Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
The other day Missy was grooming a small scrape on her back with a piece of bark. Chimps love to groom injuries, so if no one else was going to help her, Missy was going to find a way to do it herself.
For Negra, it’s never too warm for a blanket. I think she just feels more secure when she’s wrapped up in something.
We recently discovered that the chimps are crazy about grass. Today we picked some fresh grass from the pasture on the grounds and spread it in the chimpanzees’ outdoor enclosure. Here are some pictures of Annie and Jody enjoying the forage. Unfortunately, the pictures were not able to capture Annie’s delighted food squeaks.
And here are a couple of pictures of JB serving lunch outside yesterday. The second one is a complete family photo!
The way the chimps react to new enrichment says a lot about them. This morning, I installed some new fire hose swings in the outdoor area. Missy tested them out playfully. Jamie had something else in mind…
If you received our latest e-newsletter, you know that Negra has been a little more active lately (if you don’t get the e-newsletter, you can sign up here). I thought I’d post another photo of Negra and Missy playing chase around the climbing structure. Missy usually has only one speed (fast), but she was nice enough to slow things down a bit for Negra’s sake. Afterwards, Negra took a well-deserved rest.
Here are a few still shots from yesterday
I had to take one “before” shot of the cornbread peeps and the Passover Harrosset on Matzah (hope I got that right!). We really can’t thank the volunteers and supporters enough for making Easter, and everyday, such a treat for the Cle Elum Seven and the CSNW staff too!
One of the many, many things that I like about chimps is they like what they like – they aren’t as influenced by human hang-ups and ideas about what’s “snack” food and what’s “just a vegetable”. Thanks to a donation from a far, we bought some fresh produce Easter morning that the chimps don’t get frequently – cucumbers, green onions, sweet potatoes and coconuts. Jody and Missy were competing for who could grab as many green onions as they could.
And here is a man and his treasured coconut
The party seemed to be still going on this morning… Foxie was eating a coconut when we arrived (quite happily), and Missy and Annie did not even consider coming in for breakfast. After breakfast, Jamie donned an Easter bonnet (or perhaps more of a Spring gardening hat) briefly:
Finally! Here are a few shots of the chimps enjoying the beautiful weather. It’s been right in Negra’s “sweet spot” – between 65 and 75 degrees – so she’s been outside a lot.
We had a forage outside for lunch – lots of broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers. The last photo is of Foxie with a “whimper face”. I’m not sure what she was whimpering about; she probably lost one of her trolls for a moment.
