Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Burrito is not the type to ever turn down a friend! He will never miss a moment to play, groom, or even display! He is a special guy who does not take life for granted. And because of that his caregivers also will never miss a moment with him as well!
Bonus photos!
Yesterday, I gave Jamie some lavender from our garden, she seemed to enjoy it:
Rare portraits of Missy:
As I close in on one year of working at the sanctuary, I am still welcomed with many “firsts.” This past week I was graced with two firsts for me that both made my day, and surprised me! Watch today’s video before proceeding to the rest of the blog so that I don’t spoil anything!
Here’s a picture of Negra with pasta sauce lips after a recent party, making sure there are no accidental spoilers!
Now for those exciting “firsts”! As you all got to see in the video, I had my first long play session with Gordo, where he showed me his play face and laughed quietly as he let me tickle him and play chase with him. This is a big milestone in our friendship, especially considering that not that long ago, I was the one that hand injected him to allow for his veterinary check up. We spent several months training for that moment, but I wouldn’t blame him for holding a grudge. Thankfully he seems to have forgiven me, for which I am very grateful.
My next “first” was getting a kiss from MISSY. I could hardly believe my luck! And somehow I also managed to snap a photo, for proof!!
A kiss from Missy!
Missy has allowed me a few, very special one-on-one interactions within the past few weeks that leave me feeling so happy and fulfilled that I could take on the world. One such interaction included her putting out her toes from both feet through the caging for me to tickle with the back of my hand, then turning around to let me groom her back. Another morning, as I walked in to greet the chimps, Missy quickly jumped up from her nest and raced to the front of the playroom. I wasn’t quite sure what was happening at first, but am not one to miss out on an opportunity to play, so I started running too in hopes this was my shot at a game of chase with Missy. Lucky for me, it was!
It is hard to believe it has almost been one year since I started working with the lovely chimpanzees, humans, and cattle of CSNW. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to love and care for such amazing chimpanzees and sassy bovine ladies, as well as to work alongside such a fantastic team of humans. Here’s to many more special moments!
Remember that tonight, Tuesday, September 3rd, is the third in our discussion series “Primate Perspectives: Unpacking Chimp Crazy. This discussion will focus on the third episode of the series, which first aired Sunday night and will continue to be available to watch on Max. This week we will be joined by Brittany Peet, General Counsel, Captive Animal Law Enforcement at PETA Foundation. Brittany appeared throughout the series and was very involved in trying to place Buck in a sanctuary before his tragic end. Once again, this episode was difficult to watch and there is a lot to unpack. Join Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance and Brittany Peet at 6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET. Registration is required to join the Zoom meeting.
It’s such a joy to watch Annie kicking up her heels!
Today, as caregiver Anna and I were cleaning the playroom, Anna commented that there was some serious chimp laughter coming from the front rooms. Sure enough, I found Annie and Burrito whooping it up!
Missy was sitting close by. I figured she was annoyed with the tomfoolery. Little did I know, she was simply waiting for her turn to be silly with her dear friend Annie. Pretty sweet!
Reminder:
Sunday, August 25th was the second installment of the HBO docuseries Chimp Crazy, which is available to watch on MAX. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance will once again be hosting a discussion this evening after the episode (August 27, 6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET) to explore Episode 2: Gone Ape. Register to join the second installment in this discussion series “Primate Perspectives: Unpacking Chimp Crazy. We will talk about the contents of episode two and the history of the use of chimpanzees as pets and the current pet trade in monkeys. We will be recording it this week, so if you register but are unable to join, we will send you a link to the recording.
Today is Missy’s 49th Birthday!
Unlike previous birthdays for Missy, today was chilly and rainy. However, that didn’t stop the chimps from foraging out on Young’s Hill!
If you aren’t familiar with Missy’s interests, she is our tomato enthusiast. She had at least one form of tomato for each meal so far today. As we speak, caregiver Ellen is making a tomato-based soup for all the chimps to enjoy at dinner. I know Missy will be over the moon!
Happy Birthday to our tomato-lovin’, tree-climbin’, athletic, graceful, birthday girl, Missy! I can’t believe she is 49 years old today. She ages so gracefully.Â
Photos from today
Annie foraging:
Foxie climbing up a structure:
Foxie moving grass out of her way, but looks like she’s doing karate:
Jamie on top of a structure:
Missy and Annie sitting on the artificial termite mound:
Missy enjoying a juicy tomato:
Missy:
Negra:
Working with chimps can be a little loud and even overstimulating at times. That is why when there are quiet moments or sweet interactions, they mustn’t go unnoticed. Those moments can fill our cup up! Jamie’s side of the building has been pretty calm today, while Cy’s side has been making quite the ruckus for some of the morning. It did make for great “TV” for Burrito, but tension on one side can often cause tension on the other. However, Burrito’s side has been pretty easygoing. Jamie has even let individuals like Foxie and Annie have their fruit this morning. The best part of the day so far has been watching Burrito and Missy get so excited for their lunch forage that they had to play and laugh it out, even Jamie and Foxie decided to groom! My cup definitely got filled today :).
Negra watching her noisy neighbors on the Bray in the morning:
Patrols around Young’s Hill with Jamie are pretty much a daily occurrence- even today, when the wind is winding, Jamie was off on a walk first thing this morning! She found me again later in the morning when I was rinsing some toys and gestured to a pair of boots that had been donated a few weeks ago that she loves. I gave her one, thinking that’s what she wanted, and when she took it out of the food chute I thought I had gotten it right on the first time. So, I was feeling pretty good about myself. 🙂 A few seconds later, though, I looked up to see Jamie squeezing the same boot out over the top of the playroom door before chucking it down at me. Feeling like I actually hadn’t gotten it right, I picked up the boot and put it on. Voila! Jamie took off and together we (and Missy!) went for a walk around Young’s Hill.
I recorded the whole walk to share with you today, because I find that I always feel re-centered after a walk with Jamie. Something about the calm pace she takes, the quiet, the view, and the moment that you’re sharing with her is grounding. I thought it might be for you, too, so please enjoy this ten-minute walk around Young’s Hill with Jamie (and Missy).
As always, I apologize for today’s blog. All staff are arriving at the sanctuary to have our bi-weekly staff meeting. I think I was a little optimistic thinking powering through cleaning to have enough time to grab some photos or video before our meeting. Though we were able to get done with cleaning a little earlier than we usually do, it still wasn’t enough. Especially since it was during the part of day right before lunch, when they are all in the hard to reach spots napping or grooming. I readjusted my plan to get photos during lunch service today. This too was somewhat difficult. On one side, Honey B became a better door than window in my attempts to see/take photos of anyone. On the other side, Burrito just wanted to play, thus souring my attempts with a game of “Poke-the-Camera,” which he finds hilarious.
If you’re wondering why they chimps elected to stay inside instead of venturing out doors today, the answer is weather. There seems to be a little bit of everything in the forecast. It’s cloudy with some sun breakthroughs here and there. Strong gusts of winds are making the panels to the greenhouses rattle. On again and off again drizzles of cold rain are falling from the sky. To top it off, there is some snow that is currently in the forecast for later today. Though realistically (read hopefully) the snow part will change as the day goes on and just turn into rain.
Before the weather started to turn, Negra was demanding to be let onto Young’s Hill first thing in the morning.
Shortly after I opened the door to Young’s Hill, that’s when the weather decided to start. My tall tell sign? Just as fast as she went out, Negra came right back in.
Negra made a beeline straight back to her morning nest.
Negra and her family for the most part stayed in all day. The story next door wasn’t too much different.
But even though outdoor weather wasn’t the most optimal, mealtimes are always exciting. I’m fairly certain I make the same face as Cy and Gordo when my food comes out from the kitchen at a restaurant.
And just as the day started, I will end with Negra in her nest at dinner
Plus Missy and Burrito!
