Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Missy

Thanksgiving 2016

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Today we’re thankful for delicious feasts, for food squeaks, for volunteers who spend their holiday spreading joy to the chimps, and for all of you who have so much love for seven chimpanzees you probably haven’t met. It’s been a good day.

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Annie:

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Missy:

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Negra:

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Foxie:

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Jamie:

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Foxie and Jody resting after the party:

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Most of the video footage we ended up with after today’s party happened to feature Burrito stuffing his face:

To all of you friends, supporters, volunteers, and well-wishers, thanks for giving Annie, Missy, Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Jamie, and Negra so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

A chimp family stroll

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We are being gifted with a stretch of incredibly spring-like weather. The mornings start out damp, foggy and cold, but by the afternoon it’s warm, bright and sunny. The humans decided we needed a walk around Young’s Hill as much as Jamie did so we all decided to join her. The sight of a group of their caregivers always gets the chimps excited and often all or most of them will join us. This also gets our resident wild elk friend excited and she decided to tag along as well (though I am pretty sure the chimps attempted to un-invite her). You know, just a chimp family stroll in our own wonderful world at the sanctuary (missing Keri and Elizabeth who are home recovering from colds, and Negra and Foxie who were nesting in the sun).

We all hold so much gratitude in our hearts for this most special and magical of places and all who make it possible. A sanctuary to so many, non-human and human alike.

Anna, Diana, Yuri, Ellie and JB:

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Missy and Annie (L) and Ellie and JB waiting for the others to join us:

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Missy, Burrito and Jody suggested Ellie walk elsewhere at which point she ran to catch up with the humans:

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On a second lap around the hill, Jamie decided to check out the happenings in the neighborhood atop her beloved Twister:

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From blue cement floors below, to blue skies above

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Just over eight years ago, the Cle Elum 7 were living in the windowless basement of the Buckshire Corporation in Pennsylvania. Their entire world consisted of four attached 6×6 cages.

Here’s a little perspective on just exactly what that meant for the chimpanzees:
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Take a moment and imagine only being able to climb as high as that cage ceiling or walk as far as the beginning of one wall to the end of the other. It’s truly inconceivable.

A huge part of sanctuary means providing a new multidimensional expansive world for the chimpanzees to enjoy.

When Missy climbed to to the tallest structure on Young’s Hill this morning, she was around 20 feet in the air with an unimpeded view of a lush green valley and rolling mountains. The sun could warm her back and the breeze could tickle her skin. She had 2 acres of grassy hill to run and play on, with several comfortable indoor areas to nap and groom in.

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What a difference 8 years can make.

Missy deigns to play with a caregiver

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Missy is a chimps’ chimp. She much prefers the company of her chimpanzee family to that of any of her caregivers. Once in awhile she honors us with some attention, but she is hilariously aloof in most of her interactions with humans. On the rare occasion that she plays with a caregiver, she typically has a “I’m a little embarrassed for you right now” look on her face. Which, of course, makes her all the more charming.

When She’s Not Constantly Moving….

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When one’s mission in life is to stay in motion, to go from point A to point B, running as fast as one can, climbing everything in sight, exploring new structures and tightrope walking (well, in this case it’s fire hose walking), it can be hard to get good closeup pictures. Do you know which chimpanzee I am describing? I’ll give you a hint, she was one of the chimps featured in yesterday’s blog.

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If you guessed Missy, then you are right!!

Be sure to stay tuned for the Jamieween celebration (Jamie’s birthday and Halloween combined) happening tomorrow!