Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Missy

Annie

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Annie and Missy have been best friends for years.

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In fact, their friendship was evident during our very first visit to meet them in the laboratory. But the relationship wasn’t always equal. Missy has very clearly always loved Annie, but for Annie, it was more than love. For a time, she was completely dependent on Missy. She would become visibly anxious if Missy even started to play with another chimp. And when Young’s Hill was built, it made it possible for Missy to go off on her own and not even be within Annie’s sight. When that happened, Annie would sit at the bottom of the hill, rocking, and waiting for her friend to return safely.

Thankfully, Annie has grown more confident since then. These days, she seems totally content to sit on the hill by herself while Missy is off patrolling with Jamie.

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It seems that Annie has learned to navigate the world on her own, even if it’s only for ten minutes at a time.

Lil’ Bigfoot

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When Missy is walking out on Young’s Hill, she will often stop every once in awhile, stand up bipedally, and turn around to see what’s going on behind her. We’re not sure why she does this but it’s very endearing. She spends so much time bipedal that she’s earned the nickname Lil’ Bigfoot.

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Fake Neggie strikes again

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It felt like spring had arrived early here at the sanctuary yesterday and most of the chimpanzees spent much of the day roaming Young’s Hill. Today, however, we definitely awoke to winter with light snow and much colder temperatures. When I arrived at the chimp house this morning no one was even awake yet, not even Boss Jamie, and this is pretty unusual.

Missy spent most of the morning testing out other people’s nests, (well, Negra’s nests), something she commonly does. I can’t tell you how many times I greeted Negra in her usual spots this morning only to find it wasn’t the real Neggie, but Fake Neggie. But it seems appropriate that the Queen might have some pretty wonderful nests so I don’t blame Missy a bit.

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Go Hawks!

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We’re always looking for a reason to celebrate and throw a party here at the sanctuary. What better reason for a party than to join fans in cheering on the Seattle Seahawks for Super Bowl XLIX today?

So, how exactly do we throw a Super Bowl Party for chimpanzees you may ask? Well, nothing says a party like green and blue streamers, blankets and toys. Throw in some Seahawks cups, plates, napkins, a football, 12th man socks, t-shirt and arm sleeves. And finally, to top it off (and quite possibly the best part if you ask Burrito) we set up a lunch forage in the Playroom, consisting mostly of green colored foods (lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers and potatoes) and blue drinks (watered down gatorade).

Here are photos from the set up:
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Be sure to watch the video at the end of the blog to see who ended up drinking these!
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And now, the chimpanzees enjoying the party.

Here’s Jamie
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Missy
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Missy and Jamie
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Jody
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Burrito (with Missy in the background)
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Annie
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Foxie during the party.
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Foxie after the party. She may have partied a little too hard.
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Negra
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Who drank most of the drinks from the blue and green cups? Watch the video to find out….did you guess right?

GO HAWKS!

A beautiful day

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There’s just something about a warm, sunny day in the middle of winter that makes you appreciate the great outdoors a little bit more. Last Monday, as people all over the Pacific Northwest were putting on shorts and flip flops and laying out in the sun, the chimps were enjoying the day in their own way.

Jamie, Foxie, and Dora the Explorer:

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Missy and Annie:

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Foxie:

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Missy:

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Missy’s athletic prowess

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Missy is a very athletic individual. She especially loves to run, and if she accompanies Jamie on a walk around the hill, she will usually pause for a minute and let Jamie get ahead—just so she can sprint to catch up. She often has a playface when running around Young’s Hill, so she clearly gets a lot of joy from it. I would imagine after decades in a lab it must feel so freeing.

In between sprints, Missy will take brief moments to look across the valley surrounding the sanctuary. Sometimes she likes to climb up to a high perch in order to take in the view. The other day I was able to get a photo of Missy on one of the high posts, but only for a minute before she scrambled down to the ground for some more running. It’s very impressive to watch her climb down one of these posts!

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Missy climb down post and eat snow

Today at the sanctuary

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We’re all a little stunned by the gorgeous weather we’re having today. The chimpanzees are in great moods and are making the most of their day. Here are our favorite photos from this morning and afternoon. (Don’t let these photos fool you; these all happened to be taken indoors, but the chimps are enjoying a ton of time outside today in the sunshine.)

Foxie inspecting a chow biscuit:

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Negra looking out the window:

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Jamie with a toothbrush:

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Jody with a mouthful of chow at breakfast:

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Missy wading through a box of enrichment:

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Annie:

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Burrito during today’s breakfast forage:

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