Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Missy

Happy Birthday, Penelope!

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Today was sponsored by Brian and Amy Freyermuth in honor of their niece, Penelope! They shared this message:

“Penelope is our niece who turns 4 today — she is a rollicking force of nature and lover of water in all forms from frigid New England ski slopes to warm (and not so warm) beaches.  And being the daughter and granddaughter of good Washington state girls, she loves her raspberries and her smoked salmon!  She is meticulous in making sure that all of the birds and other wildlife in our yard are well fed and cared for when she visits and is an excellent role model for her first dog (I might have those roles reversed).”

Penelope sounds like our kind of human! Thanks so much, Brian and Amy, for celebrating her in such a special way!

Happy Birthday, Penelope! Thank you for being such a good friend to animals. We’re happy to know you are in the world and hope you have the most wonderful day! It sounds like you might share an adventurous spirit with our resident force of nature, Missy! (But please remember Missy is a chimp and we’re not advocating for you to go climb on the roof. 😉 ).

Work Play Work

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Well today was full of anticipation! By 9 am J.B. and our amazing volunteers were out building this SPECTACULAR climbing structure and yes that word does have to be in all caps because it is that stunning. The structure has a little bit of everything for every chimp and these chimps could not wait to get out on Young’s Hill and check it out! However, the chimps could not go out on the Hill until it was done. They waited so patiently and found ways to stay busy! Jamie monitored the volunteers cleaning and the volunteers helping with the structure, Neggie napped in the nice and toasty Greenhouse, Burrito played chase, and Missy, Jody, Annie, & Foxie played some wild games! Jody was half pilo all day just from all the excitement, she was so excited she was even playing like crazy with Missy today. For not being able to go on the Hill most of the day these chimps were in great moods!

Jody a little pilo:

Negra:

We really put our volunteers to work today:

Volunteer working hard:

The chimps loved the final product:

 

Happy day to Sharon and Matt!

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We have two special sponsorships for this day of sanctuary which begins with Sharon Langone, who sponsored today with so much to celebrate! Sharon shared this message:

“I’d like to sponsor this day to celebrate both my husband Matt’s birthday and our ten year wedding anniversary! We love to read the blog and see what is going on at the sanctuary each day! We’re also looking forward to visiting the sanctuary in the summer and seeing more of the great work you all do!”

Sharon, how wonderful of you to include the chimpanzees in your day of celebration, love and family! Congratulations to you and Matt on your anniversary! And Matt, we hope this is the best birthday yet! Many thanks to you both for bringing that celebration and love to the chimps’ family and we’re looking forward to your visit this summer!

Love comes in many forms here at the sanctuary. Thank you for helping to ensure there’s a never ending stream coming into the chimps’ lives. All of us here wish you the happiest of days!

An oldie, but goodie of Foxie:

Jamie:

Missy:

Happy Birthday, Ramona!

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Happiest of birthdays to Ramona Isbell, who graciously chose to celebrate her special day by sponsoring a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees and sharing her birthday money with them!

Ramona, thank you so much for including the chimps in your happiness and heart! Your gift of sanctuary means the world to the chimps and all of us who love them. Have a beautiful day!

Missy:

Foxie:

For the thrill of it

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When Jamie decides she wants to go for a walk with a caregiver, there is almost always one chimp that decides to join the hike. Quite often, it’s Missy, but it isn’t always so obvious at first. Instead of following close behind, Missy makes sure to give Jamie a big head start so she can properly race to catch up.

Missy finds so much happiness in simply running as fast as she can, it’s hard to imagine her previous life spent warehoused in a basement.

Keeping It Clean

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It’s a safe bet that anything you give to a captive chimpanzee will go immediately into their mouth, and if it’s possible to swallow it, they will swallow it. Those of you who have expressed an interest in sending gifts to the chimps have probably been directed to our incredibly detailed safety guidelines for enrichment.

Occasionally we put out a few buckets of soapy water for the chimps – they like to play with the bubbles and sometimes they’ll even pitch in with some cleaning. Always keeping in mind that they can’t be trusted not to ingest whatever we give them, we use only a tiny drop of plant-based non-toxic soap. And that’s a good thing given Annie and Missy’s choices this morning:

Annie:

Missy:

The infectious joy of grabbing feet

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Last week after the chimps’ enjoyed a St. Patrick’s Day party in the greenhouse, Jamie and I went for a walk around Young’s Hill together. Like many of Jamie’s walks, this gives some of the other chimps an excuse to spend some more time outdoors as well. Missy was a bullet of energy, running around starting games of chase with Foxie and Annie. Her signature move of the day? The foot grab!
Missy going in for the “kill” on an unsuspecting Foxie:

Foxie chased Jamie down the hill making similar moves to grab Jamie’s feet:

Annie yanking her foot from Missy’s grasp: