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What does legacy mean?

August 12, 2022 by Diana

I think about that word a lot. Legacy. What does it mean, exactly? Why do we strive to leave something behind when we pass on, and how do we go about doing that?

While legacy means different things to different people, I think that almost everyone wants make a difference and feel that their life added to the world in some way. I don’t think I could co-run a nonprofit without coming to that conclusion.

I am in the privileged position of seeing, everyday, the generosity and caring within people.

Over the years, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has been the beneficiary of the last act of generosity from several donors. Some of these donors were very close to the sanctuary. I knew of their health struggles and was aware that they had planned to leave something behind for the chimpanzees. We mourned their passing and have been honored to be a small part of the bigger-than-life legacy they created, which included the uncountable acts of kindness they gave during their living years.

More surprisingly, the sanctuary has also received small bequests from people we were not familiar with at all. They named the sanctuary in their will without having made contact with us. I always try to gather information about these donors to find out more about them as I marvel at their surprise gifts.

I consider bequests in any amount to be very special gifts because they are an expression of the trust in a nonprofit to carry on the legacy of the donor. It’s a responsibility that we take very seriously.

You may already know that August is Make-a-Will Month. For you, blog readers, I wanted to throw out the market-tested appeal language and share the above, my rather raw thoughts, with you.

Whether you name Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in your will or not, I do hope that you will seize the day and create a part of your legacy by sitting down and planning your will if you haven’t already or updating it if you have new causes you’d like to support. You can use this tool to do that. It really is very easy and walks you through all of the steps.

If you have an IRA, 401(k), life insurance policy, or any other asset that your will does not cover, you can plan beneficiaries for those non-probate assets separately. Use Freewill to learn more about how to go about that.

If you’ve already named the sanctuary in your estate planning, you can let us know here, and you will be counted as an official member of the Primate Family Legacy Circle.

Your legacy could make a huge difference for the future of sanctuary or for others you care about.

Thank you.

Filed Under: Sanctuary, Thanks Tagged With: chimps, freewill, legacy, legacy gift, nonprofit

A Royal Brunch

June 13, 2021 by Anthony

In addition to today’s video, I am going to share the following message from CSNW Co-Director Diana (with a few current photos sprinkled in):
Wow!!! The Queen’s Brunch brought out so many generous people – thank you all so much!
Negra and her friends are definitely feeling the love right now.
Negra
The bidding is going on through tomorrow night at 8:00pm PT, so there’s still time to secure those things you can’t live without! We set the donation goal for sponsoring the journey of the Lucky Six at $110,000 – that’s $100 for each mile of their journey. And guess what?! We are less than $10,000 shy of that very ambitious goal.
Maybe we’ll reach it by tomorrow night when the auction closes?
Thank you for this incredibly warm welcome for the new six chimpanzees. 
Missy
We owe a big “thank you” to Cory, Brad, Kayla, and everyone at Auction Frogs for once again hosting the virtual event. Cory did an outstanding job as host-at-a-distance (with the help of Honey B and Negra, of course).
Annie
We just want to clear up some important information about the Lucky Six. They were born at a biomedical research facility. For the last 25+ years, however, they have been cared for at the Wildlife Waystation (WWS).
WWS rescued them from life as biomedical research subjects and was a pioneer in that respect. It closed in 2019 with 42 chimpanzees and hundreds of other animals needing to be re-homed. That’s when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife stepped in to manage the daily operations, still keeping on the caregivers who have been with the chimpanzees for decades.
The Chimpanzees in Need campaign then arose and is working to re-home the remaining chimpanzees, including the Lucky Six.
We are beyond thrilled to have been in a position to help the chimpanzees at Wildlife Waystation, including Honey B, Mave, and Willy B, and soon the Lucky Six. We look forward to continuing to help the campaign and see other groups of chimpanzees find their way to more accredited sanctuaries.
The new greenhouse enclosures!

Filed Under: Construction, Events, Latest Videos, Negra, Party, Sanctuary, Thanks Tagged With: animal rights, Animal Welfare, chimp, chimp enrichment, chimp sanctuary, chimpanzee, chimpanzee rescue, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, chimps, nonprofit, Sanctuary, wildlife waystation

(Banana for Scale)

February 28, 2021 by Anthony

Today’s blog is dedicated to our favorite fruit: bananas. Humans first domesticated these plants on the island archipelagos of Southeast Asia between 10,000 and 6,500 years ago. Ancient voyagers carried these remarkable berries with them around the globe, cementing their status as a staple crop for people living in tropical Africa, Asia, Oceania, and eventually the Americas.

Cavendish bananas are now the most popular cultivar worldwide despite actually being less than two-hundred years old. Bundles of these green bananas are shipped to regional warehouses where they are ripened in sealed rooms, resulting in the artificial yellow color that appeals to consumers in grocery stores. (Without the intermediate step, most Cavendish bananas will go from green to rotten without ever “ripening.”)

Besides simply cultivating and eating them, we humans have cemented a place for this fruit in pop culture. We refer to historically colonized nations as “Banana Republics,” laugh at people slipping on banana peels, and wear stupid banana costumes to parties. Spectacularly, people even began to include bananas in online images to provide the viewer with a sense of scale. (In fact, bananas may be a better unit of measurement than stoats.)

For a CSNW example, here’s an image of a Troll Doll (banana for scale):

Somehow, we also learned to associate bananas with our nonhuman ape and monkey relatives. (Thanks a lot, Donkey Kong!) As much as sanctuary caregivers may resent this overdone stereotype as we work hard to give the residents a wide variety of species-appropriate foods, even we cannot deny that chimpanzees really do love bananas. In fact, we almost always have them in stock as each chimp eats an average of one or two bananas each day. The reliance on bananas is normal for sanctuaries. At fellow NAPSA member sanctuary Chimp Haven, the enthusiasm with which each of their 300+ residents demands two bananas each morning has inspired a line of merchandise (and I have one of the mugs).

Note: The following meme depicts a young spider monkey, not a chimp, but it holds the same weight:

Fortunately for the sanctuary’s ten chimpanzee residents, we recently received an unexpected donation of bananas from the faith-based FISH Community Food Bank in nearby Ellensburg. Thanks, FISH!!!

The bananas were perfect– canary yellow with coffee-colored spots, firm but not starchy, and pungently sweet- and the generous people at the food bank gave us SEVEN CASES of these things to dole out to the chimps.

As Diana pointed out yesterday, the event was not quite a lagniappe, but it had a similar vibe. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on generosity and thoughtfulness to keep the sanctuary running. Every contribution matters. To make sure that we wouldn’t waste a donation like this, the staff got to work freezing peeled and blended bananas for use in future smoothies, dehydrating bananas to make chips for night bags, and washing bananas for immediate meal service. Processing new produce is one of my favorite weekly tasks, so this past week has been quite the thrill.

The chimps have not been complaining about receiving bananas more frequently. They demand their bananas first (because fruit is always the highest priority) then scarf them down with gusto. Lately, I’ve been trying to get a passable photo of any chimpanzee eating a donated banana to send to the team at the food bank, but the chimpanzees eat them too fast and I miss each narrow window of opportunity.

This pattern continued through today. During breakfast, I stood in front of the indoor enclosures and waited for the chimps to bring their bananas in from the Greenhouse (just as Jody did on Friday). They all inhaled their first course on the spot instead of taking it to go, so I squandered that chance by planning poorly. Then, at dinner, the bananas were almost entirely gone by the time I had carried out my other duties and arrived in the Greenhouse with a camera.

I did manage to salvage a few photos from breakfast, however. In particular, Jamie was overwhelmed by the amazing banana smoothie that the care team had prepared for both groups of chimps. She used her fingers to scrape every last bit of it from the plastic cup.

After breakfast, Jamie finally went into the indoor rooms and sat on a bench. I still had the camera hanging from my neck, so I asked her if I could take some portraits. She mostly ignored me (except for an occasional nod that I interpreted as “affirmative”), and kept looking over my shoulder. Her attention evidently went down the hall toward the kitchen. I turned to follow her gaze. Through that narrow doorway, we could both see straight through to the transparent refrigerator door where hundreds of bananas sat on brightly-lit shelves.

I doubt that Jamie knows the natural history of bananas or that the people at FISH supplied us with the ones she ate for breakfast, but it’s a safe bet that she’ll be expecting one on her breakfast tray tomorrow morning.

She’s in luck.

We have, like, a thousand of them.

P.S. If you’re interested in helping us to get fresh produce to the chimps every day, you should consider being a Produce Patron!

Filed Under: Food, Jamie, Thanks Tagged With: animal sanctuaries, animal sanctuary, chimp sanctuary, chimpanzees, chimps, csnw, donate, fish community food bank, fish ellensburg, food bank, food bank ellensburg, nonprofit, northwest, primate sanctuary, seattle

Will You (Honey) B My Valentine?

February 14, 2021 by Anthony

The chimps had an absolute banger of Valentine’s Day party.

There’s a lot to be said about this strange holiday that I won’t say here (although I encourage you to read about the event’s namesake). To us caregivers, however, Valentine’s Day is yet another great excuse to give special treats to the chimpanzees.

My morning began with a safety patrol around Young’s Hill, the chimps’ outdoor enclosure, although the fresh snow made the short walk into an adventure. The valley was veiled in gray clouds that quelled any hope of a visible sunrise. It was surreal to see the climbing structures buried in snowdrifts. Far below, I could see J.B. plowing the sanctuary’s driveway yet again.

 

Back in the Chimp House, everyone else got right to work. While Katelyn shoveled off the sidewalks and stairs around the building, Chad got right to work in the kitchen. As the Enrichment Coordinator, Chad’s the de facto Party Planner, and he had a big spread in mind for Valentine’s Day brunch. The meal consisted of red-colored foods (diluted Gatorade, sliced blood oranges, whole strawberries) and some special heart-shaped banana pancakes made by Patti, one of our amazing volunteers.

When the chimps saw these platters from their vantage in the Playroom, they lost their minds in an excited frenzy. They were all overwhelmed (in a good way). Foxie was the craziest, stomping around and grimacing, until Jody reassured her by gently touching her backside.

Jody
Missy in the loft of the Playroom
Foxie stomping around
Foxie and Jody

 

As we prepared the Greenhouse for the celebration, the chimpanzees milled around the Playroom, peeking through the windows as they passed by each like some sort of primate carousel.

Negra
Missy and Annie
Jamie
Jamie
Burrito

Once we humans were safely out of the Greenhouse, I opened up the doors so the chimps could feast. They immediately diffused around the enclosure, floor to ceiling and wall to wall, foraging for all their favorite bits of the brunch platters. It was difficult for Chad and I to take photos because they were so busy (and the layer of snow on top of the Greenhouse prevented sunlight from getting in).

Negra
Negra
Negra
Missy
Annie
Burrito

On the other side of the building, the chimpanzees weren’t as excited about brunch (which is surprising because they’re Millennials). Honey B and Mave were actually content to stay downstairs all day, so that’s where we ended up serving their meals. They seemed to be feeling well, but the chimps always have a choice to stay where they are (thus declining our generous offer to clean their enclosures). Eventually, they all got to try Patti’s banana pancakes (which the loved) and then settled down for some grooming, napping, and play with caregivers.

Mave relaxed and groomed her friends while Willy B watched Shrek (three times in a row) and frequently checked in on the neighbors. Honey B spent most of the time following caregivers around, playing chase and grooming snow off their boots through the caging. She was always at the window or caging whenever I walked by, so we continued the tradition of playing tag between the windows of the new Playrooms. If paying attention is the only requirement for someone to be called a “Valentine,” then I think Honey B has earned that right today.

Honey B
Honey B
Honey B

Honey B
Honey B

Of course, while Honey B may be my “Valentine” today, our supporters made it clear that all the chimps are loved. Diana shared a video yesterday to celebrate this special occasion with the sanctuary’s family, We even had TWO sponsors for this day of sanctuary, the second of whom is particular enamored with this handsome gentleman.

Burrito

Filed Under: Enrichment, Honey B, Party, Thanks, Weather Tagged With: animal sanctuary, chimpanzee, chimpanzees, chimps, donation, Enrichment, february, holiday, nonprofit, primate, Primates, Sanctuary, snow, valentine's day, winter

Giving Days and Days of Gifts

October 11, 2020 by Anthony

Today’s theme: gifts, giving, and gifts given.

Before we get to today’s update, though, I want to remind everyone that Giving Day for Apes is this Tuesday! It’s not too late to set up your own fundraising page via the sanctuary’s Giving Day for Apes page (just click on the big “Fundraise” button to get started). To see pages that others have created, scroll down on our page and look under “Campaigns supporting this organization.” All donations made on any of those campaigns will go directly to the sanctuary and will be eligible for the cash prizes offered!

Of course, the special fundraisers aren’t the only times that our supporters make generous gifts to the sanctuary.

Earlier today, we posted the following message:

Mary Horton sponsored this special day of sanctuary for her mom and long-time friend of the chimpanzees, Vicki Fagerlee… Vicki, you make a lasting difference in the chimpanzees’ and cattle’s lives, helping us ensure their joy, well-being and comfort for all their days forward. We’re so grateful to have you as part of our chimp and bovine family. Happy Birthday, from all of us here at the sanctuary!

It may have been Vicki’s birthday today, but she has been the one buying gifts for the sanctuary lately. Last week, we received notice that someone purchased a new mirrorless digital camera from our Amazon Wish List. Shortly after, the device arrived at our front gate with all the accessories we need to keep taking photos for the blog. The new Canon RP is much newer, lighter, and versatile than the donated Canon Rebels we have been using, and it has many new features that we have yet to master. Today, I spent some time to tinker with the auto-focus settings, low-light capabilities, and preset modes, but it definitely feels like learning to take photographs all over again. This technology has advanced quite far over the last ten years, so we appreciate that Vicki is helping us to stay current. I can’t wait to see what content we can create with this generous gift, and I really can’t wait to share the final products with you all.

Annie
Foxie and Missy
Jody and Foxie
Burrito
Burrito

P.S. Even the newest cameras have a difficult time focusing on Burrito’s face when he plays chase and tickle like an absolute maniac. In this case, I think I focused on his tiny white nose hairs. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Filed Under: Burrito, Events, Thanks, Wishlist Tagged With: amazon, amazon wishlist, animal rescue, animal rights, Animal Welfare, chimp, chimp sanctuary, chimpanzee, chimpanzee rescue, chimpanzee retirement, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, csnw, donate, donations, fundraiser, Fundraising, nonprofit, photography, Primates, Sanctuary

Hype for HOOT!

August 30, 2020 by Anthony

It would be an understatement to say that 2020 has been a rollercoaster of a year. At times, it’s felt more like a haunted house full of people who have all taken hallucinogenics (or something that is equally chaotic, confusing, and concerning).

Still, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate and we have much to be hopeful for. The chimps’ lives have been largely unaffected by the public health crisis and we’re working hard to keep it that way. Despite the economic uncertainty and logistical hurdles, we’ve managed to keep the residents happy and healthy, sustainably expand our staff, make upgrades to our existing property and facilities, and begin constructing new areas that will hopefully provide a home for more rescued chimpanzees.

All of this progress would be impossible without the financial support that comes from generous supporters, and we’re getting ready to host our biggest fundraising event of the year: HOOT 2020!

Unlike previous years, this edition of HOOT! will be a virtual celebration so that you can all participate from the comfort of your home (or office… we won’t tell anyone if you choose to spend your work day bidding on items). Of course, we’d love to be hosting you all in Seattle for a big ole’ shindig, but the “virtualness” of this year’s party has some benefits of its own. As always, there are some amazing items and experiences up for auction (bidding starts September 2nd!) and the itinerary also includes a happy hour and a pant-hoot contest.

The preparations have been underway for quite some time, but some aspects of the event are still developing. Burrito witnessed something that excited him today, but you’ll have to tune into the event to see what it was…

To get started, you can go to the HOOT! 2020 website hosted by Auction Frogs. Seriously, go to the website! I’m not going to post too many spoilers here, but we have a lot planned for this big event!!!

P.S. Here’s a little spoiler. Saxophone by Tobi Stone.

Filed Under: Burrito, Cattle, Events, Fundraising Tagged With: animal rescue, animal rights, Animal Welfare, Burrito, chimp, chimp sanctuary, chimpanzee, chimpanzee rescue, chimpanzee retirement, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, Cle Elum Seven, fundraiser, hoot, nonprofit, Primates, Sanctuary, seattle

Fall in Love with Willy B

February 13, 2020 by Diana

Happy Valentine’s Eve!

On Saturday, we shared the Fall in Love with Honey B video, so you’ve probably been anticipating this one!

For a little background in case you missed Saturday’s post: a few years ago we made ‘Fall in Love with” videos for all of the chimpanzees. Like right now, these videos were part of a February fundraiser highlighting the Chimpanzee Pal program. The videos are at the bottom of each of the chimpanzees‘ webpages.

I now present to you: Fall in Love with Willy B (see video above).

I anticipated a lot of slinky footage for Willy B’s video, and I knew I would enjoy putting it all together, but it was even more delightful a process than I had anticipated.

One thing you may have noticed from Willy B and Honey B’s videos is the lack of images and footage of them outside. That’s because they are still wary of the electric fence and are choosing not to go into their “courtyard” even when given the opportunity. This hopefully will change with time, and it makes our continued expansion even more important so that they can enjoy a large playroom and indoor-outdoor greenhouse space too!

Tomorrow is the first Valentine’s Day that Honey B, Willy B, and Mave will be celebrating at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Help us celebrate this special occasion by signing up to be a pal to one of the new three (Mave’s video is in the works) or to any of the chimpanzees at the sanctuary.

For a smaller donation, you can even be a Bovine Buddy to one of the three rescued cows or steer Nutmeg at the sanctuary (video to come before the end of the month)!  Pal and Buddy sponsorships help pay for the care of these unique and charming non-humans.

Thanks to everyone who already contributes to the sanctuary in a myriad ways, including through the Chimpanzee Pal and Bovine Buddy programs. Your donations are very much needed and appreciated!

Filed Under: Chimpanzee Behavior, Enrichment, Featured Post, Fundraising, Latest Videos, Most Viewed Videos, Willy B Tagged With: animal protection, animal rescue, animal rights, animal sanctuary, Animal Welfare, chimp pal, Chimpanzee Pal, chimpanzee rescue, chimpanzee retirement, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, nonprofit, Sanctuary

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