Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
The chimps are most active on Young’s Hill right after breakfast. With a full night’s sleep and a belly full of food, they are often looking to burn off a little energy. This morning, there were plenty of balance beam exercises…
Foxie:
Jamie:
Missy:
Some tight rope walking…
Missy:
Some daredevil acrobatics…
Missy:
And to top it all off, a perfect dismount from the shaky bridge…
Missy:
Even the spectators enjoyed themselves…
Jody:
But no one was happier than the star of the show…
Missy:
We had some awesome donations from Redfin left over from the party a couple of weeks ago, so we decided to throw a second Redfin party!
We managed to get some video too (see below). Negra was definitely the star of this party, and both she and Jody got the most out of the terrific house piñatas.
Thank you, Redfin for all of the party supplies and for making such a special day for the chimps not just once, but twice!
If you’re subscribed to our e-newsletter, you read about this rambunctious play between Annie and Foxie yesterday and what it says about how things have changed between these two in the last few years at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Subscribe here if you’re not already signed up to receive updates!
There’s nothing better than watching Negra sit outside and soak up the sun.
We were fortunate to have spent a bit of time with Dr. Sheri Speede and some volunteers for IDA Africa when they were in the area the last few days as part of Dr. Speede’s book signing tour for her new book Kindred Beings. She relayed something that we all had in common. It’s related to Debbie’s post from the other day. Here it is: working with chimpanzees is an incredible privilege. It’s not something a lot of people get to do. When I’m walking with Jamie, playing with Burrito, passing a troll to Foxie, taking a photo of Jody, having a quiet interaction with Annie, admiring Missy as she runs on the hill, or simply looking at Negra with my heart swelling with love, I often think about this. But here’s the thing – this is a privilege that we shouldn’t have. I know we’ve expressed this on the blog in direct and indirect ways before. It’s one of those thoughts that you carry with you everyday as a caregiver in a sanctuary. No matter how great the moment is, no matter what amazing and wonderful thing has happened – there shouldn’t be a need for us to have jobs like this, and the chimpanzees we care about so much shouldn’t be here.
But they are here, and so are we. So we do have this privilege, and we are able to pass along this privilege vicariously to you through this blog – to tell their stories and explain what’s it is like to care for chimpanzees. The greatest aspect of working at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is that we all feel this way, really without even thinking about it. We all understand that we are here for chimpanzees who deserved better. They are not here for us. And we will continue to be here for them and make their lives in captivity as good as they possibly can be.
Jody lying down:
Jamie walking on Young’s Hill:
A couple weeks ago, Debbie posted about the difference between chimpanzee fear grimaces and chimpanzee smiles. This afternoon, Missy and Annie decided to demonstrate the many things that might elicit a smile, otherwise known as a play face.
For example, you might smile if your friend leaped out of the grass and tried to wrestle you to the ground.
Or, you might smile if you were the one doing the leaping.
You might smile if your friend was tickling your toes.
And you might smile if you tickled her right back.
You might smile if your friend chased you across a fire hose bridge.
You might also smile if you were the one doing the chasing. Especially if you went too fast…
…fell off…
…hung upside down…
…and kept right on chasing.
You might even walk away smiling after a move like that.
Last week, I posted a photo of Missy on her Facebook page leaping off of the termite mound. Her friend Debra Durham commented on the photo, “parkour!” I thought to myself, “exactly!”
If you haven’t heard of parkour, well, you can thank me for letting you in on what, just two days ago, ABC news called, “the new sport that has everyone buzzing.” It’s basically people using the “urban landscape” as a playground. The people who are good at it make leaping and jumping and rolling on concrete and rooftops look effortless (unlike how I would look if I tried it). In many ways, it really is similar to the way Missy moves everyday.
Whenever I see Missy on Young’s Hill – running at full speed, leaping off of the termite mound, climbing log posts or the tall bamboo (usually with a huge playface), or grabbing her friend Annie’s ears in playful joy, I am reminded of what Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has given this group of chimpanzees who lived for decades in small cages within windowless rooms.
For each of the chimpanzees, sanctuary has provided something unique to them. For Missy, perhaps it’s parkour:
Thank you for being a part of making Missy’s life in sanctuary exactly what she chooses it to be.
