Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Missy

The return of Ellie the elk

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Ellie (as we call her), our local neighborhood wild elk, spends her days roaming up and down the valley where she grew up after losing her mother. During the winter she tends to stay more frequently at the neighboring ranch, but she always makes her way back to the sanctuary in the springtime to hang out.

On one of her first days back after the snow melted she decided to accompany the chimpanzees (everyone except Negra!) and I on a walk around Young’s Hill. The chimpanzees, however, (specifically Jamie and Foxie) weren’t so welcoming of her return and wanted to remind her whose territory she was in. (Be sure to watch until the end when Jody and Missy offer Foxie and her Dora doll reassuring hugs for their bravery).

10 Minutes of Missy’s Day

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We woke up to a dusting of snow at the sanctuary but the rest of the day has remained cloudy, cool and dry. Perfect walking weather for chimps and humans – or if you’re Missy – perfect running weather. The following photos all took place within about a 10 minute span of Missy’s day.

First she chased after Jamie, Burrito and I around the perimeter.

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And then she spotted her best friend, Annie further down the hill and took off to join her:

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And they ended up chasing each other all the way back to the playroom which ended up in a game of wrestle. Naturally.

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Queen of the Hill

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Jamie does everything with a certain level of seriousness. In part, it’s just her personality and in part, it’s probably her role as alpha of the group that she works hard to remind us all of. Even when she’s really happy and playing, it’s rare to see her with a play face or hear her laugh unless she’s in a wrestling session with Foxie who is about the only person who can really get Jamie to cut loose.

Jamie’s seriousness also extends to her beloved walks around Young’s Hill. There are for the humans in particular to follow. She leads – you follow, run when she runs, don’t attempt to go in a direction she hasn’t initiated, and if she decides to wander and explore a bit, then just make yourself comfortable and wait for her to return and resume walking when she’s ready. To be fair, chimpanzees in general aren’t followers when engaging with the humans and if they initiate play they usually prefer us to follow their lead and/or mimic whatever they’re doing. But it’s especially true with the boss.

So in the middle of a walk around Young’s Hill with Jamie and Missy we were all running side by side (me outside the fence of course) when Missy suddenly playfully bumped shoulders with Jamie and then tried to grab her feet while running. A classic chimpanzee invitation to play! I wasn’t sure what Jamie’s response would be as she has a route she likes to follow around the perimeter. I had to smile to see Jamie accept Missy’s invitation and they ditched me and headed off down the hill together in a spontaneous game of chase. Just the way it should be.

Missy, mid-bounce, and Jamie (R):
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Missy following Jamie and exploring the log bridges:

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After this photo they raced through the bamboo together and I totally lost sight of them so I headed back down the hill on my own. But to my surprise they eventually ran back to meet me so we could all race back to the greenhouse together.

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A single photo says it all!

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Today numerous photos were taken of the chimpanzees enjoying what seems like an early spring day at the sanctuary. Almost everyone was walking, climbing, and exploring Young’s Hill for much of the morning. There was one photo in particular that stood out to me, and pretty much summarizes everyone’s mood.

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Run Missy run!

Celebrating Valentine’s Day Chimp Style

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How did the chimpanzees celebrate Valentine’s Day? Well, with a party of course!

Volunteer caregivers Patti and Debbie prepared today’s breakfast smoothie and enrichment along with the help of staff member Elizabeth.

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After we finished cleaning the Playroom (one of the chimps’ indoor enclosures), we laid out blankets in the shape of hearts on the floor and placed pomegranate seeds and organic red roses inside. We also hung three pink, heart-shaped pinatas with nuts inside and scattered the Valentine-themed cups and treat boxes (with nuts hidden inside) throughout the enclosure. Unfortunately, I accidentally erased all of the photos of the setup, so you’ll have to use your imagination for that or see if you can spot some of it in the following video taken today.

And here are a few photo highlights from today as well. Unfortunately, the setup photos weren’t the only ones I erased by accident; I also erased photos of Negra, Jody and Missy enjoying the party.

Jamie
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Burrito
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Annie
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Foxie
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Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! And if you haven’t already, it’s not too late to Share the Love for the Cle Elum Seven! This Share the Chimp Love fundraiser will provide funds for the direct care of the chimpanzees now and will help with our plans for the future.

Negra Share the Love pic

Happy Valentine’s Day, Arlene!

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This beautiful Valentine’s Day was also sponsored by Michael in honor of his wife, Arlene! Michael and Arlene are also special friends of the chimpanzees who always have the chimpanzees in their hearts.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to Arlene who is a big fan of the chimpanzees and shares their love everyday.”

Michael, thank you so much for such a heartfelt gift for both Arlene and the chimps! We are so happy to have you both as part of our chimpanzee family and are grateful for all that you do to ensure the chimps’ lives are filled with love in all it’s many forms. Happy Valentine’s Day to you both!!

Best friends, Missy and Annie:

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Foxie and her beloved troll:

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Jamie and her cherished boot:

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Burrito and his love of food:

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Jody and her love for bamboo:

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And Queen Negra and her love for a comfy nest in the sun:

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Happy Valentine’s Day Chimpanzees!

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We are so happy to have two Valentine Sponsor-a-Days today! Our first sponsors are Donna and Doreen Hughes, two of the chimpanzees dear friends in New York City who are sponsoring today in honor of the chimpanzees! Donna and Doreen have hearts full of love for all animals and do so much to help them. They shared this sweet message about today:

“Happy Valentine’s Day to the chimpanzees! For Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy and Negra – you guys are the Sweetest – you are all Valentine’s and we wish you a Very Happy Valentine’s Day! We love reading about your lives and love seeing your photos! We are so glad you are all safe and thriving at the Sanctuary! Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! Love, Donna & Doreen”

Donna and Doreen, we are so thrilled to have you both as part of our chimpanzee family! Thank you for always holding the chimpanzees in your hearts and for all you do to make the lives of so many animals better. You are such special souls. And we all hope your recent birthdays were the best ones yet!

As I’m sure you already know, your beloved Pal Foxie may be tiny, but she is a joyful soul who has an awfully big heart. She’s peacekeeper, protector, and friend to all in her chimp family and probably the only person who can get serious boss Jamie to cut loose and really laugh. Thank you for helping to provide a home in which her heart can bloom.

Foxie and Annie (and Troll):

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Foxie and Burrito:

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Foxie and Jamie:

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Foxie and Jody:

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Foxie and Missy (and Dora):

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Foxie and Negra:

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Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Be sure to check out our next sponsor a day later this morning and of course, preparation for the chimps’ party is underway so there’s a lot more love headed your way!

And to all of you who so generously contributed to our Share the Chimp Love fundraiser, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! You’re not only helping to ensure these seven chimpanzees’ lives are filled with love and care, but you’re helping us prepare for the expansion of their family so that other chimps will get to live out their days with hope, love, home and sanctuary. And if you haven’t had the chance to participate yet, there’s still time to share in the love! Every day that they get to live the lives they deserve is because of you and we couldn’t be more grateful.