Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
I am truly sorry everybody. I had a completely different blog written out today ready to post, however, due to technical difficulties I was not able to upload the video I had to YouTube. That blip kind of threw a wrench in my blog plans since the video was the centerpiece for the blog. Hopefully next time I will be able to load it.
In the meantime, please enjoy how a-DORA-ble Dora was taking a nap this afternoon. Ok. I will see myself out for that one.
Negra’s To Do List – Friday, February 19
Foxie and one of her many beloved trolls enjoy a break from the summer heat:
Humans aren’t the only ones that like to curl up with a good book on a rainy morning.
The chimps spent the early part of the day on Young’s Hill, but before long the rain had them retreating back inside to the cozy greenhouse and playroom. Jamie returned to find a new book, one of many sent in recently by a generous supporter, and she immediately gathered all of her favorite things so that she could flip through her book from the comfort of a good nest.
The only problem – the nest was too comfortable.
Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she couldn’t fight it anymore, and she drifted off to sleep.
Her new book would have to wait.
It’s hard to remember, but the space that we now call the greenhouse used to be the chimpanzees’ only outdoor area.
Karen and Don Young visited in 2009, and we conceived the idea of encasing the caging in removable polycarbonate panels so that the chimpanzees could enjoy this space year round! The Youngs kicked off donations for this project and we raised the rest of the greenhouse funds at our 2009 auction.
Construction began in late 2009 and early 2010 (because what better time to embark on a construction project than winter?!). Those were some cold construction days, as Jim Spencer I’m sure still remembers.
The result for the chimpanzees was so worth it! The greenhouse is their favorite area year round.
When the weather starts to warm up in the spring, J.B. removes some of the panels, leaving the roof, so the chimpanzees enjoy their summer lounging in an indoor-outdoor space.
Then, around this time of year (today, for example), J.B. buttons up the greenhouse for the winter, so the chimpanzees can enjoy the cooler months in the protected area that heats up with the rays of the sun, or, in the case of today, keeps out the rain.
Today, Jamie enjoyed nesting and napping up high on the platform today, where it’s warmest, as it poured and blew outside:
And, of course, she also ventured onto Young’s Hill during breaks in the rain.
As J.B. mentioned yesterday in his post, we often remind ourselves that the chimps are experiencing even the simplest aspects of life for the first time at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.
It doesn’t make up for all the years she lost, but after almost five years at the sanctuary, Negra has experienced the peace of a good nap in a safe place with a blanket over her head for approximately 1,730 days. Every time I see her enjoying this peace, it makes me as happy as the first day she arrived and she “wore” her blanket.
