Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Missy

Snoozin’

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On this quintessential autumn afternoon most of the chimpanzees are baking in sunny spots while Jamie is walking her caregivers ragged. It’s the most gorgeous day. As I walked up the stairs to the greenhouse it was so quiet and appeared empty so I didn’t expect to find anyone. But just as I rounded the corner I spotted someone on the top platform, where it’s warmest. It’s rare to come upon the chimps when they are sound asleep as they always seem to hear us coming so I was pleasantly surprised to find sweet Annie, fast asleep and hopefully dreaming of all good things. It didn’t take long for her chimp senses to kick in and wake up, but she took her time, enjoying the warm sun and afternoon breeze.

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In other news, we are nearing the end of Great Apes Giving Day with a little less than 3 hours and 15 minutes to go!! As of this posting, thanks to our amazing supporters we have nearly reached our goal of $15,000 with an amazing $13,830!! For all of you who have contributed, thank you SO much!! As one of the smaller sanctuaries participating in this event, this will mean so much for our chimpanzee family. And if you’d still like to participate in support of Annie, Missy, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody and Negra, we’d so appreciate it. Every donation really does make a difference in their lives.

The neighborhood hot spot

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Most neighborhoods have that spot where all the locals like to gather, right? Well, our current neighborhood hot spot is the small orchard on the property, specifically the pear trees. The leaves are glowing orange and yellow with branches hanging heavy with fruit and a carpet of pears below.

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From top to bottom, all of our wild neighbors are stopping by to try and get them while they can, like these robins.

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A quail pair:

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Mr. Coyote diligently stood guard while the Mrs. did her best to retrieve some from under the fence:

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One of our doe neighbors with her growing fawn are frequent visitors:

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And with most neighborhood hot spots, you might know there is going to be some drama at some point. While Jamie might be boss of the chimp house, it seems Ellie fancies herself the boss of the orchard:

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Chimpanzees living in the wild remember the location of favored food as well, particularly fruit trees. With food sources often being unpredictable and dispersed throughout a large area finding the most productive food resources with the most efficient use of energy and time is essential for any species so there is often a lot of competition for high value food. Thankfully, the chimpanzees here have us humans to deliver the goods so they get to avoid the drama at the local hot spot. Or at least keep it between the family.

Jody savoring the ripe pears:

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Negra:

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Missy:

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“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.”

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“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.”
-William Cullen

Yesterday was an exciting day at the sanctuary as we had some of our first fall quarter interns from Central Washington University come for part of the day. The chimpanzees were interested in all this activity and staff were busy training the new recruits. Today is a more typical quiet day with grey skies and lots of napping. Here are just a few scenes from this peaceful afternoon.

Missy
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Burrito
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Missy (foreground) Burrito (background)
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Foxie
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The Forgotten Photos

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We take so many photos of the chimpanzees that some inevitably slip through the cracks and never get shared on the blog. Here are some recent portraits I found on the hard drive; let us know which is your favorite!

Jamie:

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Negra:

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Jody:

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Foxie:

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Burrito:

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Missy:

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Annie:

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The view from the top

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It’s not uncommon to find Missy on one of the towers at the top of Young’s Hill, just taking in the view.

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Jody tagged along with Missy on one of her little adventures this afternoon.

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On the way back down, Jody made sure to grab a snack to bring back to the greenhouse.

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When we got to the bottom of the hill, I got what I’m pretty sure is the world’s only photo of a chimpanzee watching an elk watching the UPS man (you may have to look closely to find Ellie in the middle).

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Between Storms

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Today at the sanctuary we received several genuine downpours of rain. Not just sprinkles or mist, but actual, much needed rainfall! The chimpanzees spent the rainy part of the day inside, either sleeping in their warm nests in the playroom, or hanging out in the cooler, covered greenhouse.

In a particular break in the weather, Jamie and I went for a walk around Young’s Hill.
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And Missy ate a snack at the top of the hill.
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Annie got a drink of fresh rainwater that had collected on a platform.
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And then we all returned inside to watch the next rain cloud roll in.
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Little neighbors

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In preparation for today’s blog, I revisited a few of the past posts about the different types of fauna that the chimpanzees have experience with in the Cle Elum landscape. There are plenty of birds and insects to be seen. As well as some deer and the neighboring horses. Of course there is Ellie the elk. And let’s not forget about how hard life can be for a snake in a chimpanzee enclosure!

During the dry days of summer we often find little tree frogs hiding on the playroom caging we call the Barn Doors. web_frog1_barndoors_awphone

These doors are next to the garden so the chimpanzees can look out and see their plants growing. In this photo, the barn doors are to the right of Missy.
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While the frogs may think they are safe from danger hiding on the dark caging, caregivers know better. Every morning during cleaning, we relocate these little guys to a safer spot, like this squash plant.
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