Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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morning

Thief: The Game

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One of my favorite times of day is when I arrive to the Chimp House in the morning. Usually I’m one of the first humans in to get a jump start on the day. It’s a pretty serene moment in time first thing in the morning. Most of the chimps are already awake, bright-eyed and bushy tail(less), while others are just waking up. It’s at this time in the morning you can catch the chimpanzees engaged in some grooming sessions, mall walking, or playing some kind of silly game.

The other day, as I walked in and turned on the security monitors, I noticed Lucky in the Oakwood Greenhouse rolling around with a sock. She seemed pretty content, then Rayne arrived. Rayne was determined to get Lucky’s sock. From there a game of theft, chase, and keep away ensued. What started with just a sock cascaded into what seemed to be a treasure trove of stolen goods. Ok. Really it was two, maybe three things, but that’s still two or three more that should be stolen, right?

Who do you think was the masterful thief of this game?

Good Morning Negra and Willy B!

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Negra has been adventuring for a couple of days. The clips in the video above were from today.

Yesterday, she was lured to Young’s Hill with a lettuce forage, and J.B. snapped a few photos:

She even climbed up on one of the structures, which is unusual for her!

I felt very lucky to be a witness to Willy B’s solo adventure this morning. There was some construction noise from a distance that Willy B may have decided to investigate.

He displayed when he got to very top structure. Maybe he was responding to the construction noise or maybe he was celebrating going all the way to the top!

The Sunrise Committee

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Early mornings in Cy’s group can be pretty rowdy. Some of the boys (usually Willy B, but occasionally Gordo, Terry, or Cy) will begin displaying at some ungodly hour—5 or 6am if we’re lucky, or 2am if they know we have to work in the chimp house the next day—and the whole group will take turns screaming, pant hooting, or even chasing each other around. The chimps don’t usually bed down for the night, per se, but instead engage in first sleep, second sleep, and so on, sometimes moving to a new nest each time. But as the sun begins to rise over the Bray, things start to change.

One by one, they make their way to Greenhouse 2 (the Oakwood Greenhouse), compelled by the sun. As the greenhouse heats up and becomes bathed in a warm glow, the chimps groom, nap, and engage in their favorite activities together. This is the one time each day when the group reliably comes together as a whole (with one typical exception, of course!). I think of them as the Sunrise Committee, and when the Committee convenes, I know I can drink my coffee in peace.

If you know Honey B, you know she’s not one for committees. So this is usually her personal time, when she gets to enjoy the freedom of being alone. Sometimes she’ll pull one of the committee members for a game of chase or mall walking, but it’s rare to see her in the middle of the grooming session.

 

Who’s Who and the Power Moves

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There are those days when nothing too terribly exciting is happening so writing the blog can be a little tough. On the other side of the coin, however, there could be many things happening it can be just as daunting to try to pick just a few of the things to write about. Today is a latter. So for the sake of time and strained eyes looking at screens, I just chose three.

Morning:

As I was making sure Young’s Hill was safe for Burrito’s group to venture out on this morning, I saw Missy draped in an orange blanket.

I exchanged morning greeting with her via a head bob, and continued to check the gates and doors that lead to Young’s Hill. A minute or two later, I went back around to open the door that gives Missy access to the outdoor enclosure. Still seeing the orange blanket, I blurted out, “Are you ready to go outside Missy?” To my surprise, Missy was already at the door waiting to go outside. So who was in the orange blanket?

It was Negra!

They pulled the ol’ switcheroo on me!

Funny enough, I had just greeted Negra as she was still nice and comfortable in her nest inside the playroom right before Missy in their greenhouse.

Afternoon:

After cleaning was done, I glanced at our security cameras to see where everybody was. In the Marmot Mountain Playroom, I saw Honey B and Rayne taking the “play” part of playroom seriously. Or not seriously, depending on how you look at it. As I was watching them, Rayne showed off some of her moves! No need to fret, I have included the clip in today’s video. If you were to name this move, what would it be called?

Yesterday:

If you read yesterday’s blog, then you know (and hopefully celebrated) Mave’s *real* birthday!  In the description, you may have read that Mave was having some problems getting one of the prized young coconuts. Luckily for her, her new best friend Dora allowed her to have one of the two she acquired! I wasn’t quick enough to submit my footage to J.B. before the video was completed, so I included the unfolding of that event. We cannot definitively say Dora was actively sharing (wanting Mave to have it and physically giving her it), but she was at least passively sharing (not getting mad she took it).

Yesterday I also randomly glanced at the security cameras and saw Mave’s power move! One of the most endearing things we all love about Mave is the “Mave plop.” I’m trying to think of the words to use to describe the “Mave plop,” but am coming up short. Caregiver Kelsi said the only way she says she can describe it is “it’s like a Jason Bourne move if he was lazy.” That is a fair assessment because it’s like a dive-roll type of move. I digress though. None of us have seen the “Mave plop” in quiet this fashion as we saw it on the cameras. We were trying to think of names to call it. Some said it’s the “help I’ve fallen and can’t get up.” Some said it’s “the catwalk flop.” To some it’s “the failed flying chimp-in-a-blanket maneuver.” After watching it, what would you call it?

Bonus Photos:

Annie with her coconut yesterday

Cy and his coconut

Gordo and his coconut

Teeny Tiny Terry and his teeny tiny pine cone

Mavis!

And don’t forget, Giving Day for Apes has begun! Be sure to find out about the different Power Hours on Oct. 3rd. You can even create your own fundraising page with your own goals and send it to family, friends, and well wishers!

Best Christmas Ever

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It’s been a very merry Christmas here at CSNW.  The chimpanzees started the day with a special Christmas breakfast of peanut butter rice balls, bananas, and smoothie.  After the playroom was cleaned, the real party began – complete with whole pomegranates and tangerines, new toys and blankets from friends Robbi and Dick Brown, Leslie Sodaro, and Joanne Pierce, and a Christmas tree decorated with popcorn and peanut strings and troll dolls.

Aside from the pomegranates, the tree might have been the star of the day.  Diana had the idea to suspend it a couple of feet off the ground, so it spun festively whenever someone touched it.  Burrito, in particular, seemed quite taken with it, as you’ll see below.