Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Missy

The New Annie

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Just a few years ago, Annie was glued to her best friend Missy’s side. Missy was Annie’s security blanket, and she followed her everywhere. Annie was afraid to be alone.

That’s not the case anymore. These days it’s not uncommon to see images like this one of Annie enjoying some solitude on Young’s Hill this morning:

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She sat there for several minutes until Missy, who had been doing her own thing further up the hill, came over to say hi.

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Missy sat down next to Annie and they hung out together for awhile, taking in the view.

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Eventually, Missy decided to head inside to the greenhouse. Old Annie would have followed.

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But new Annie is plenty confident in her own company.

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Missy Chimpanzee

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Age: 41ish. Her birthday is unknown, but it’s estimated she was born in 1975. We celebrate her birthday on September 23 each year.

Nicknames: Miss, Miss-Miss, Little Bigfoot (we often joke that she resembles Bigfoot when she stands bipedally on Young’s Hill)

Best friend: Annie
Favorite foods: Tomatoes!

Distinguishing physical characteristics: distinctive white patch above her upper lip on the left side of her face, somewhat square body with no neck (she does have a neck, it’s just short).

Favorite things to do: Running, jumping, sprinting, climbing and other various acrobatic feats (including, but not limited to, firehose walking, leaping and balancing), building big nests and playing with Annie. She is also pretty serious about grooming sessions, including grooming herself with a tool.

Personality: active, energetic, graceful, adventurous, good sense of humor

Other: First to offer support/back up to the other chimps and she almost didn’t make it to sanctuary.

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You can find out more about Missy’s story before coming to CSNW here.

Thank you, Joanna!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Joanna Morris in honor of the chimpanzees! Joanna shared how much she loves the chimps’ different personalities and today she wants to celebrate each of these amazing beings.

Joanna, thank you so much for not only recognizing and honoring how special and unique each of the chimpanzees are, but for helping to give them the lives they deserve in their sanctuary. We are so grateful to you for your compassion and generosity!

Best friends, Missy and Annie playing chase on Young’s Hill:

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Courageous Foxie exploring with Dora:

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Burrito accompanying Jody on one of her foraging adventures:

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And of course, Boss Jamie and Queen Negra:

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What a perfect Sponsor-a-Day to be gifted with as we kick off our Share the Chimp Love fundraiser for Valentine’s Day! See how your support has not only changed the lives of Annie, Missy, Foxie, Burrito, Jody, Jamie and Negra, but has also made it possible for us to begin our Sanctuary Expansion Fund so that other chimpanzees in need may experience the hope, love, home and sanctuary they deserve.

The ordinary is extraordinary

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Throughout the course of any given day here at CSNW, the chimpanzees are either eating, resting, playing, displaying, grooming, exploring, climbing, running, foraging, napping, inspecting enrichment, interacting with one another and/or human caregivers and a host of other activities. So, it’s always great when we are able to capture clear photos and video clips of them engaged in the myriad of activities listed above to share with blog followers. And it’s pretty special when we are able to capture any of the chimps doing something unexpected.

But sometimes it’s the ordinary things in the day that are extraordinary. The fact that these chimps are able to run, laugh, play, rest, explore and simply just be is what I consider to be pretty extraordinary (given their prior lives in biomedical research and in the entertainment industry). So, here are a few “ordinary” moments from today that I wanted to share with you.

Annie just being beautiful as she rested on the catwalk this morning.
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I love this photo of Jamie running out of the Playroom on her way to Young’s Hill.
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Missy often grooms herself with some sort of “tool” and today she brought it with her (in her mouth) when she went out onto Young’s Hill.
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Burrito’s pursed lips while eating snow.
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Jody gathered snow to go with her alfalfa cubes.
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20 snapshots of the day

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I probably could never quite explain how ecstatic we all were to wake up to sunshine and beautiful clear blue skies this morning. We couldn’t wait to start shoveling the chimps’ walkway on Young’s Hill and fluff it up with fresh, dry straw so that they could enjoy their morning outside.

As we prepped the walkway the chimpanzees were so excited, intermittently watching us and playing and laughing with one another inside.

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Once I opened the door to the hill I couldn’t believe my eyes when who but Negra was leading the group outside! You can just see her head peeking out from in front of Missy at the head of the line. Then we have Annie, Foxie and Jamie bringing up the rear with one of her new snow shovels (Burrito was the one person who opted to stay inside and eat snow from the raceway door, but he’s been enjoying a day of Burrito-style antics with his caregivers):

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I put a straw path up to one of the swinging tires, always a favorite spot to check for ice treats. Jody headed straight for it and quickly made her way back to the greenhouse with her prize. The trick was getting around boss lady, Jamie, with her treat undetected.

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But the boss had work to do so Jody was able to sneak by.

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Missy:

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Annie enjoying her solitude:

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But she was so happy when her best friend, Missy, arrived and greeted her with a kiss and a hug:

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Foxie rubs her toes together when she’s happy and content and if you look close you can see she seemed to be pretty pleased to be enjoying the morning outside with her troll:

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Jamie was in her element this morning as she proudly surveyed her snow covered kingdom:

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Foxie and troll headed back inside after stopping to collect snow on the way:

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Annie was the last to head inside, but had to stop briefly to readjust her huge mouthful of snow:

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Jamie still had a little work to do:

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Negra didn’t stay out long, but she made it quite away out to collect snow and then returned to her favorite sunny spot inside the greenhouse to enjoy it, along with Jody.

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It’s been a good day at the sanctuary! The chimpanzees have spent a lot of time outside enjoying some warmer temperatures and even more time at the top of the toasty greenhouse grooming and napping. Blue skies and sunshine have worked wonders and been a welcome respite from our crazy winter for all the primates here today.

PILO!

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Have you ever noticed a photo of the chimpanzees looking larger and “fluffier” than normal? Having hair that is pilo erect means that it involuntarily stands on end due to excitement, fear, or cold. Humans become pilo when we get goosebumps, and since we have less hair, it’s less obvious. Another example of piloerection is when a dog’s hackles go up. Looking to see if a chimpanzee is pilo or not helps caregivers gauge their arousal level. I perused through some of our old photos and videos to find some good examples of each chimpanzee demonstrating piloerection.

Foxie:
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Burrito spends a great deal of his time in a “fluffy” state, so it was very easy to find a pilo picture:
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Jody:
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Annie (possibly pilo because she is running through the cold):
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Jamie (about to display):
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Missy:
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I had a tough time finding a photo of Negra with pilo erect hair, but that’s because she’s usually in action during a fight. In the following video from a couple years ago, you can see Negra and others during a conflict. Watch for some good examples of piloerection:

Today is in honor of “Best Buddies”

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by an anonymous supporter on his wife’s birthday in honor of “Best Buddies.” To our anonymous supporters, thank you so much! This is such a lovely sponsorship and in celebrating your best buddy, you honor the chimpanzees and those they hold dear, making it possible for them to experience life as they deserve. And we are immensely grateful for that. All of us here at the sanctuary wish you both a day of joy, comfort and love as you celebrate! And Happy Birthday!

Best buddies come in many forms and are not exclusive to human relationships. Whether on the go, at rest, or even having a disagreement, Annie and Missy are never far from one another’s side:

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Missy chase Annie

Missy Annie running behind

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