raceway for the lunch forage! She was going everywhere trying to find the potatoes and chow. It was very nice to watch.

2. Annie, as you may know, has already been spotted with her sweatbands! Today, she was either wearing them or carrying them in her pelvic pocket (a hot pink and green one).

3. Lucky was also spotted wearing a green sweatband (not pictured).

4. Foxie gave me her doll through the raceway so that we could go take a quiet walk around a little bit of Young’s Hill.

5. One of our interns gave us a pair of her Doc Martins that Jamie had been eyeing for awhile. We gave Jamie those boots today and she seemed elated to have them <3!

6. Cy’s group were out in the greenhouses for most of the day, all grooming each other.

Bonus photos!

Negra on the Hill foraging:

Missy foraging:

Jody:

Foxie:

Burrito in the warm green house:

I hope you enjoy these little moments and Annie’s video :)!

Man! I Feel like a Woman!

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Today is International Women’s Day! I feel so blessed to work in such a female dominated field, it is truly empowering. Not only is our field dominated by women, but so is our chimp house, sorry Chad and JB :).

In the wild, males are usually the most dominate, however in captivity you can find females leading a group or allowing a male to think he the one in control, when really the female(s) are really calling the shots ;).  Let’s meet the real individuals that run the show in this chimp house!

Obviously, Jamie rules this Sanctuary:

Negra, our true queen:

Jody, our forager:

The adventurer Missy:

Foxie, the prankster:

The ever so kind Annie:

Mora, besties for life:

Miss popular Mave:

The friend to everyone, Dora (but mostly Mave):

Rayne, the calming presence:

Lucky, the sweetest of sweet:

Honey B, the master of mischief:

The care staff ladies aren’t so bad either!

Keep the Love Going: Fall in Love with Lucky!

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Today, we are featuring sweet Lucky!

Lucky was born on November 6th, 1991 and is the youngest chimp we have here at CSNW. She is a full sibling to her groups alpha, Cy, and half-sibling to group mates Honey B and Rayne. She can be considered aloof, but has really come out of her shell lately and we are enjoying every moment we have with her!

This video will be uploaded to Lucky’s bio after they have all been published, but you can sponsor Lucky today by becoming her Chimpanzee Pal! Learn more by clicking here.

Through the Greenhouse Glass

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Enjoy today’s video featuring Burrito and his Greenhouse shenanigans!

Also I wanted to thank everyone who attended our Positive Reinforcement Training virtual visit this afternoon! I am glad we got to share that aspect of the sanctuary and answer questions.

Lucky

Yesterday, Diana wrote about the natural surroundings of the sanctuary that bring her a sense of awe. I have had many moments where I felt a sense of awe as well. I thought I would share two of my iPhone photos with all of you today. Both pictures were moments where I just thought, “Wow”.

Sunset view from parking lot on January 10, 2023

View of the side of the Bray on December 30, 2022

Bromance Isn’t Dead

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As today’s video suggests, “bromance” is very much alive in this chimp house. I caught Terry and Willy B engaging in an exciting grooming session – with tons of breathy pants. It still amazes me to think that a year ago at this time, Willy B and Terry lived in two separate groups. Now, Terry and Willy B (plus their 7 friends!) have been living together for 7 months (as of tomorrow)! I’m so happy for each of them as friendships help enrich their lives.

Speaking of the group of 9, I had a photoshoot today with Cy. He took me both indoors and outdoors in attempt to get the perfect shot. I tried, Cy!

Photoshoot with Cy:

Lucky:

The VIP Lounge

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The chimpanzees spend more time resting and socializing in the heated indoor areas as the weather gets wetter and colder.

We’ve recently been focusing much of our content on the chimps’ outdoor enclosures, especially Young’s Hill and The Bray. Large outdoor habitats are irreplaceable because they provide chimpanzees with unique opportunities to engage in “natural” behaviors such as climbing, foraging, and patrolling as a group. The greenhouse-type enclosures, including the new Riverview and Oakwood Greenhouses, also have certain characteristics that the chimps can take full advantage of at their leisure.

Even so, chimpanzees living in sanctuary also need clean, climate-controlled, enriched indoor spaces. These are locations where they can be cozy, entertained and secure, regardless of the conditions outside. It would be easy to look at the artificial interiors and think that these enclosures are inferior to the outdoor ones, but the chimpanzees don’t seem to think so. Instead, the residents seem to utilize the various spaces differently so that together they provide one expansive, complex, multi-functional home.

Sofia highlighted the indoor front rooms in her September post “Back to Front Room 7” and Anna wrote about them again in last week’s post “Small space, big fun“. I thought it might be fun to share some additional video clips of the chimpanzees enjoying that same space today!